On The Homefront: Local Government

Mayors of Ipswich 1940s-1950s
1940-1949 James Charles Minnis
1950-1953 James Thomas Finimore

After years of depression followed by war, Ipswich's infrastructure was suffering.  Unless it was related to the war effort or was absolutely essential maintenance, no new construction had taken place in the city.  Roads had been damaged by military vehicles and Council equipment was old. 

With a little under a year left until the War in the Pacific officially ended, Council realised that there would need to be a great expenditure to repair the City's damaged infrastructure.  At a meeting held on 27th October 1944, Council approved a post-war subsidised works list for five years, which involved an estimated expenditure of £111,500 over two years and £156,000 over the following three years ($9,532,986 and $13337631 respectively, in 2023). 

Council's post-war dreams had grown beyond kerb and channelling in early 1947, when our first town planning committee was appointed.  Their big dreams included a new Civic Hall; an extension of Bell Street through to Limestone Street; the diversion of the Bremer River from Brassall to Moore's Pocket via canal; and the reclamation and redevelopment of the city area.

Brisbane architectural firm Scorer & Scorer were commissioned to develop a master plan for the city centre, which included:

• wide boulevards
• 5km green belt surrounding the built-up area of Ipswich, with a smaller green belt surrounding the CBD, incorporating Queens Park, several kilometres of riverside parkland along the Bremer and a 40m wide green strip along Roderick Street
• additional parks, and the vigorous planting of trees
• arterial roads, ring roads, and by-passes to keep traffic out of the city centre and avoiding the residential neighbourhoods (the arterial roads were to be 30 metre wide boulevards with cycle paths, footpaths, and a line of shrubs along the median strip)
• new bridges over the Bremer
• the creation of a new civic square
• provision of cycle paths
• planned communities with the city divided into neighbourhoods (planned residential communities served by a central neighbourhood centre with parks, schools, shops, and sporting facilities)
• all services placed under ground
• attractive night lighting
• the area north of Wulkuraka to be set aside for noxious and hazardous industry
• North Ipswich would become a park belt with trees, grass, and sporting areas separating the Railway Workshops from residential areas

The Master Plan projected a population increase from the then current of 26,000 to 72,000 (which, the plan suggested, would be reached by 2025 - it was actually reached by 1976).

The Master Plan was met with great support by Councillors at a May 1949 meeting, where it was approved.  At the council election that took place shortly after, the Labour and Progress parties condemned the scheme, that had been put forward and supported by the Citizen's Party.  Labour and Progress both promised a return of a back-to-basics policy of roads, footpaths, and water.  The Citizen's Party was defeated, retaining only two seats, and with its demise, the Master Plan was quietly set aside.

Instead, Council would concentrate on the Eastern Suburbs sewerage scheme.  By late 1949 houses along Jacaranda Street were being connected and when phase one was completed by the end of 1953, 7,200 homes had been connected.

Boundary redistribution saw Ipswich grow from 32 sq km to 115 sq km when eastern areas of Moreton Shire and an area of Goodna that was previously part of Brisbane, became part of Ipswich.