The Fremantle Chamber of Commerce is a business and commerce advocacy association in

Fremantle, Western Australia Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...

History

In 1853 the Western Australian Chamber of Commerce was founded. In 1873 the Chamber of Commerce requested and was granted land by the State Government land upon which to develop a headquarters. The name of the Chamber was altered to the Fremantle Chamber of Commerce. The first meeting of the Fremantle Chamber of Commerce was held on 29 May 1873 at Maloney's Hotel, with Mr.

William Dalgety Moore William Dalgety Moore (30 August 1835 – 22 April 1910) was a businessman in Fremantle, Western Australia, and also a pastoralist and politician. Early life Moore was born in the Swan River Colony in 1835, the eldest child of Samuel Moore and ...

serving as its first chairman (although the Chamber's own information disagrees with this, and suggests that it was

William Marmion William Edward Marmion (22 October 1845 – 4 July 1896) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council from 1870 to 1890, and a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1890 to 18 ...

). Nothing was done with the Chamber's landholdings until the block was exchanged for a site on Phillimore Street, adjacent to the

Fremantle Fire Station Fremantle Fire Station, in Phillimore Street, Fremantle, Western Australia, was the second fire station built for the Fremantle Fire Brigade and was opened in 1909. It was designed by architectural firm Cavanagh and Cavanagh and constructed by ...

, which had become free when the railway yards moved to Midland. The Chamber originally met at premises in Henry Street before the Philmore Street premises were constructed. The current Chamber building was designed by Joseph Allen and reflects the type of commercial structures erected in Fremantle during the expansive gold boom years. It is a two-storey brick building with cement dressings on the front elevation. The building has a large committee room on the first floor and two suites of offices on the ground floor with access between the floors provided by a polished

jarrah ''Eucalyptus marginata'', commonly known as jarrah, in Noongar language and historically as Swan River mahogany, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a tree with rough, fibro ...

staircase. The total cost of the construction was

A£ The pound (Currency symbol, sign: £, £A for distinction) was the currency of Australia from 1910 until 14 February 1966, when it was replaced by the Australian dollar. Like other £sd currencies, it was subdivided into 20 Shilling (Australian ...

1,980. The Chamber building was officially opened on 30 October 1912 by Sir Gerald Strickland (

Governor of Western Australia The governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of the monarch, King Charles III. As with the other governors of the Australian states, the governor of Western Australia performs constitutional, ceremonial and commun ...

). The Chamber is the oldest chamber of commerce in Western Australia and the second oldest chamber in Australia. The inaugural members of the chamber were: * John Bateman *

Daniel Keen Congdon Daniel Keen Congdon (August 1836 17 January 1907) was the mayor of the Municipality of Fremantle in Western Australia from 1886 to 1888. Biography Daniel Keen Congdon was born in August 1836 in Chatham, Kent to William John (18011865) and Sar ...

* Alexander Francisco * Robert Habgood *

Edward Higham Edward Henry Higham (26 July 1846 – 20 April 1885) was a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council from 1880 to 1884. Life The son of a baker, Edward Higham was born in Brackley, Northamptonshire, England (one source says Oxfordshi ...

* Mary Higham * William Holman * Robert King (Treasurer) * John McCleery * John McGibbon *

(chairman) * William Owston * W. S. Pearse *

Lionel Samson Lionel Samson (1799-15 March 1878) was an early Swan River Colony settler and businessman whose firm, Lionel Samson & Son, is the second oldest continuing family business in Australia. It is likely his father was Michael Samson, "a member of one ...

* Michael Samson * Elias Solomon * R. M. Sutherland (Secretary) * B. C. Wood

Notes and references

Chambers of commerce in Australia Fremantle West End Heritage area Buildings and structures completed in 1912 Phillimore Street, Fremantle 1912 establishments in Australia Economy of Perth, Western Australia State Register of Heritage Places in the City of Fremantle {{Fremantle-stub