So that we all know what we are talking about, Lithgow Park
and Queen Elizabeth Park are one and the same place, the name change being made
to coincide with the Queen’s visit to Lithgow on Friday 12th
February 1954.
Lithgow isn’t short of playing fields, but it is rather
light on parks and gardens. This is changing as the city grows in the 21st
century, but the older parts of town are still deficient. This is a direct
result of the city’s industrial past and the acute housing shortages caused by
two world wars, when the coal mines and the Small Arms Factory were vital to
Australia’s survival. Simply housing an extra 10 000 people took priority and
the rapid decline in population after these conflicts were over caused another
set of problems.
In the early days, there were practically no public spaces
near the centre of town. What are today vacant areas used as sporting fields
were often industrial sites then. As the population grew, so did the agitation
for public parkland.
We read in the “Evening
News” from Sydney for 27th November
1894, on page 4, “that Lithgow, which
was one of the most important towns in the western district, was without a park
of any description, and as far as the deputation knew, there were no Crown
lands which were available for the purpose, and the Minister was asked to
resume a suitable block for the purpose. At present there was no place where
they could hold sports, nor where children could play, without trespassing on
private land. In reply the Minister for Lands said there was no money available
for the purchase of lands for parks, but should any sum be placed on the
estimates for the purpose, the claims of Lithgow would be carefully considered.”
By February 1897
there had been little change and it was not until the following year that we read
in the “Sydney Morning Herald”, for
Saturday 19th November 1898, on page
9 that “The Hon. J Cook is in receipt of
a communication from the Lands Department notifying that the Minister for Lands
has approved of 14 acres of land being purchased as a public reserve and park
for Lithgow”. Joseph Cook, later Sir Joseph, was a former Lithgow coal miner
who had become the local member in the NSW parliament. Later still, he became
Prime Minister of Australia. The new boardwalk at Hassan’s Walls (2014) has
been named to honour him.
Finding and purchasing the site was one thing, but
developing it was another. More than 10 years later, money was still being
sought for park development. Mr Charles Hoskins, one of the owners of the steel
works at Lithgow, offered a sum which had to be matched by other donations.
This was proving hard to come by.
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| 1920's - note the smoky background, now a thing of the past |
After World War 1, the decision was made to place the city’s War Memorial in Lithgow Park, which
has meant that the park from then on became the centre of public ceremonies and
festivities, a tradition which continues today. Probably the greatest of these
was the visit of Queen Elizabeth and the
Duke of Edinburgh on February 12th, 1954. There is a good report
of the event in the “Herald” of Saturday
13th February, on page 6. It was to honour Her Majesty that the park’s name was
changed from that day on. It sounds like a great time was had by all and the memories
of the day remain strong in the district, 60 years on.
My video of Queen Elizabeth Park may be found here. My Blue Mountains You Tube playlist may be found here . I have three other playlists - on gem hunting/mining, Glen Innes and New Zealand. Please comment and subscribe.
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| Uncle Christy Hayward in Lithgow Park 1953 |
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