The Shire of Widgee is a former

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

in the Wide Bay–Burnett area of Queensland, Australia. It was located in the rural areas around the town of Gympie but did not include the town itself, which was always in a separate local government area ( Gympie Division,

Borough of Gympie A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

Town of Gympie A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

and City of Gympie). The administrative offices of the Shire of Widgee were located in Gympie.

History

The

Widgee Division #REDIRECT Shire of Widgee The Shire of Widgee is a former local government area in the Wide Bay–Burnett area of Queensland, Australia. It was located in the rural areas around the town of Gympie but did not include the town itself, which was al ...

was one of the original divisions incorporated on 11 November 1879 under the ''Divisional Boards Act 1879'' with a population of 1609. Kilkivan Division was created on 1 July 1886 from the western part of the

and part of the

Barambah Division #REDIRECT Shire of Nanango The Shire of Nanango was a local government area located in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, about northwest of the capital, Brisbane. The Shire covered an area of , and existed as a local government ...

under the ''Divisional Boards Act 1879''. However, the changes to Widgee's boundaries were not welcomed by the Widgee Divisional Board; they felt so much territory had been removed from Widgee Division that it was effectively abolished and the board members all threatened to resign in protest. The government then hastily abolished Kilkivan Division on 30 July 1886, only four weeks after it was created, leading to protests by the residents of Kilkivan. Arguments about boundaries continued for a year. Kilkivan Division was eventually re-constituted on 17 November 1887, comprising part of No. 2 subdivision of Widgee Division and part of the No. 2 subdivision and all of the No. 3 subdivision of Barambah Division, to be governed by a board of six members. On 4 January 1895,

Glastonbury Division The Glastonbury Division is a former local government area in the Wide Bay–Burnett area of Queensland, Australia. Its headquarters were located in the town of Gympie. History The Glastonbury Division was one of the original divisions incorpora ...

was abolished and split between the Widgee Division and the

Bank of New South Wales (former) (2011), Gympie

With the passage of the ''Local Authorities Act 1902'', Widgee Division became the Shire of Widgee on 31 March 1903, and on 21 November 1940 moved into new premises (the former

Bank of New South Wales Building The Head Office building of The Bank of New South Wales was designed by prolific Melbourne architect Joseph Reed and constructed at 368–374 Collins St, Melbourne, in 1856–1857. Reed was awarded first prize, worth £75, in the Bank of New So ...

) at 242 Mary Street, Gympie. On 19 March 1992, the Electoral and Administrative Review Commission, created two years earlier, produced its report ''External Boundaries of Local Authorities'', and recommended that the City of Gympie and the Shire of Widgee should be amalgamated. The recommendation was implemented through the ''Local Government (Shire of Cooloola) Regulation 1993'' creating the new Shire of Cooloola on 2 November 1993. The first elections were held on 27 November 1993 and Adrian McClintock, the former Widgee chairman, was elected for a four-year term. The

Widgee Shire Council Chambers The Bank of New South Wales is a heritage-listed former bank at 242 Mary Street, Gympie, Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Richard Gailey and built from 1890 to 1891 by T. Kelly. It is also known as Widgee Shire Council C ...

continued to be used as the

Cooloola Shire Council Chambers The Bank of New South Wales is a heritage-listed former bank at 242 Mary Street, Gympie, Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Richard Gailey and built from 1890 to 1891 by T. Kelly. It is also known as Widgee Shire Council C ...

. On 15 March 2008, under the ''Local Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007'' passed by the

Parliament of Queensland The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists of the Monarch of Australia and the Legislative Assembly. It has been the only unicameral s ...

on 10 August 2007, the Shire of Cooloola merged with the

Shire of Kilkivan The Shire of Kilkivan was a local government area about north-northwest of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1886 until its merger with several other local government areas to ...

and part of

Shire of Tiaro The Shire of Tiaro was a local government area in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, between the regional cities of Gympie and Hervey Bay about north of the state capital, Brisbane. The shire covered an area of , and exist ...

to form the Gympie Region. The Cooloola Shire Council Chambers continued to be used as the

Gympie Regional Council Chambers The Bank of New South Wales is a heritage-listed former bank at 242 Mary Street, Gympie, Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Richard Gailey and built from 1890 to 1891 by T. Kelly. It is also known as Widgee Shire Council C ...

Chairmen

William Tatlock Chippindall, chairman of WIdgee Divisional Board, 1897

The following were the chairmen of the Widgee Divisional Board and the Widgee Shire Council.

Chairmen of Widgee Divisional Board

* 1880–1884: Matthew Mellor, also mayor of

, and Member of the Legislative Assembly for Wide Bay and Gympie * 1884–1885: J Broadbent * 1885–1886: W Ferguson * 1886–1889: William Tatlock Chippindall * 1889–1890: W Ferguson * 1890–1891: William Tatlock Chippindall * 1891–1892: J Flood * 1892–1893: William Tatlock Chippindall * 1898–1899: J Fraser * 1899–1900: William Tatlock Chippindall * 1900–1902: J Fullerton * 1902–1903: W C Anderson * 1903–1904: J Fraser

Chairmen of the Widgee Shire Council

* 1903–1904: J Fraser * 1904–1907: W C Anderson * 1907–1908: G Preston * 1908–1911: J Fraser * 1911–1912: Z D S Skyring * 1912–1913: W M Tweed * 1913–1914: T T Powell * 1914–1915: T H Steele * 1915–1916: Thomas Edward Betts * 1916–1917: Z D S Skyring * 1917–1918: J E Farrell * 1918–1920: T H Steele * 1920–1921: R B Parkyn * 1921–1924: J T Tatnell * 1924–1969: W H Kidd * 1969-1873: W N Buchanan * 1973-1876: M V MacDonnell * 1976–1979: K De Vere * 1979–1993: A McClintock

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Widgee Shire Former local government areas of Queensland 1993 disestablishments in Australia 1879 establishments in Australia