Shire of Capel Local History - Ron Maidment Archives

21/08/2026

📸 Friday Flashback – The Story of Capel’s Roads Board Building

📍 Cnr Forrest Road and Roe Road, Capel

Did you know the Capel Roads Board building turns 100 this year?

1907 — The Capel Roads Board was established, with a reserve set aside for a future Roads Board site.

1925 — £400 loan from W. J. Wittfoht of Capel to fund the new building.

1926 — 🏗️ The Capel Roads Board building was designed by Millars’ Timber and Trading Company Ltd., Bunbury, and constructed by local builder J. B. Fletcher.

1957 — 🔨 Major alterations were made, including the addition of a boardroom and strong room.

1961 — The building became redundant when new Shire offices were built nearby.

1991 — ❤️ The community rallied to save the historic building, with strong public support for its retention and restoration.

1993 — A heritage assessment confirmed the building’s cultural heritage significance and recommended that it be retained.

1994 — The building found a new role as a playgroup centre.

1996 – 1997 — 🛠️ A major community restoration was undertaken, funded by Iluka/Westralian Sands, the Lotteries Commission and the Shire of Capel. Local builder Tony Hoist carried out the work.

1997 — 👥 The building has continued to serve as a meeting place for Senior Citizens and local organisations.

2003 — 🏛️ The building was recognised by the National Trust for its historical, civic and architectural significance.

Today — 🌿 The Capel Branch of the CWA also calls the Capel Road Board home.

100 years after its construction, the building remains an important part of Capel’s heritage and civic streetscape.

❤️ A small building with a big story — built for local government, saved by the community, and still serving Capel today.

📚 Ron Maidment Archives

Photographs
📸 IMG1831 — Capel Roads Board Truck and Building
📸 IMG016 — Old Capel Roads Board Offices
📸 IMG0438 — Capel Roads Board Offices
Documents
📄 VF256.001 — Capel Roads Board Offices Building Contract, 1926
📄 VF256.013 — Quotation from Millars’ Timber and Trading Company Limited to Capel Roads Board, c.1925
📄 VF256.014 — Front and Side Elevation of Capel Roads Board Offices

07/08/2026

📸 Friday Flashback | Capel Hall Through the Years

From 1911 to 1972, the second iteration of Capel Hall was at the heart of community life. It hosted everything from banquets, debutante balls, variety performances and picture shows to dances, weddings, funerals, birthday celebrations—and even meetings of druids!

This photograph, taken by Algy Eugene Hutton (1923 - 2018) in 1942, captures Capel Hall standing proudly on Forrest Road. If you look closely behind the tree on the right, you'll spot the original Capel tennis courts.

Do you have photographs, memories, or memorabilia relating to Capel Hall? We'd love to hear from you! Please contact the Ron Maidment Archives Room to help preserve Capel's history for future generations.

Ron Maidment Archives Room Featured collection items:

📷 IMG1301.001 – Capel Hall and Tennis Court (Donor: Cheryll Campbell)
💃 IMG0868 – Debutante Ball – Capel Hall (Donor: Unknown)
📄 VF236.001 – Draft Specifications for Renovating and Painting Capel Hall, 1950s (Donor: Shire of Capel)
🎭 VF236.004 – Grand Variety Show Programme
🍽️ VF236.005 – Menu Card, Capel Hall Opening, 7 June 1911
🔥 IMG3109 – Capel Hall Burning Down, 1972
🔥 IMG3110 – Capel Hall Burning Down, 1972

23/07/2026

📸 Friday Flashback – Every Home has a Piece of Gelorup in it…

It's easy to forget that beneath today's streets and homes lies a landscape that helped build the roads we still travel on.

Long before Gelorup became known for its bushland, schools and growing residential community, it was an important source of blue metal, hard, crushed basalt used to build roads, railways and major construction projects throughout the South West.

Before becoming a quarry, 90 Jules Road, Gelorup was the site of the Copperfields dairy farm.

From the mid-20th century, blue metal quarrying became one of Gelorup's major industries. Several quarries operated throughout the area, producing rock renowned for its strength and durability. The industry played a vital role in supplying the rapid post-war development of Bunbury and surrounding districts.

For many local families, the quarries provided steady employment and became an important part of Gelorup's identity and economy.
Nearby, Sherwood Lodge became a favourite stop for hungry truck drivers. Originally run by Isaiah and Ivy Dawes, and later by Margaret and Brian Smith, the lodge was well known for its hearty meat pies and pasties. It stood on Bussell Highway where BWS, opposite Dalyellup, is located today.

Today, Holcim Australia Pty Ltd operates on the former quarry site at 90 Jules Road. The photographs donated by Jim and Val Bell provide a remarkable glimpse into Gelorup's quarrying history, showing just how much has changed—and, in some ways, how much has remained the same—over the past 70 years.

📜 Shire of Capel – Ron Maidment Archives Room

Photographs featured:

• IMG3093 – Copperfields Farmhouse, c1947 (Donor: Jim and Val Bell)
• IMG3095 – Bell Blue Metal Quarry, c1956 (Donor: Jim and Val Bell)
• IMF3096 – Copperfields Dairy Farm, c1947 (Donor: Jim and Val Bell)
• IMG3097 – Quarry Service Site Trucks, c1956 (Donor: Jim and Val Bell)
• IMG3098 – Quarry Crushing Plant, c1956 (Donor: Jim and Val Bell)
• IMG3099 – Quarry Shovel Loader, c1956 (Donor: Jim and Val Bell)
• IMG3100 – Gelorup Blue Metal Quarry, c1985 (Donor: Jim and Val Bell)
• COL28.254 – Truck in Front of Sherwood Lodge, Bussell Highway, Gelorup (Donor: Margaret Smith)
• COL25.255 – Sherwood Lodge, Bussell Highway, Gelorup (Donor: Margaret Smith)
• VF1359 – Bell Family Blue Metal Quarry (Donor: Jim and Val Bell)

Do you or your family have memories of the Gelorup quarries or stopping at Sherwood Lodge? We'd love to hear your stories in the comments.

10/07/2026

📸 Friday Flashback – When the Governor Came to Town…

Since opening in 1931, Elgin Hall has been at the heart of countless community celebrations, gatherings and special occasions.

In 1989, Governor Gordon Reid visited the Shire of Capel to unveil a plaque commemorating the refurbishment of Elgin Hall.

The fourth image takes us back to 1947, showing the wedding breakfast of Lillian Jilley and Bert Barrington held at the hall—a wonderful glimpse into its long history as a community gathering place.

In the early 1990s, Ron and Hilda Maidment also recorded their memories of Elgin Hall, helping to preserve the stories that make this place so special.

💬 Do you have any memories of Elgin Hall? We'd love to hear your stories or see your photos in the comments.

Did you know? Elgin Hall is still available to hire today through the community group, Elgin Hall Community Inc.

📸📜 Shire of Capel – Ron Maidment Archives Room
IMG1859 (Donor: Unknown)
IMG0013 (Donor: Shire of Capel)
IMG0013.11 (Donor: Shire of Capel)
IMG0665 (Donor: Wes Jilley)
VF1203 (Donor: Ron and Hilda Maidment)

26/06/2026

📸 Friday Flashback – How much can change in 30 years?

A butcher became a baker, and a banker became a beautician. While many buildings still stand, they now have new lives and stories to tell.

Take a look at these photographs captured by the Shire of Capel in the mid-1990s and see how our town has evolved over the past three decades. What changes do you notice? And what has stayed the same?

We need help to identify the year! So get your sleuthing hats on and see if you can date the photographs. They were all taken at the same time.

We’d love to hear your memories and observations in the comments below. 👇

📷 Shire of Capel – Ron Maidment Archives Room
IMG0444–IMG0457
Photographs donated by the Shire of Capel

12/06/2026

🏉 Friday Flashback – Footy Season is Well and Truly Here! 🏉

The Shire of Capel has a long and proud sporting history, with football serving as a cornerstone of community spirit for generations.

Do you recognise any of the players or have memories of local football in years gone by? We'd love to hear your stories in the comments.

📸 Photo 1 – Capel Football Team, 1912

Back Row (L–R): Bob Gross
Second Back Row (L–R): Joe Barrett, Dick McArlie, Kelly, Jack Marlin
Second Front Row (L–R): Len Summers, Bob Lowe
Front Row (L–R): Bill Walker, Tom Scott, Cyril Williams

📸 Photo 2 – Capel Women's Football Team (undated)

Back Row (L–R): Norma Capewell, Unknown, Nelly Armstrong, Josie Boardman, Ainslie Roberts, Faye Pike, Iris Scott, Mavis Turner, Alice Bell, Dorothy Rhys-Jones
Front Row (L–R): Laura Staley, Jean Armstrong, Betty Scott, Betty Harris, Joyce Anderson, Connie Thompson

📸 Photo 3 – Capel-Boyanup-Dardanup Football Club League Team, 1986

These photographs provide a wonderful glimpse into the rich footballing heritage of our district and the many local players who helped shape it over the decades.

Shire of Capel – Ron Maidment Archives Room
IMG0011 | IMG1851 | IMG1928

Photographs generously donated by:

W.G. Barrett (Photo 1)
Joy James (Photo 2)
Eaton Boomers Football Club (Photo 3)

29/05/2026

Congratulations to two of our amazing volunteers who were nominated for the South West Volunteer of the Year Awards 2026. Eric McAndrew (the maps guy) who has been with us for 9 years and Josie Vigors our amazing transcriber of oral histories. Our volunteers are the backbone of the Ron Maidment Archives, donating their time and efforts with great passion. We appreciate you so much! 🥰

Nominees for Volunteer of the Year 2026, sponsored by Albemarle.

An overwhelming 21 people were nominated for the South West Volunteer of the Year award - kindly sponsored by Albemarle - which will be presented tomorrow during National Volunteer Week.
This longstanding award has been presented since 2002 and each year we are inundated with nominees, proving what wonderful volunteers we have in our region who so willingly give their time and skills for the betterment of the community.
Volunteering helps create meaningful relationships and through that builds inclusive, thriving communities, enriching the lives of those who give their time and those who benefit from it.

So thank you for all that you do! Your impact in our region is immeasurable.

We are very grateful for sponsorship from Albemarle that allows us to recognise these generous humans in our community who are an essential part of the volunteer sector.

29/05/2026

FRIDAY FLASHBACK – A Tale of Three Halls 🏛️ 💃🏛️ 💃🏛️

Did you know there has been three iterations of the Capel Hall?

The first Capel Hall, built c1899, did not last long. It was condemned and demolished in 1910 due to poor construction and after much local controversary. Its remains were later offered for sale.

A new hall was constructed from dressed jarrah, measuring 80 by 30 feet. It included a supper room, a portable stage, and plans for a library and reading room. This second hall opened on 6 May 1911.
In 1934, the hall received upgrades, as shown in the original architectural plans here.

For decades, it served as a vibrant community hub 💃🎭🎬hosting meetings, balls, dances, performances, movies, farewells, and parties.

Tragically, the timber hall burned down in 1972.

The third version of Capel Hall, located behind the Iluka Capel Library today, opened on 13 July 1974. It was officially opened by the then Minister for Local Government, The Hon. E.C. Rushton, MLA, on the same site as the 1911 timber hall. The original plaque can now be viewed in the Ron Maidment Archives Room at the Iluka Capel Library.

📷Shire of Capel – Ron Maidment Archives Room
IMG0010
IMG0010.003
Photographs donated by Ken and Jan Price

📄Shire of Capel – Ron Maidment Archives Room
VF256

📰 South-Western News, 25 May 1934, page 4 (Trove Online, National Library of Australia)

📖 Diana Chase and Valerie Krantz, Just a Horse Ride Away: A History of the Shire of Capel and its People (Shire of Capel: Western Australia, 1995)

22/05/2026

15/05/2026

FRIDAY FLASHBACK – The Road to Capel 🐎💨🍊🍎🍐🍃

The road to Capel was a little bumpier a century ago. Deliveries in and out of the district relied heavily on horse power and the railway.

The first and second photographs show fruit being delivered along Goodwood Road to the Capel Railway Station. The horse-drawn vehicle pictured is a flatbed wagon, commonly used as part of the farm-to-rail logistics chain. Farmers would haul produce by wagon to the station, where it could then be transported longer distances by train. The flatbed design made loading crates, sacks, and barrels quick and efficient.

As motor trucks gradually replaced horse-drawn transport, railways continued to play a central role in the distribution of goods during this period of transition.

The second photograph shows Tom Scott loading apples from his flatbed wagon at Capel Railway Station, c. 1930.

📸Shire of Capel – Ron Maidment Archive Rooms
IMG3079
IMG3077
IMG0023

Photograph donated by Pat Sharpe