Cecil Owen
James Monro, known throughout his life as ‘Joe’, was a successful businessman,
politician and sportsman who, on his death in 1966, was hailed as ‘the father of
the Shire’. He was a man of extraordinary vision and during his long life of
service to the community, spearheaded the Shire’s development from unsettled
bushland to the robust, driving entity that it is today. First elected to the
Shire Council in 1914, Joe Monro served a total of 32 years, during which he was
elected President for 12 years – a NSW Local Government record that will
probably never be equalled. He was elected to State Parliament and represented
the electorate for 12 years (1932-41, 1949-53). Among his many achievements, the
most outstanding is the success against all odds of the construction of the
Georges River Bridge, and the extension of the railway line from Sutherland to
Cronulla.
Joe Monro was born in North Sydney on 8
April 1883 to Hector Robert Monro and Annie Paynter Evans. He was the second
child in a large family of thirteen children. By 1893, Hector Monro had moved
his family to the St George area and settled in a large house, ‘Myee Villa’, in
Russell Avenue Dolls Point, on the northern shores of the Georges River where it
flows into Botany Bay. In these idyllic surroundings, Joe developed the
interests that would last throughout his lifetime – a love of nature and
gardening, fishing, swimming and boating. With his brothers, he would venture
across the bay to the then sparsely populated and mostly virgin bush of the area
now known as the Sutherland Shire. Scaling the majestic dunes of the Kurnell
peninsula, he discovered the pristine surfing beaches bordering Bate Bay and
began a life-long passion with the area.
After marriage, in 1907, to Amy Robina
Moyse, Joe Monro built a home at Kangaroo Point and later moved to Cronulla
where he resided until his death. He became established as a real estate agent
and auctioneer and began his active involvement in local matters of interest.
After the death of Amy in 1923, Joe married EIizabeth Dykes but the marriage
ended in divorce. In 1936 his third marriage was to Dorothy Mackenzie. A
daughter, Ruth, was born of this marriage, a sister for his sons Ken and John
from his first marriage.
A keen
sportsman himself, Joe Monro was an active supporter of the Shire’s sporting
clubs including golf, cricket and tennis. He was a Foundation Member, President
or Patron of most of the sporting bodies in the Shire, donating many trophies
and shields for local competitions. He was particularly involved with the Surf
Life Saving Association as a founding member of the Cronulla Club and Patron of
all three local Clubs and worked tirelessly on their behalf to provide
facilities second to none.
Throughout his lifetime, Joe Monro
continued to promote the Sutherland Shire as a desirable destination. In 1927,
he built the Cecil Hotel and Ballroom on the beachfront at Cronulla to attract
tourists to the Shire and encourage many to decide to settle in the area
permanently. The Cecil Apartments now tower above the old hotel site and home
units are built on the ballroom’s foundations.
Recognising
the Shire’s vast potential as a tourist destination and residential area, Joe
Monro negotiated with the Water Board, after the construction of the Woronora
Dam in 1926, and secured the installation of a reticulated water supply to the
Shire in 1931. He was also involved in the provision of a reliable electricity
supply and the Unemployed Relief Scheme during the Depression when many capital
works in the Shire provided work for the unemployed. Many sporting facilities
now enjoyed by local residents were initiated by Joe Monro.
In 1917,
Joe Monro launched a movement known as the Georges River Bridge and Railway
League. Through sheer determination and drive, he finally persuaded the State
Government to pass a Bill to call for tenders for the construction of the
bridge. At his own expense, he travelled to England and the USA to raise the
finance needed. He also obtained contractors to supply the steelworks. At the
official opening of the George River Bridge in April 1929, he was praised for
his vision by the State Governor, Sir Dudley de Chair.
In 1936,
despite opposition from both sides of Parliament and predictions that it would
never pay its way, Joe Monro was instrumental in the passage of the Cronulla
Railway Act. This construction again provided work for many who were still
unemployed following the Great Depression. Finally, in December 1939, shortly
after the declaration of World War 2, the Cronulla-Sutherland Railway was
opened by Lord Wakehurst. It became the best paying line in the State and was
instrumental in the unprecedented residential development in the Shire after the
War. Monro Park, opposite the Cronulla Railway Station, was dedicated and named
after Joe Monro in 1939 on land which was originally the site of Cronulla Public
School
After his retirement from public office
in 1953, Joe Monro continued to agitate through articles in local papers and his
influence in local affairs, for continued progress in the Shire. This included
construction of the Captain Cook Bridge and duplication of the railway bridge at
Como. When he died on 1 May 1966, he was survived by his wife Dorothy, daughter
Ruth and son Ken. There was general recognition that the Shire had lost an
outstanding citizen – a man who truly was ‘the father of the Sutherland Shire’
COLLEEN M PASSFIELD
First published in Sutherland Shire, Some Early Residents, 2006, by Botany Bay Family
History Society. Compiled by Maree McKinley and Sue Hewitt.
Click on the name MONRO Cecil Owen James (1883 – 1966) at
the heading of this story. You will be taken to the database entry for “Joe”
Monro and his family.
References:
NSW
Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages
Sutherland Shire Studies No 2 – Sutherland Shire Council
Hutton,
Neve M – Sutherland Shire Studies No 4 – The Development of Commerce & Industry
Kirkby,
David R – From Sails to Atoms – first
Fifty Years of Sutherland Shire
Larkin,
Maryanne – Sutherland Shire – a history to
1939
Lawrence,
Joan – A Pictorial History of Sutherland Shire
Mackie,
Robert D ed – The Sutherland Shire Golden
Jubilee 1906-1956
Midgley A &
F – Sutherland Shire Studies No 7 – History of Road Transport in the Sutherland
Shire
Salt,
Daphne – Gateway to the South
Newspapers:
The Observer, The Leader, The Propeller, St George Call, Pictorial News
