Australian Town and Country Journal, Sat 24 Jan 1880 ¹

PARKES.

January 14.

…
    IMPROVEMENTS.—We had a visit on Saturday from Mr Ramsay, an inspector of works from the Colonial Architect’s Department, who inspected the work in progress at the post and telegraph offices. This building, I hear, will be ready for final inspection in about three weeks. I am informed Mr H Sutherland is the successful tenderer for the work at the Courthouse, fencing, &c, the previous tenderer not coming to the mark at the required time.

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Australian Town and Country Journal, Sat 6 Mar 1880 ²

PARKES.

March 2.

…
     IMPROVEMENTS.—The new post and telegraph office is almost completed, only requiring the services of the painter for a few days, and is a very handsome and convenient office, though the office accommodation, I’m afraid, will be rather small. It would be well for the authorities to have the place fenced in as soon as possible; the goats will do no doubt take sole possession after the workmen leave it, as even now they occupy all the verandah on the slightest appearance of a shower, and the contractor is compelled to close the openings to the lobby and verandahs each evening to keep them out during the night. The fencing for the courthouse is now under way, and I can congratulate the clerk of petty sessions when it is finished, at having at last got rid of the before-mentioned nuisance, viz, the goats, as the verandahs and lobbies of that building are always in a filthy state from the goats after every wet night.

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Evening News, Sat 18 Jan 1890 ³

COUNTRY COMPLAINTS.
————

    More complaints have come to hand with regard to the injustice of the
…

Roads, &c.

…
    Parkes wants a new courthouse. The present building is an old inconvenience. In the words of a correspondent it “will do for the land board.”

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The Bathurst Free Press and Mining Journal, Mon 24 Feb 1890 ⁴

DISTRICT INTELLIGENCE.
———◦———
PARKES.
(Independent.)

…
    During the storm on Monday morning last, one of the chimneys at the court house was struck by lightning, but very little damage was done further than disarranging a portion of the top work. It is almost a pity that the electricity did not take a better hold of the miserable structure now used as a courthouse and razed it to the ground, as then we might have had something more in keeping with requirements and advancement of the place.

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Australian Town and Country Journal, Sat 18 Apr 1891 ⁵

PARKES INDIGNANT.

    Our Parkes correspondent writes under date April 13: “Great indignation is expressed at the refusal of the departmental officials to make any addictions to the post office accommodation, which has now been far outgrown by our rapidly-increasing population. Five officials are crowded into a room 20ft x 15ft, literally filled up with telegraphic instruments, sorting boxes, &c, and it must be positively unhealthy for them. The courthouse, too, has become sadly too small for the requirements of Parkes, and when the land board is sitting here, either all its business has to be delayed or the bench of magistrates have to take their cases in a room 8ft by 12ft.”

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The Sydney Morning Herald, Thu 1 Dec 1892 ⁶

TENDER BOARD.
———◦———

    At the meeting of the Tender Board held yesterday the following offers for public works were opened:
…
    Additions to courthouse, Parkes, four tenders, lowest WHB Light, £146.

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Evening News, Mon 23 Sep 1895 ⁷

PARKES ITEMS.
————

    PARKES, Monday.—
…
    Much satisfaction has been expressed here over the action of the Government in calling for tenders for a new courthouse. For some time an agitation has been rife in favor of the establishment of quarter sessions, and it is anticipated this concession will follow after the completion of the new courthouse.

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Evening News, Mon 18 Nov 1895 ⁸

PARKES ITEMS.
————

    PARKES, Monday.—
…
    Some considerable time has elapsed since tenders were opened for a new courthouse, but up to the present none has been accepted. Indignation is felt in consequence.

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The Sydney Morning Herald, Tue 26 Nov 1895 ⁹

PUBLIC WORKS TENDERS.
———◦———

…

TENDERS ACCEPTED.

    Tenders have been accepted for the following public works:—
…
    Courthouse, Parkes, FG Goodwin (Parkes), £1555 16s 10d.

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Australian Town and Country Journal, Sat 7 Nov 1896 ¹⁰

TENDERS.
————

    Tenders have been accepted for the following public works:—
…
    Additions to new courthouse, Parkes, FJ Goodwin, Parkes, £769.

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Evening News, Mon 17 May 1897 ¹¹

PARKES ITEMS.
————

    PARKES, Monday.—The first section of the new courthouse, as provided in contract No. 1, has been completed. As the unfinished portion, which is temporarily patched up with wood, faces one of the main streets, the present appearance of the structure can be better imagined than described.

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Evening News, Mon 5 Jul 1897 ¹²

PARKES ITEMS.
————

 

    PARKES, Monday.—There were registered in Parkes during the past six months 96 births, 27 marriages, and 33 deaths.
…
    The government contractor has taken over the courthouse contract. The townspeople are indignant at the way the Government has treated them in connection with this building. The original contract price was something like £4000 for the whole building. After about half the amount had been expended in a brick building, the Government stopped the contract and had a temporary structure of old weatherboards attached to the brick work. The unfinished appearance of the building can be better imagined than described.

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Molong Express and Western District Advertiser, Sat 27 Aug 1898 ¹³

HERE AND ELSEWHERE.
———◦———

…
    There were nine tenders for additions to Parkes Court-house. William Mitchell was successful at £2493.
…
    At Parkes, the Police Magistrate laid it down as law, that a reporter’s duty at a public meeting is to report; not to take active part in the proceedings. Hear, hear.

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The Sydney Morning Herald, Tue 30 Aug 1898 ¹⁴

PUBLIC TENDERS.
———◦———

    Tenders for the following works were opened by the tender board of the Department of Public Works yesterday:—
…
    The following tenders have been accepted during the week ending 27th instant:—
…
    Government Architect Works.—Additions to courthouse at Parkes, W Mitchell (Redfern), £2493.

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Western Champion, Fri 19 May 1899 ¹⁵

ON DIT.
————

…
    That railway sleepers are being put down in the foundation of the new Courthouse additions.

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Western Champion, Fri 20 Oct 1899 ¹⁶

THE COURT HOUSE.
————

    The sculptors, who for some time have been engaged carving the “Royal Arms” on the new Courthouse front, have now accomplished their task, and the scaffolding having been removed the public can obtain an unobstructed view of the work. The stone, which is the best Sydney freestone, has hardened considerably in the dry atmosphere, thereby increasing the labour of carving and and [sic] also the durability of the material. The superficial measurement of the “Arms” is about 30ft, being 6ft 6in wide. It will be noticed that representations of “Coat of Arms” differ in many respects, in some instances owing to inferior workmanship and absence of Heraldic knowledge. The Government, however, in order to secure a correct and artistic representation of such work, require the sculptors to model in clay a fac-simile of the intended work, half-size, which is then submitted to Mr WL Vernon, the Government Architect, for his approval and correction, as a guide in carving the stone. The “Royal Arms” consist of a lion and unicorn as supporters of the shield, which is divided in quarters by a cross of St George, containing three English lions pissant, on the right, upper, and left lower quarters, on ground “gules” or rod, which is represented by horizontal lines, and the left upper containing the Scottish lion rampant, in a border with the ground of gold shown by spots. The right lower is occupied by the Irish harp on an azure ground, the lines being perpendicular. The shield is enclosed by the “garter” upon which is carved the motto, “Honi soit qui mal y pense.” Resting upon the top of the shield is the helmet and mantle, signifying “royalty,” surrounded by a royal crown and lion quardant [sic]. At the lower part of the Arms are the rose, thistle, and shamrock, with the ribbon containing the motto, “Dieu at Mon Droit.” The carving has been carried out by Messrs White and Gourlay, sculptors, of Sydney, who have executed considerable work in NSW, notably the “Dalley Statue” in Hyde Park, Sydney, a statue in bronze, the founding of which was carried out at their foundry in Sydney; also the carving of the new City Markets, etc, and they have been highly successful un portraying a spirited feeling in the animals, and a happy and artistic treatment of the accessories, which reflects great credit upon them. They are now engaged upon the capital supporting the arches at the main front of the building.

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Western Champion, Thu 7 Aug 1924 ¹⁷

BRIEF MENTION.
———◦———

…
    The old courthouse building, which has served to house the Parkes Fire Brigade for a number of years, and is now vacant owing to the transferral of the Brigade to their new quarters, a little further up Court street, is to be demolished. Possibly it will make its appearance in the shape of a “mod. cot ev. conv.” in a suburban part of the town.

 

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¹     Australian Town and Country Journal, Sat 24 Jan 1880, p. 183. Emphasis added.