Snapshot in Time: The transitions of the Residency on Marine Tce, now known as the Geraldton Cultural Trust

As one of the oldest surviving buildings in Geraldton, the landmark known as the Residency has had many lives and purposes. Construction of the building on Marine Terrace was completed in 1862 and it has withstood the test of time through its many transitions. The Residency has been the official seat of government, hosted representatives of the English monarch of the time, and been the official residence for the town’s resident magistrates over a 42-year period. Construction began in 1861 and was completed a year later. The first magistrate to call the Residency home was Charles Symmonds. Other magistrates to take up residence include Alfred Durlacher, whom Durlacher Street is named after, and Maitland Brown, who hailed from the pastoral family who founded Glengarry and Newmarracarra Stations. As distinctly as it served high ranking officials, the Residency equally experienced a period of abandonment for 20 years before the need for a maternity ward arose in the community. When exactly this transition started to take place is unknown, however the need for such facility in an expanding population became imperative. This community-led project faced a few challenges as funding was scarce at the time. It wasn’t until the second decade of the 20th century that the hospital opened as the Geraldton and District Maternity Home on June 26, 1925. The maternity hospital was no longer needed when the Geraldton Regional Hospital was opened in 1967. Today the community have come to know the building as the Geraldton Cultural Trust. It has been used as a community centre in recent decades after being handed over to the Cultural Trust in 1982. Snapshots is an initiative of the Geraldton Regional Library. For more information, or to donate a historical photo or slide contact 9956 6659 or library@cgg.wa.gov.au