Coogee Media

Look down at the footpath from time to time and you are likely to see manhole covers, and other access covers for public utility services. Although the covers are too large to be easily collectable, their ubiquity and the many patterns and descriptions printed on them, has led some people to admire them as examples of industrial design and art which can be photographed for display. They have been described as street jewellery, pieces of underfoot history, hiding access to pipes, drains, wires and tunnels essential for an urban society.

A bit of interesting sidewalk archeology is at Belvoir Street, Surry Hills (in front of the Belvoir Theatre) that has imprinted on it "Danger P.M.G. cables below Phone 1100 before digging" For those under 60, PMG stood for "Postmaster General's Department", a federal government department directly responsible to a minister, which ran all postal & telecommunications services in Australia prior to June 1975. So the steel plate is at least 46 years old. Interestingly the phone number 1100 still exists and is even backed up with its own website www.1100.com.au! And the web didn't even exist in 1975.

We came across an interesting triangular shaped metal cover in Clovelly Road (near no.182) which is embossed with the words: Gordon Marr and Sons Pty Ltd Sydney NSW - MWS & DB

'Notes to the Archives' of the firm Gordon Marr and Sons Limited held by the National Library of Australia show that it was registered by that name in 1904, and was previously known as Gordon Marr & Co., registered 1902. Gordon Marr arrived in Sydney in 1863 and was a partner in Triggs & Marr, general smiths of Sydney from the 1860's; Triggs, Marr and Taylor from 1874 to 1880; and Triggs and Marr from 1881. When Gordon Marr died in 1915 his obituary reported:

DEATH OF MR. GORDON MARR The death occurred yesterday at his residence at Woollahra, of Mr. Gordon Marr, managing director of the engineering firm of Gordon Marr and Sons, Limited, Miller Street, Pyrmont, in his 75th year. Mr Marr arrived in Sydney from Scotland in the sailing ship Rifleman in 1863, and opened an engineering establishment in Clarence Street in partnership with Messrs. Triggs and Taylor, under the names of Triggs, Marr, and Taylor. The business increased to such an extent that a removal to a larger premises at Pyrmont became necessary. Mr Taylor then went out of the business, and it was carried on under the name of Triggs and Marr till 12 years ago. Mr. Triggs then dropped out of the partnership, and the business has since been carried on by Mr. Marr and four of his sons, Messrs. Ernest, Robert, William, and George Marr. There are also two other sons, Dr. Gordon Marr, of Bondi Junction, and Dr. A. Fyvie Marr, of Macquarie Street, and three daughters, Mrs. C. S. Davenport, of Ocean Street, Woollahra, and Misses Ruby and Mildred Marr.

Deceased, whose wife predeceased him two years ago, was greatly esteemed in business and private life, and was regarded with affection by his employees, many of whom have been in his service from boyhood. He was closely identified with the Highland Society and its charitable activities, being for some years hon. secretary of the society, and a vice-president. He was a prominent member of the Masonic body, being a Past Master of Lodge Australia, a Grand Lodge officer, and a Mark Mason.

The Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board (MWS&DB) was established on 31 March, 1925 by a state government act to provide for the water supply, sewerage and stormwater drainage of districts in and adjacent to the County of Cumberland, 1924 - in other words the Sydney Metropolitan area. (Act No, 50, 1924). In 1987 the Board was reconstituted as the Water Board, which was abolished in 1994 and the Sydney Water Corporation Limited was established as its successor on 1 January 1995.

Interestingly, the large equipment handling firm Marrs Cranes developed from the original Gordan Marrs and Sons Limited. This is how the company's website explains it:

It all began in 1926 when doctors told our grandfather, Gordon Marr, that he would probably die young due to a chronic lung disease. He left school at the age of 16 and started working for his father's steel fabrication business, E. A. Marr and Sons.

Whilst still a teenager, Gordon designed Sydney's first crane after identifying the need for a more practical solution to installing the steel fittings the foundry was delivering around the city. Eventually, the foundry business was sold but the crane operations prospered trading as Marr Contracting and built our reputation as the Men from Marr's.

Gordon lived to the ripe old age of 87, and from that first crane he built in Sydney we've grown to become one of the world's leading crane companies ...

Electricity Services
Embedded in the footpath in Arden Street, Coogee near the intersection with Clovelly Road are two, oblong, steel and concrete manhole covers bearing the words "Electric Light - City of Sydney". They are a reminder that even though this area is within Randwick City Council (formerly Randwick Municipal Council) and some distance from the boundary with the City of Sydney, up until 1935, it was the City of Sydney Council that supplied much of the electricity for the Sydney Metropolitan area.

In 1935, the New South Wales State Government passed legislation to reorganise the supply of electricty to the Sydney metropolitan area, and a new indirectly elected organization known as the Sydney County Council took over the supply for large parts of the Metropolitan area, including for Randwick (and Coogee!). Eventually, even the Sydney County Council was replaced by new corporatised entities. So these manhole covers must have been in place before 1935. They have performed sterling service over 90 years - a testament to how long lasting manhole covers for public utilities can be in use.

... there is a lot of fascinating
history, under foot ...

Telephone Services
On the south-western corner of Arden Street and Alison Road, Coogee is an array of 6 square, steel manhole covers above what must be a major cable connector station. It measures 1 metre x 2 metres. Interestingly, there are three different logos that show the development of telecommunications company ownership over the last century. The Postmaster General's Department (PMG) ran all postal and telecommunications services until it was split into Australia Post and Telecom in 1975. Telecom ran Australian telecommunications as a corporatised government entity until a couple of decades later it was privatised and become the company Telstra:

Manhole Covers on the Corner of Arden Street & Alison Road, Coogee
Three different logos

PMG: Posts and Telecommunications until 1975

Telecom: Corporatised to provide telecommunications post-1975

Telstra: privatised company superseded Telecom

History Under Foot
So while we tend to walk over manhole covers without noticing them, without thinking why they are there. However, there is a lot of fascinating history, under foot, behind each one. Below are few more examples we have collected on our travels:

R.M.C. stands for Randwick Municipal Council in whose municipal area Coogee lies.	City of L.A. Los Angeles - Made in India	Dallas Texas water meter cover noting that 3 million of these have been made.
Borough of London: Hayward's D Patent Self-Locking	Dublin: Tonge & Taggart Ltd. South City Foundry Windmill Lane	Manhattan: New York City W.D.P.W.

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