By Cathy Jones
Wallis Reserve is located on Wallis Avenue and bordered by West Street Strathfield.
Wallis Reserve is named after Frederick Wallis, Mayor of Strathfield [1923-24] and is located on Wallis Avenue and West St Strathfield.
Wallis Reserve is located on part of the 1924 ‘Glenarvon Estate’ subdivision bordered by Chalmers Rd, Ada Avenue, West St and Wallis Avenue (then called Yarmouth Rd). The land was considered unusable by the sub dividers, the Strathfield Land Co Ltd, due to drainage problems and it was dedicated to Strathfield Municipality for the purposes of a park.
To celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Strathfield Council in 1960, Strathfield Council laid out gardens in Wallis Reserve and placed a sundial for commemoration. The 1960 layout of the park is still in evidence and it is one of Strathfield’s only reserves, which maintain this traditional style of garden layout.
The commemoration plaque reads:
‘1960: This garden was established to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the incorporation of the Municipality of Strathfield. The date of incorporation 2nd June 1885. Bruce Ward, Mayor. J S Matthews, Town Clerk.’
Works were undertaken in 2006 to restore the gardens, which were noted by this plaque which states:
‘Wallis Reserve. This garden was originally established in 1960 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Strathfield Municipal Council. The restoration project was completed and reopened by the Mayor of Strathfield Cr Bill Carney on 2 December 2006. Cr Bill Carney Mayor, David Backhouse General Manager’
References
‘Glenarvon Estate’ 1924 – subdivision poster
‘Oral history of Bruce Ward’, Mayor of Strathfield 1960-62, recorded and transcribed by Yvonne Gibbons, 1993.
Strathfield Council file – Wallis Reserve
Strathfield Council photograph taken in 1960
© Cathy Jones 2005. This article is subject to copyright and may not be reproduced without permission of the author.
Strathfield Heritage 