# Municipality of Eastwood

The Municipality of Eastwood was a local government area in the Northern region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Initially proclaimed as the southern part of the Municipal District of Ryde in 1870, following a petition of secession the municipality was proclaimed as the Municipal District of Marsfield on 2 June 1894. It included the modern suburbs of Marsfield, Eastwood, and Denistone. On 17 July 1907, the name of the council was changed to the "Municipality of Eastwood". From 1 January 1949, the council was re-amalgamated into the Municipality of Ryde, with the passing of the Local Government (Areas) Act 1948.

## Council history
### Early years and development

The area comprising the future Eastwood municipality was first incorporated on 11 November 1870, when the Municipal District of Ryde was proclaimed in the lands north of Ryde. With a total land area of 40.6 square kilometres, Ryde was the largest Sydney municipality. However, due to an error in the proclamation regarding the western boundary, a new proclamation was made on 11 June 1872.
On 7 July 1893, a petition of 98 signatures was published in the NSW Government Gazette, requesting the division of the Marsfield and Eastwood areas and the establishment of a separate municipality. This petition was subsequently accepted and the area was proclaimed on 5 June 1894 as the "Municipal District of Marsfield". The first council, comprising six aldermen in two wards and two auditors, was elected on 9 August 1894.
| Seat | Alderman |
| West Ward | Frederick Allan Baylis (ending February 1895) |
| West Ward | Arthur Maurice Hyde Fitzhardinge (ending February 1896) |
| West Ward | Charles Whittaker (ending February 1897) |
| East Ward | John Frederick Jesson (ending February 1895) |
| East Ward | Andrew Octavius Small (ending February 1896) |
| East Ward | Edward Alpheus Sterland (ending February 1897) |
| Auditor | Henry Lovell (ending February 1895) |
| Auditor | Ernest Jurd (ending February 1895) |
The council first met on 15 August 1894 at the residence of Mr. J. Giuliani on the corner of Herring and Bridge Roads, Marsfield, with Alderman Arthur Fitzhardinge elected as the first mayor. On 5 September 1894, Sydney Small was appointed as the first Town Clerk.
With the review of local government regulations that would result in the Local Government Act, 1906 and would abolish to category of municipal districts, the council passed a resolution on 26 July 1906 requesting a change in the municipality to the "Municipality of Eastwood" in recognition of Eastwood as the main centre of the municipality. On 17 July 1907, the name change was officially proclaimed in the Government Gazette.

### Later history

By the end of the Second World War, the NSW Government had realised that its ideas of infrastructure expansion could not be effected by the present system of the patchwork of small municipal councils across Sydney and the Minister for Local Government, Joseph Cahill, initiated the 1945–46 Clancy Royal Commission on Local Government Boundaries, to consider these changes. The NSW Government the passed a bill following the recommendations of the Royal Commission that abolished a significant number of Sydney metropolitan councils. Under the Local Government (Areas) Act 1948 (effective 1 January 1949), the council merged back into the Municipality of Ryde. The last meeting of the council was held on 22 December 1948.

## Council seat

The Council commissioned a purpose-built council chambers in 1911, with the foundation stone for the Eastwood Town Hall at 74 Agincourt Road, Marsfield, laid on 18 November 1911. The Town Hall was officially opened on 24 February 1912 by the Premier of New South Wales, James McGowen. The Town Hall was designed by architect Varney Parkes and was built by M. J. Geraghty. On 13 September 1937, the Town Hall was severely damaged by a fire, which destroyed a large number of Council records. It was later discovered that a former employee had set the fire. In March 1938, renovations to the Town Hall including to repair the fire damage were tendered by architect Louis P. Burns to builder D. E. Berecry of Chatswood. The hall was officially reopened on 30 July 1938. The Town Hall continues to be in the ownership of Ryde Council and is now a Heritage Item.

## Mayors

| # | Mayors | Years |
| 1 | Arthur Maurice Hyde Fitzhardinge | 15 August 1894 – 15 November 1895 |
| 2 | Henry Lovell | 15 November 1895 – 9 February 1899 |
| 3 | Edwin Henry Small | 9 February 1899 – 14 August 1899 |
| 4 | Alexander Adams | 14 August 1899 – 17 February 1900 |
| 5 | Herbert Sparrow | 17 February 1900 – 13 February 1901 |
| – | Edwin Henry Small | 13 February 1901 – 5 July 1901 |
| 6 | Edward Gallagher | 5 July 1901 – 12 February 1903 |
| – | Henry Lovell | 12 February 1903 – 11 February 1904 |
| 7 | Charles Whittaker | 11 February 1904 – 16 February 1905 |
| 8 | John Johnson | 16 February 1905 – 10 February 1906 |
| 9 | Frank Ellis | 10 February 1906 – 9 February 1907 |
| – | John Johnson | 9 February 1907 – 1 March 1911 |
| 10 | Oswald Ernest Small | 1 March 1911 – 9 February 1914 |
| 11 | John Churchman Matthews | 9 February 1914 – 11 July 1917 |
| – | Charles Whittaker | 11 July 1917 – 6 February 1918 |
| – | John Churchman Matthews | 6 February 1918 – 11 February 1920 |
| 12 | John England | 11 February 1920 – 22 December 1920 |
| – | John Churchman Matthews | 22 December 1920 – 14 December 1921 |
| 13 | Gabriel Dunlop | 14 December 1921 – 13 December 1922 |
| 14 | William Richard Featherstone | 13 December 1922 – 17 December 1924 |
| 15 | Reginald Duthill Havelock Ball | 17 December 1924 – 19 December 1927 |
| – | Gabriel Dunlop | 19 December 1927 – 12 December 1928 |
| 16 | Sydney George Small | 12 December 1928 – 11 December 1929 |
| 17 | Francis Myers | 11 December 1929 – 10 December 1930 |
| – | John Churchman Matthews | 10 December 1930 – 6 January 1932 |
| 18 | George Moore | 6 January 1932 – 21 December 1932 |
| 19 | Reginald John Small | 21 December 1932 – 6 September 1933 |
| 20 | Charles William Caudwell Pickford | 13 September 1933 – 27 December 1933 |
| – | Reginald John Small | 27 December 1933 – 5 December 1934 |
| – | Reginald Duthill Havelock Ball | 5 December 1934 – 22 December 1936 |
| 21 | James Francis Walsh | 28 December 1936 – December 1938 |
| – | Reginald Duthill Havelock Ball | December 1938 – December 1939 |
| 22 | Robert Francis Harris | December 1939 – December 1940 |
| 23 | James Henderson Martin | December 1940 – December 1941 |
| 24 | Edward F. Stewart | December 1941 – 31 December 1948 |

## Town Clerks

| Town Clerk | Years |
| Sydney George Small | 5 September 1894 – 30 June 1923 |
| E. W. Fawcett | 5 July 1923 – 14 April 1938 |
| E. C. Gyllies | 14 April 1938 – 31 December 1948 |