The Bank of Australasia operated from 1835 to 1951, when it merged with the Union Bank of Australia to form ANZ.  Its first Adelaide branch opened in 1839, but it was not until 1881 that a branch opened in Mount Barker.  This temporarily operated at von Doussa’s law firm before moving to  A.W. Richardson’s chemist shop (which had previously hosted the Post Office).  Within four years, tenders had been called for the construction of this substantial building.  The chosen site was a vacant allotment on the corner of Gawler and Walker Streets, across the road from the chemists. It was acquired from the Rundle family, who had held it for nineteen years, for the highest price then paid for land in Mount Barker, at seven pounds seventeen shillings per foot.

In July 1885 The Courier carried the following report:

On Thursday afternoon a number of gentlemen met at the invitation of the Manager (Mr. M. G. C. Pasco) to witness the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the new building for the Bank of Australasia in Gawler Street, Mount Barker.  . . . At the invitation of the Manager, Mr. Richardson—who is the oldest customer of the Bank in the township—consented to put the stone in position, and when it had been declared “well and truly laid” a course of al fresco health-drinking was indulged in. The toasts given and honored included “Success to the Bank of Australasia and its Local Manager,” “the Contractors,” and “Kindred Institutions.”  

The local manager at the time was Montague Gordon Charles Pasco, who had taken over the running of the bank two years previously, at the age of 23, when the inaugural manager (W.A. Ross) was promoted to Port Adelaide. Pasco was an enthusiastic participant in the sporting and social life of Mount Barker, particularly in the Quadrille and Lawn Tennis Clubs, the Volunteer Corp, the Prince of Wales Lodge, the Institute Committee, and the committee for the annual Art Exhibition.  He could usually be persuaded to perform a comic song at a festive occasion.  Unfortunately he did not get to enjoy the new Bank building for long, as he was transferred to Warragul, Victoria, ten months after the grand opening in January 1886.

The “very handsome” new building excited much interest.  As The Courier reported,

The front elevation to Gawler Street is designed in a classic style and is ornamented by wrought stone pilasters, surmounted by a handsome entablature and balustrade, while additional attraction is supplied by a wide and lofty portico. The banking chamber, which is entered from this street, is very commodious.  It is amply lighted and well ventilated. The ceiling is decorated with a broad cornice and large centre flowers.

The building was “very imposing” in aspect, with the height from the pavement to the top of the pediment measuring 22 feet.  The foundations were made of stone from Verdun (“Grunthal stone”), while the superstructure used freestone sourced from Stirling East. The two-bedroom Manager’s apartment, which was accessed via a private entrance from Walker Street, had spacious rooms with lofty ceilings.  To the rear was a stable, a coach-house, and a fodder and harness room. The Bank of Australasia paid a total cost of some £1,750 for its proud new building.

A century later, however, ANZ management saw the bank in a different light.  They needed more space and they wanted a more modern design, so the old bank would need to be demolished in order to make way for the new. In 1986 they put some designs to the Mount Barker District Council, where they were approved.  When the bulldozers moved in two years later, however, outraged members of the public mobilised to save the building.  There had been a successful attempt to rescue the National Australia Bank in 1986, and this undoubtedly influenced the methods deployed to save the ANZ (see 48-50 Gawler Street).

This time the protestors were a little better prepared.  Since the battle over the National, they had formed the Mt Barker District Environment Association. In addition to street demonstrations they worked together with the Builders’ Labourers Federation and the Builders Workers Industrial Union, both of which walked off the site.  They succeeded in halting the demolition, although much damage had already been done to the fabric of the structure. The front section of the building remained salvageable, but the roof and the rear section had been reduced to rubble.

Much to the annoyance of the Chamber of Commerce, the unions imposed a “green ban” on the site, threatening to completely block any future redevelopment unless the bank held talks to discuss alternatives to total demolition.  The unions themselves put forward a proposal that involved the conservation of the original stonework and walls, and the rebuilding of the interior of the existing building.  A two-storey extension at the back of the site would be constructed to provide the extra accommodation that was needed.

A four-month stand-off ensued, during which the Chamber of Commerce continued to complain that that “the bank has complied with every legal requirement in regard to its desire to erect new premises,” while the bank tried rather more constructively to find a compromise.  Once it became clear that the coalition of conservationists would not accept any plan that involved razing the main structure, a plan was adopted that closely resembled the unions’ original proposal.

In the end, the reconstructed and extended building was something of a heritage triumph.  The ANZ Bank had agreed to spend $700,000 essentially restoring the front of the building – including reusing the original stonework – and a wholly sympathetic addition was constructed to the rear.  The building was even restored to its original colour scheme.  The project was carried out by builders Marshall & Brougham under the supervision of conservation architect Stephen Penglase.  When it was finally finished in 1988 it was so satisfactorily realised that the bank was awarded a Civic Trust commendation.  To compound the irony of that, the nominator was the Mt Barker District Environment Association.

The ANZ Bank has since moved into smaller premises across the street, and the old Bank of Australasia building has been sold into private hands.

The photos below are from The Courier newspaper, accessed at the Mount Barker Local History Centre.  They show the bank prior to 1986, the state of the rear of the site when the demolition was halted, and the bank once the reconstruction was complete. (Click on photos to enlarge.)