State Government heritage lists Railway Institute Building in Kalgoorlie

21/5/02
An imposing reminder of Kalgoorlie's railway history has been listed by the State Government in Western Australia's interim Register of Heritage Places.
Environment and Heritage Minister Dr Judy Edwards said the Railway Institute on Forrest Street in Kalgoorlie was an integral element of the town's central railway precinct, which also included the station building, parcels office, station master and district engineer houses, and a worker's cottage.
"The brick and iron building has stood opposite the railway station yard since 1934, and is a magnificent example of the many Railways Institute buildings throughout the State," Dr Edwards said.
"From 1934 to 2000, the building provided a venue for the educational and recreational needs of Kalgoorlie's several hundred railway workers."
The Minister said the story of the rise and fall of Railway Institutes across WA was an interesting chapter in the State's history.
"The movement began in 1888, when a railway employees' reading room was constructed in Wellington Street in Perth," she said.
"Following the discovery of gold at Southern Cross, the railway was extended from Perth to the Eastern Goldfields, and many railway workers and their families established themselves in towns such as Kalgoorlie.
"The Kalgoorlie Railway Institute was first established in 1902. The 1934 building which exists today replaced the original building when it was destroyed by fire."
The Railway Institute movement spread quickly across the State, with branches opening at Bunbury, Brunswick Junction and Wagin in 1904.
By 1927, Railway Institute membership in WA had reached 6,655, which represented 83 per cent of total railway staff.
Dr Edwards said the Kalgoorlie Institute comprised a reading room, billiards room, and a hall where Saturday night dances were held.
"The 1934 building also had a library and classrooms where railway workers could learn about safe working, time tables and rostering, telegraphy, station accounts, locomotive mechanics, internal combustion engines and shorthand," she said.
The Minister said training provided at the Railway Institute was particularly important during World War One, when many experienced employees were lost.
"While the Northam Railway Institute was the first to be established in Western Australia, the Kalgoorlie Institute was the first to become a branch of the WA Railway Institute," she said.
"In the late 20th century, use of the institutes has declined as the State's railway services and the needs of Institute members have changed."
Dr Edwards said the building was vacated in 2000 following the sale of Westrail's freight division, and a change in employer for Kalgoorlie's railway staff.
A local community group has expressed an interest in leasing the place and undertaking restoration works.
Minister's office: 9220 5050