Shire of Hinchinbrook

Shire of Hinchinbrook Queensland
Location within Queensland
Population	12,271 (2010)[1]
• Density	4.36566/km^2 (11.3070/sq mi)
Established	1879
Area	2,810.8 km^2 (1,085.3 sq mi)
Mayor	Rodger Bow
Council seat	Ingham
Region	North Queensland
State electorate(s)	Hinchinbrook
Federal Division(s)	Kennedy
Website	Shire of Hinchinbrook
LGAs around Shire of Hinchinbrook: Tablelands Cassowary Coast Coral Sea Charters Towers Shire of Hinchinbrook Coral Sea Charters Towers Townsville

The Shire of Hinchinbrook is a local government area in North Queensland, Queensland, Australia. The shire, administered from the town of Ingham, covers an area of 2,810.8 square kilometres (1,085.3 sq mi), and has existed since its creation on 11 November 1879 as one of 74 divisions around Queensland under the Divisional Boards Act 1879.

The council consists of a mayor plus six councillors, each of whom represents the entire Shire. Prior to 2008, the council consisted of a mayor plus eight councillors.

History

Map of Hinchinbrook Division and adjacent local government areas, March 1902

The Hinchinbrook Division was created on 11 November 1879 as one of 74 divisions around Queensland under the Divisional Boards Act 1879 with a population of 326.^[2] It originally covered a much larger area, extending well into the Tablelands Region.

On 3 September 1881, the Tinaroo Division was created on 3 September 1881 under the Divisional Boards Act 1879 out of parts of the Cairns, Hinchinbrook and Woothakata Divisions.^[3]

On 28 October 1881, part of Hinchinbrook Division was separated to create the Johnstone Division.^[4]

On 18 January 1884 part of Hinchinbrook Division was separated to create the Cardwell Division.^[5][6][7]

With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Hinchinbrook Division became Shire of Hinchinbrook on 31 March 1903.

Hinchinbrook was one of the few shires outside of remote areas in Queensland not to be affected by amalgamations in 2007–2008. It was considered for amalgamation into the Cassowary Coast Region with Cardwell and Johnstone, but the Local Government Commissioners accepted arguments by the council that there was no significant community of interest between the three, that amalgamation would not improve financial sustainability and that the resulting council would have a large north-south distance which would impact upon economies of scale.^[8]

Shire hall

Shire Hall building, Ingham, ca. 1922

The first shire hall was constructed in 1883, but was destroyed by fire in May 1916. A new double-storey building was built at a different site in 1919. The present shire hall opened in 1963.^[9]

Towns and localities

• Ingham
• Abergowrie
• Bambaroo
• Bemerside
• Blackrock
• Cordelia
• Forrest Beach
• Gairloch
• Garrawalt
• Halifax
• Helens Hill
• Long Pocket
• Lucinda
• Macknade
• Mount Fox
• Taylors Beach
• Toobanna
• Trebonne
• Victoria Plantation
• Yuruga

Population

Year	Population
1933	10,179
1947	9,212
1954	11,381
1961	11,890
1966	13,644
1971	13,373
1976	13,864
1981	13,683
1986	13,476
1991	13,496
1996	13,450
2001	12,432
2006	12,017

Chairmen and mayors

Chairmen of the Hinchinbrook Divisional Board

• 1880–1882: Frank Neame^[10]
• 1883–1886: Alfred Sandlings Cowley^[10]
• 1887: Henry Stone^[10]
• 1888: A. J. Traill (resigned)^[10]
• 1888–1892: W. T. White^[10]
• 1893: Arthur Gedge^[10]
• 1894: W. T. White (again)^[10]
• 1895–1899: Henry Stone (again)^[10]
• 1900: P. J. Cochrane^[10]
• 1901–1902: Arthur Gedge (again)^[10]

Chairmen of the Hinchinbrook Shire Council

• 1903: Frank Fraser^[10]
• 1904–1905: R.G. Johnson (resigned)^[10][11]
• 1905–1909: Francis Andrew O'Connor Cassady^[10]
• 1910–1913: Martin Flynn (resigned)^[10]
• 1913–1915: Francis Andrew O'Connor Cassady (again)^[10]
• 1916–1920: J. W. Cartwright^[10]
• 1921–1936: Francis Andrew O'Connor Cassady (again, died 23 March 1936)^{[10][12][13][14]}
• 1936: F. J. Heard (temporary)^[10]
• 1936–1942: James Lawrence Kelly^[10][15][16]
• 1943–1945: F. N. Alston^[10]
• 1946–1954: James Lawrence Kelly (again)^[10]
• 1955–1977: W. O. Garbutt (died)^[10][17]
• May 1977 – 1981 : S. Cavallaro^[10][18]
• 1982–1984: A. J. Andrews^[10]
• 1985–1987: J. J. Williams^[10]
• 1988–1993 : R. S. Brown^[10]

Mayors

• 1994–1999 : Giuseppantonio (Pino) Giandomenico^[10]
• 2000–2003 : Keith Thomas Phillips^[10]
• 2004–2011: Giuseppantonio (Pino) Giandomenico^[10][19]
• 2012— : Mansell (Rodger) Bow^[10][20]

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 March 2011). "Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2009–10". Retrieved 11 June 2011.
2. "Proclamation [Hinchinbrook Division]". Queensland Government Gazette. 11 November 1879. p. 25:1007.
3. "Proclamation [Tinaroo]". Queensland Government Gazette. 10 September 1881. p. 29:564.
4. "Proclamation [Johnstone Division]". Queensland Government Gazette. 29 October 1881. p. 29:1009.
5. "Proclamation [Cardwell Division constituted]". Queensland Government Gazette. 19 January 1884. p. 34:170.
6. "Proclamation [Hinchinbrook Division amended]". Queensland Government Gazette. 19 January 1884. p. 34:169.
7. "Agency ID743, Cardwell Divisional Board". Queensland State Archives. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
8. Queensland Local Government Reform Commission (July 2007). Report of the Local Government Reform Commission (PDF) 2. pp. 156–159. ISBN 1-921057-11-4. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
9. "Ingham". Australian Heritage: Historical Towns Directory. Heritage Australia Publishing. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
10. List of Chairmen and Council Members. Hinchinbrook Shire Council.
11. Consolidated Index to Queensland Government Gazette 1859–1919. Queensland Family History Society. 2004. ISBN 1 876613 79 3.
12. "OBITUARY.". Cairns Post (Qld. : 1909 – 1954) (Qld.: National Library of Australia). 24 March 1936. p. 6. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
13. "OBITUARY.". The Courier-Mail (Brisbane: National Library of Australia). 25 March 1936. p. 25. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
14. "Frank A. Cassady 1936". Hinchinbrook Shire Library. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
15. "James Lawrence Kelly". Hinchinbrook Shire Library. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
16. "Opening of the Ingham Aerodrome 1939". Hinchinbrook Shire Library. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
17. "Hinchinbrook Shire Council Members 1958". Hinchinbrook Shire Library. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
18. "100 Years of Local Government". Monument Australia. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
19. "Hinchinbrook Channel" (PDF). Parliament of Australia. 30 July 1998. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
20. "Mayor & Councillors for the Term 2012 – 2016". Hinchinbrook Shire Council. Hinchinbrook Shire Council. Retrieved 19 June 2014.

External links

• Hinchinbrook Shire Council
• Hinchinbrook Shire Libraries

Coordinates: 18°39′S 146°10′E / 18.650°S 146.167°E