Civic dinners and receptions

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Nice things will be said, nice things will be eaten, maybe nice things will be drunk, too…

The City of Perth regularly honours particular individuals with civic dinners or receptions – often held at the Town Hall.

Sir John Forrest’s Jubilee

Politician and explorer John Forrest was born in Bunbury in 1843. He began his career as a surveyor and he became famous as an explorer. In 1883, he was appointed Surveyor-General and appointed to the Legislative and Executive Councils. He became the first premier of Western Australia in 1890 and took advantage of the gold boom to preside over a major public works program including Fremantle harbour and the Goldfields pipeline, as well as a major expansion of the rail network. Following Federation, he was elected to the new Federal parliament in 1901 where he held various ministries, including Treasurer from 1905 to 1918. 

Sir John Forrest was incredibly popular in Western Australia. Plans to honour the jubilee, or 50 years, of public service by ‘Western Australia’s most notable son’ were begun in July 1915. The celebrations included a reception held at the Perth Town Hall on 15 December 1915, which brought together all sorts of people across social and political divides.

It was a brilliant gathering, with a brilliant setting, the hall having been decorated to a degree of magnificence that has not often been seen before in Perth. There was a particularly rich display of fernery—clumps of bamboo round the walls, and masses of ferns and palms at each end, and an ingenious electric light scheme, with a refulgent crown, set amid red drapery at one end and varicoloured cross designs interspersing the wall decorations. Western Mail 24 December 1915. 

The program for the reception honouring Sir John Forrest’s public service at Perth Town Hall. It features images of premier Mundaring Weir and Fremantle Harbour – the major public works overseen by Forrest as premier. SLWA PR967

Click here to read more about Sir John Forrest’s jubilee reception.

Mr Bold’s retirement

The secretary for the planning committee for Sir John Forrest’s jubilee was the Town Clerk, W.E. Bold. 

Born in Lancashire in 1873, William Ernest Bold migrated to Western Australia in 1896 and became clerk-typist at the City of Perth. He was appointed Town Clerk in 1900. He was then the youngest Town Clerk in any Australian capital city – and when he retired in 1944 was the longest-serving. 

Bold gained a reputation for efficiency and quickly became a powerful driving force in Council affairs. His ideas about town planning very much shaped the growth and development of the city and strongly influenced the Perth we see today. His work is commemorated in Bold Park – he was a strong advocate for parks and public spaces for the benefit of the citizens. By the time he retired as Town Clerk, Perth had the highest proportion of public open space to population of any city in the British Empire. 

The City of Perth marked Bold’s retirement with a ‘valedictory dinner’, a portrait in the Town Hall and a silver coffee service and serving tray. 

The valedictory dinner for Town Clerk, W.E. Bold. City of Perth.

150 years of civic hospitality

The menus for civic dinners over the years show changes in fashions of eating, as well as trends in designing and presenting menus.

  • Anzac luncheon 25 April 1916. SLWA BA2676/1; BA2676/1/2
  • Anzac luncheon 25 April 1916. SLWA BA2676/1; BA2676/1/2
  • 1 July 1920. Civic luncheon in honour of HRH the Prince of Wales. City of Perth Collection
  • 1 July 1920. Civic luncheon in honour of HRH the Prince of Wales. City of Perth Collection
  • 3 June 1929. Pioneers’ Dinner. SLWA PR973/2
  • 3 June 1929. Pioneers’ Dinner. SLWA PR973/2
  • 12 August 1935. Dinner to commemorate the birthday of the City. City of Perth Collection.
  • 12 August 1935. Dinner to commemorate the birthday of the City. City of Perth Collection.
  • 5 December 1944. Valedictory Dinner on the retirement of W.E. Bold. City of Perth Collection.
  • 5 December 1944. Valedictory Dinner on the retirement of W.E. Bold. City of Perth Collection.
  • 8 August 1997. Civic dinner in honour of the Lord Mayor of London’s visit. City of Perth Collection.
  • 8 August 1997. Civic dinner in honour of the Lord Mayor of London’s visit. City of Perth Collection.
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    Cabinet of Curiosities

    Advertising poster for a pantomime at the Town Hall in 1895. City of Perth Collection.
    Programme from 1921 for a concert to raise funds for the ‘starving children of Central Europe’. City of Perth Collection.
    Daily Newsboy’s cap and bag. Steve Weeks had the Town Hall corner pitch for selling the Daily News in the 1960s. He got a ha’penny for each paper sold for sixpence. Lent by Steve Weeks.
    Programme for a film screening by the Amateur Cine Society in 1949. City of Perth Collection.
    This shovel is said to have been used to turn the first sod on the Town Hall site. City of Perth Collection.
    Advertising postcard showing the Perth Town Hall. This postcard advertised a printing company, Star Press, which operated in Perth through the 1920s and 1930s. SLWA 7197B.
    W.E. Bold’s invitation to a civic luncheon for H.R.H. The Prince of Wales in 1920. This was the future Edward VIII and the visit was to thank Australians for their support during the First World War. Mr Bold was the Town Clerk at the time. City of Perth Collection.
    Costume jewellery like this was worn for formal functions and dances at the Town Hall. Lent by Steve Weeks.
    A collection of toy cars. Hobbies featured in many shows at the Perth Town Hall.
    A civic dinner held in honour of the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Adelaide, Mr and Mrs Reginald Walker, Perth Town Hall, 1945. The floral decorations and potted palms probably came from the City of Perth’s Victoria Park Nursery, Trafalgar Road, East Perth. City of Perth Collection.
    From the 1920s to the 1950s, the shops under the Town Hall included tea rooms. CC BY-SA 4.0.
    Medals are often issued to commemorate events. This medal was given by Mayor George Shenton to Perth schoolchildren to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. City of Perth Collection
    An extract from George Grey’s journal, where he describes Nyoongar songs. National Library of South Africa, Capetown.
    A keen audience of young cricketers at a lecture by Arthur Richardson, 22 October 1927. Arthur Richardson was a well-known South Australian cricketer. He came to Perth in 1927 to play and coach for the West Australian team. SLWA 100166PD.
    Lanyard and security pass from the second Perth Fringe Festival 2012. The Town Hall and the derelict Old Treasury Buildings were both venues that year, while the space between them was fenced off for the bar and festival hub.
    A newspaper cutting about retired engineer and model-builder James Lang of Mt Lawley turning to clock making.
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