In 1929,

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to ...

(WA) celebrated the centenary of the founding of

Perth Perth is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth most populous city in Aust ...

and the establishment of the

Swan River Colony The Swan River Colony, also known as the Swan River Settlement, or just Swan River, was a British colony established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. This initial settlement place on the Swan River was soon named Perth, and it ...

, the first permanent European settlement in WA. A variety of events were run in Perth, regional areas throughout the state, and even across Australia such as the

Western Australian Centenary Air Race __NOTOC__ The Western Australian Centenary Air Race (also known as the East-West Air Race) was a air race held in 1929 from Sydney to Perth to commemorate the centenary of Western Australia. The £1000 handicap winner was Horrie Miller and ...

Preparations

In 1926, the 25th anniversary of

federation A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-govern ...

passed without much recognition, due in part to the sense of isolation that help to form Western Australia's identity. There was limited acknowledgement from the other states of the unique circumstances of Western Australia's situation, due to what historian

Geoffrey Blainey Geoffrey Norman Blainey (born 11 March 1930) is an Australian historian, academic, best selling author and commentator. He is noted for having written authoritative texts on the economic and social history of Australia, including '' The Tyranny ...

described as "the tyranny of distance". It was this isolation that helped focus the community on celebrating its centenary; later, it would also be the catalyst for a growing secessionist movement. Centenary pavilion at Claremont showgrounds

Centenary pavilion at Claremont showgrounds

In 1927, the

premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

, Philip Collier, asked

Hal Colebatch Sir Harry Pateshall Colebatch (29 March 1872 – 12 February 1953) was a long-serving and occasionally controversial figure in Western Australian politics. He was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for nearly 20 years, the ...

to write a history of the state, and in 1929 ''A Story of a hundred years : Western Australia, 1829-1929'' was published. A celebration committee began preparations in 1928, and in 1929 produced a number of publications including calendars of events. As 1929 approached, most towns formed their own committees and organised events, these ranged from special race meetings to regional shows, formal dinners, dances and sporting events. Additionally some towns and community organisations also renamed existing local features like parks and buildings, while others set aside an area for a monument which was then unveiled in the presence of dignitaries including the Governor, Premier and descendants of the early settlers.

Other events held in Perth in 1929

In April 1929 there was a demonstration held in Perth of fire brigades from around the country. In June 1929 there was the Australian national general Methodist conference. In July 1929 there were interstate football games held in Perth.

Centenary celebrations

Many locations in Western Australia had buildings or locations that became known as Centenary memorials; for example the Municipality of Fremantle built a

Centenary Building The Centenary Building is a building at the University of Salford in Greater Manchester, England. It was completed in December 1995 and opened in 1996 and was designed by the architect Stephen Hodder. The building won the RIBA Award and Stirli ...

, the Claremont Showground has a Centenary Pavilion that still stands, and Northam had a Centenary Hill. Avenues of trees were planted in Kings Park in commemoration of the event as well as honouring people involved in the celebrations. The Perth Branch of the Royal Mint produced a commemorative medal. Most of the 85,000 medals struck were bronze, and the majority were given to Western Australian school children. 900 silver medals were also made, as were 3 gold medals.

12 August 1929

WA 1929 Centenary plaque Perth Town Hall

The Governor Sir William Campion presided at the placement of a plaque in the wall of the Perth Town Hall on Barrack Street that recorded the centenary celebrations in August.

Centenary Celebration Period

The Centenary Celebration Period was designated as 28 September 1929 – 12 October 1929. Despite a range of events involving various national bodies in the year, the specific main event was the ''1929 Centenary Parade'', which was held on Wednesday 2 October (which had been made a public holiday) and known as the Historic and Industrial Procession, passing through Perth.

2 October 1929

Wednesday 2 October 1929 was a public holiday in Perth. The main Centenary procession (1929 Centenary Parade) involved considerable preparation of floats representing commercial and regional attributes of the state. It passed through the streets of Perth. The Centenary Ball and celebrations at the Perth Oval were also held. The afternoon at Perth Oval on the same day was the site of a Naval and Military Tournament.

Subsequent events

In September, 1929, a choir of 1,000 voices sang at a Children's Thanksgiving Mass in Victoria Square, and also in a Centenary concert in His Majesty's Theatre. On 24 November 1929, the Kings Park War Memorial Cenotaph was unveiled by the Governor William Campion to commemorate the fallen of World War I.

Fremantle

One of the events organised was a re-enactment of the 1829 arrival of settlers at

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

, attended by Campion.

Prisoner remissions

Remission of Prisoners' Sentences, The Age 9 October 1929

In October, the Premier, Philip Collier announced that prisoner sentences of more than one month would be reduced at the rate of two days for each month of sentence remaining, after allowing for good conduct. Prisoners serving sentences during His Majesty's pleasure were excluded from the remissions.

Proximity to Depression

Western Australian historian Geoffrey Bolton ties in the events and the subsequent difficult times due to the

economic depression An economic depression is a period of carried long-term economical downturn that is result of lowered economic activity in one major or more national economies. Economic depression maybe related to one specific country were there is some economic ...

in his book ''A Fine Country to Starve in'' (1972). While more recently Annette Davis looked at the popular entertainment values of the era.

Legacy

A significant amount of the organisation of the celebrations was attributed to the librarian James Sykes Battye, whose efforts in organising committees were noted in the celebration year.

Historical Society plaques

The Royal Western Australian Historical Society commissioned plaques that were ceremonially placed upon locations of significance to Western Australia. Locations included: * The Round House, the oldest building still standing in WA * All Saints Church, Henley Brook, at the camp site of Captain James Stirling's furthest up-stream exploration in 1827 * Chippers Leap Centenary plaque

Publications

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