What kind of history did you learn at school? Maybe it was the history of the ancient Egyptians, the royal kings and queens of England, or the arrival of Captain Cook in Botany Bay.
It’s a shame that we don’t often get taught local history, that is, the history of the places we live in. Local history shows us how our towns and suburbs began, how they were named, and about the people who used to live there. Have you ever walked past an old house or building and wondered who used to live there? What did they do? Where are they now?
Local history is all about stories, and just as every family has a story, every town and suburb has a story, too. How much do you know about where you live?
The good ship Rockingham #
Long before anyone had ever heard of Baldivis or Rockingham - up to 45,000 years before! - people of the Noongar nation called this area home. Fast forward to the early 1800s, and new settlers were busy making their home here, taking up settlements of the fertile land for agriculture, especially dairy farms. The first of these British settlers were led by Thomas Peel (yes, that Thomas Peel! Like the Peel Estuary and the Peel Region), and one of the last ships he brought out was called the Rockingham. Unfortunately, the Rockingham sunk in Cockburn Sound in 1830, but all on board survived. Soon after that, some of the settlers sent a petition to Governor Stirling to recognise their settlement, calling their place ‘Rockingham Town’. That was probably the first time the name was documented. Twenty-five years later, the name was official, and Rockingham became a recognised city.
Bal-di-vis #
Many groups of settlers had already made their home in the area before the Rockingham sunk. Groups within the settlements were known by numbers, and many of the roads in Baldivis are named from the numbers of the groups allocated along those roads (like Sixty Eight Road and Fifty Road). As the number of settlers grew, the need for education became evident, leading to the establishment of the area's first school. A school was often one of the first buildings to be constructed within a settlement. On the 4th February 1924, a school opened to meet the needs of families from Groups 50 and 54. The school was originally named Group 50-54 School (it was near Fifty Road), but in 1926 the community formed a P&C and gave the school a new name. They named the school ‘Baldivis', after three ships that had brought them to WA - the Balranald, the Diogenes and the Jervis Bay.
It wasn’t until the 1990s - 170 years later - that land in the western part of Baldivis was zoned for urban development. In history terms, 170 years is not that long, so there would be many families in Baldivis today with links to the first settlers that worked so hard to establish the area. Many of those families are remembered by having buildings, parks or streets named after them. For instance, the Mary Davies Library and Community Centre is named in honour of Mary Davies (1926 –2014), who was a passionate and committed member of the Rockingham community.
Baldivis has certainly come a long way. Now your family can choose to live at Brightwood, a thriving, welcoming community nestled between Baldivis Road and Sixty Eight Road (now you know how those roads got their names!). Over 800 families are already living or building in Brightwood, enjoying all the amenities of modern living… schools, shops, cafes and restaurants close by, and a world-class Adventure Park. It’s the perfect place to call home.
So, now that you know a little bit about the history of Baldivis and the people who lived there, you can own a little piece of it and start building a future for your own family. And become part of the Brightwood story!
Contact our sales team today.
