Garrity Family.
THE LATE MR. PATRICK GARRITY.
Great Southern Herald
19 November 1930 – p3
A well-known and widely, respected identity of the Katanning and Broomehill districts, in the person of Mr. Patrick Garrity, passed away at his residence, Wesley Street, North Perth, on Friday evening last, after a serious illness of six weeks’ duration, aged 61 years.
Since retiring from active work six years ago he had enjoyed good health, and it was only recently that he received warnings of an approaching illness and suffered four successive strokes, the last of which ended fatally.
Mr. Garrity was born on the Wensleydale Estate and spent his boyhood in the environs of Broomehill. As he grew to manhood, Mr Garrity was known universally as one of the hardest workers of the district and received a thorough schooling in all branches of agriculture, which proved of great value in his subsequent life. On the death of his father, the late Mr. Patrick Garrity, of Eticup, he inherited portion of the property known as Greenhills, and later purchased the share which had been left to his brother. Once Greenhills came under his ownership he worked industriously for a number of years, and, in addition to adding several blocks to its area, he effected improvements which made it an extremely attractive proposition when placed on the market.
In 1924, owing to the failing health of his wife, he disposed of the property, which then comprised some 8,000 acres, and lived in Katanning for three years, afterwards retiring completely from active work at his home in North Perth, where he had lived up till the time of his death.
A widow, three daughters, Elizabeth (Mrs. Polak), Alice (Mrs. Layton) and Mary (Mrs. McGovern), and an only son, Arthur Patrick, survive him, in addition to eleven grandchildren. A brother, Mr. William Garrity, well-known locally, and two sisters, Mrs. Elizabeth Bettridge and Mrs. Isabel Richardson, are still living.
The remains were brought from Perth and laid to rest in the Anglican portion of the Katanning General Cemetery on Sunday afternoon, the large, number of motor vehicles and the crowd which gathered at the graveside from all parts of the district testifying to the respect and esteem in which the departed pioneer was held. The pallbearers were Messrs. George Quartermaine, W. D. Grover, A. R. Hobart, Sam Kemble, R. E. Black and H. R Oehms. The Rev. Mr. Watson, Anglican rector, conducted the burial service. The funeral arrangements were carried out by Messrs. A. J. Purslowe, of Perth, in conjunction with Mr. J. Squiers, of Katanning.
Patrick Garrity’s Businesses
In October 1889, the postal service was transferred from Eticup to Broomehill, and John and Patrick Garrity, the Krakouer brothers and Patrick Carmody relocated their store and hotel businesses in 1890. These businesses occupied galvanised iron buildings in Jasper Street. By early 1891, 99 lots had been sold in the town. In 1892, a police station and courthouse, police residence and post office were established. Broomehill Road Board held its first meeting on 4 July 1892.
An early brick building was Patrick Garrity’s Imperial Hotel, built on the corner of Jasper and Journal streets in the early 1890s. The old, galvanised iron hotel was used as a boarding house, with a small store and barber shop accommodated in the front rooms. In 1906, additions were made to the Hotel, which included a shop and a branch of the National Bank.
The Broomehill Hall (later Presbyterian Church) was built in brick in 1898. A galvanised iron hall, the present Shire Hall, was built in 1910 for Kathleen Sheridan, licensee of the Hotel. Garrity’s store, next to the Hotel, was also a galvanised iron building. It was later replaced by the two-storey brick building of the Broomehill and Districts Co-op Company.
In 1889, Patrick Garrity purchased lots J1 and J2 and built a galvanised iron hotel facing Jasper Street Some time before 1905, the corner of the present hotel was built in brick (Flemish Bond). Extensions were completed in 1908 on lot J2. The hotel had the date 1908 on the new extensions.
Imperial Hotel with Co-op in background
The Imperial Hotel Broomehill has been a significant building in the fabric of Broomehill’s history since 1889. The hotel has served the public, not only as a hotel but as a branch of the National Bank which was also located within the building (where the front lounge is located). If you look you can still see bars on the window where the bank was.
The hotel is a two-storey tuck pointed (now painted) brick and iron hotel with a triangular parapet on one elevation and simple string course parapet at the corner and side street. The building originally had two storey wrap-around verandahs in the Federation Filligree style, those to the section with the triangular parapet being slightly different in style to those to the rest of the building.
Garrity Family. Garrity Family. Garrity Family.