Post Office, Courthouse, etc - Cooma, NSW, Australia
S 36° 14.049 E 149° 07.418
55H E 690843 N 5987989
The vertical, double-sided sign has information on: Post Office, Courthouse, Gaol, Hotel, and the Cenotaph of Cooma.
Waymark Code: WM10FN1
Location: New South Wales, Australia
Date Posted: 04/29/2019
Views: 1
This double-sided, vertical, printed sign is framed by metal pipe, and is on the footpath outside the Post Office. It reads:
Cooma Post Office
"In 1877 it was decided that the rented premises occupied by the post office were no longer appropriate and that a new building was needed. In February of that year the tender of builder John Harris was accepted, work commenced and after some delays completed un June 1879 for a cost of £1,500. John Kirwan, Cooma's postmaster since 1869, remained in charge of postal services until 1895. The building is designed in the Victorian Italianate style and built of ashlar granite gneiss."
Cooma Courthouse
"One of the fine colonial public buildings designed by James Barnet, the Cooma Courthouse, to the right of the Post Office, was built in 1877 - sic (actually 1887). It is considered to be a good example of the VIctorian Mannerist style with a facade dominated by a Palladian entrance way, it was designed to remind the citizenry of the authority of the law. Similar to many early Cooma buildings it is constructed of ashlar granite gneiss. The building has played a significant part in Cooma's administratice and social history and still operates as a courthouse today."
Cooma Gaol
"Plans for a new gaol in the Victorian Classical Revival style were finished by colonial architect James Barnet in 1867. Builders Setchell & Roddan completed the building late 1872 and it was officially opened in January 1872. However the first inmates, numbering 31, did not take up residence until November 1873. The gaol is constructed of ashlar granite gneiss quarried on the site and the imposing entrance door is made of solid cedar. The building only operated as a gaol for three years and for the next 80 years it was used for a variety of purposes. In 1957 it was reopened as a gaol and in 1996 the state government proposed closing the gaol down once more."
And, on the other side of the sign is the following text:
Cooma Hotel and Solomon's
"In 1861 Charles Solomon too up residence ub Cooma abd the following year had the Cooma Hotel built to his order. He lived there for three years running the business then moved across the road to open up a general store called Moses & Solomon. Solomon was in partnership with David Moses at Jundabyne and he continued the arrangement in Cooma for several years. Eventually Solomon became the sole operator and the business became known as Solomon's. Charles Solomon ran the business until his death in 1915. After his death, Solomons continued as a general store until 1984. The wide verandahs of both buildings were removed during the 1950's when street verandahs were thought to pose hazards for cars."
The Cenotaph
"At a public meeting during May 1917 a committee was formed which decided to erect a memorial in Cooma to honour soldiers of the town and district who served in the 1914-1918 conflict and the names of those soldiers killed in action, died of wounds or missing, would be inscribed on the monument. On 25 April 1924 the Foundation Stone was laid by Mrs George Rolfe. The War Memorial was finally unveiled, without the names of the soldiers, on 25 April 1926 by Mr JA Perkins. By then the cost of the memorial had risen to £1,050. It was not until 1987 that the names of the 53 soldiers from World War I, and 30 from World War II were inscribed. In 1996 the Ernest Corey Memorial was included in the area. The diorama, created by local sculptor Chris Graham and students, depicts the life of Ernest Corey as a stretcher bearer in France."
[Sponsored by Cooma-Monaro Shire Council & Cooma Monaro Historical Society.]
Address: Vale Street, Cooma, NSW, Australia
Visited: 1636-7, Sunday, 30 December, 2018