# Municipality of Bexley

The Municipality of Bexley was a local government area in the St George region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The municipality was proclaimed as the Borough of Bexley on 28 June 1900 when it formally separated from the Municipal District of Hurstville, and included the modern suburbs of Bexley, Bexley North and Kingsgrove, with parts of Carlton, Bardwell Park, Bardwell Valley, Rockdale and Kogarah. From 1 January 1949, the council was amalgamated into the Municipality of Rockdale, with the passing of the Local Government (Areas) Act 1948.

## Council history and location

The Bexley area was first incorporated on 25 March 1887, when the NSW Government Gazette published the proclamation declaring the "Municipal District of Hurstville", with its wards being created on 29 December 1887, including the "Bexley Ward". Although originally very much of a rural character, by the turn of the 20th century the population of the Bexley Ward area had reached 2850 and a group of local residents, including all three Bexley Ward aldermen, submitted a petition on 16 November 1899 to the NSW Governor, Earl Beauchamp, requesting the formation of a municipality with the name of the "Borough of Bexley", arguing that under the current arrangements in Hurstville, the Bexley Ward area was under-represented compared to its rate-paying contribution and was geographically distant from the rest of the council area The petition was subsequently accepted and the Bexley Borough Council was incorporated on 28 June 1900.
The first council was elected on 11 August 1900, with nine aldermen elected:
| Alderman | Notes |
| George Thomas Richards | Hurstville Bexley Ward Alderman 1898–1900. Telegraph operator, Dunmore Street, Bexley. |
| Alexander Craig Reed | Law stationer, Gladstone Street, Bexley. |
| James William Larbalestier | Hurstville Bexley Ward Alderman 1898–1900. Boot manufacturer, Monomeeth Street, Bexley. |
| Charles Henry Austin | Hurstville Bexley Ward Alderman 1894–1898. Public accountant, Gladstone Street, Bexley. |
| Charles Amey Howard | Landed proprietor, Stoney Creek Road, Kingsgrove. |
| Joseph Godwin | Warehouseman, Highgate Street, Bexley. |
| William Edward Paine | Contractor, Bayview Street, Bexley. |
| John Cooper | Saddle and harness manufacturer, Fleet Street, Carlton. |
| Richard Sanders | Salesman, Union Street, Kogarah. |
The council first met in the Debating Society Hall in Carlton on 15 August 1900, with Alderman James William Larbalestier elected as the first mayor. On 13 September, Alderman Charles Henry Austin was appointed Treasurer. On 11 November 1901, the Council Chambers on corner of Queen Victoria and Northbrook Streets, Bexley, was officially opened with a hybrid design consisting of alderman Paine's floorplan and architect William Kenwood's facade. From 28 December 1906, following the passing of the Local Government Act, 1906, the council was renamed as the "Municipality of Bexley".

### Later history

In December 1920, Bexley combined with the councils of Rockdale, Hurstville, and Kogarah to form the St George County Council. The elected County Council was established to provide electricity to the Kogarah, Rockdale, Hurstville, and Bexley areas and ceased to exist when it was amalgamated with the Sydney County Council from 1 January 1980. Although for most of its history, Bexley council was elected at-large, on 18 March 1942 the municipality was divided into four wards: North, South, East and West wards.
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, passed a bill in 1948 that abolished a significant number of those councils. Under the Local Government (Areas) Act 1948, Bexley Municipal Council became the First Ward of the Municipality of Rockdale, which was located immediately to the east.

## Mayors

| Years | Mayor |
| 15 August 1900 – 13 July 1901 | James William Larbalestier |
| 13 July 1901 – 15 February 1902 | William Edward Paine |
| 15 February 1902 – 28 October 1902 | Henry Watson Harradence |
| 28 October 1902 – 5 February 1903 | James William Larbalestier |
| 5 February 1903 – 17 February 1904 | William Edward Paine |
| 17 February 1904 – 11 February 1905 | Richard Sanders |
| 11 February 1905 – 16 February 1906 | Joseph Godwin |
| 16 February 1906 – 10 February 1908 | Charles Amey Howard |
| 10 February 1908 – 24 March 1909 | Charles Albert Biddulph |
| 24 March 1909 – 8 February 1910 | John George Griffin |
| 8 February 1910 – 24 February 1911 | Charles Albert Biddulph |
| 24 February 1911 – 6 February 1912 | Charles Amey Howard |
| 6 February 1912 – 6 February 1914 | Job John Frederick Lawrence |
| 6 February 1914 – 2 February 1915 | David Turnbull Brown |
| 2 February 1915 – February 1917 | William John Berryman |
| February 1917 – 4 February 1919 | David Turnbull Brown |
| 4 February 1919 – 13 December 1920 | William Frederick Brown |
| 13 December 1920 – December 1922 | Frederick Percival Dowsett |
| December 1922 – 12 June 1923 | John George Griffin |
| 12 June 1923 – 15 December 1925 | Frederick Shrosbree Stephens |
| 15 December 1925 – December 1927 | Joseph Thomas Foster Barwell |
| December 1927 – December 1928 | Henry Todd |
| December 1928 – December 1930 | Charles Albert Biddulph |
| December 1930 – December 1932 | George Ryan |
| December 1932 – 5 December 1934 | Charles Albert Biddulph |
| 5 December 1934 – 7 December 1937 | Joseph Thomas Foster Barwell |
| 7 December 1937 – December 1938 | Thomas Henry Spanswick |
| December 1938 – December 1940 | Joseph Thomas Foster Barwell |
| December 1940 – 8 December 1942 | Archibald Neil Macdonald |
| 8 December 1942 – 12 December 1944 | Frederick Percival Dowsett |
| 12 December 1944 – 31 December 1948 | Albert Mainerd |

## Town Clerks

| Years | Town Clerk |
| 15 August 1900 – 13 September 1900 | Gustav Adolf Griesbach (acting) |
| 13 September 1900 – 10 December 1902 | Thomas Hector Wearne |
| 10 December 1902 – 4 April 1937 | Richard Watson Churchill |
| 4 April 1937 – 25 August 1944 | Ernest Stanley Fowler |
| 25 August 1944 – 31 December 1948 | Andrew Emslie Robb |