In the original plans for the town of Mount Barker two blocks of land in the centre of the town were set aside.  One was reserved for the Post Office the Police Station, and the second was for the use of the Church, divided equally between the Presbyterians and the Church of England.  The Presbyterian land was subsequently subdivided, and in 1863 the lot on the corner of Gawler and Hutchinson Streets, then a muddy a cow paddock, was sold to the National Bank of Australasia for £94.

The National Bank had been established in Melbourne in 1857 and joined by a South Australian affiliate in 1858. The South Australian Register commented parochially at the time that “Advantages to some extent may possibly accrue from its affiliation with the parent institution in Melbourne, but just as the National Bank is popular because of its South Australian character, so would its popularity increase were it exclusively a South Australian Bank.”  Victorian connections notwithstanding, the Mount Barker District Council transferred its accounts from the Union Bank to the National in 1860, and it was reportedly this that encouraged the National to set up a Mount Barker branch.

A temporary office was set up in 1861 in “a rather out-of-the way place” (location unknown), but it was always the Bank’s intention to establish a Gawler Street presence, and the new building was constructed in 1866 under the supervision of Adelaide architects Wright, Woods & Hamilton.  It was universally hailed as a “handsome and substantial building” that was “an ornamental addition to the township.” A Heritage Survey of 2004 describes it as a “Georgian influenced single storey structure constructed of squared course sandstone with stuccoed quoins and surrounds.  Openings are segmentally arched with vertically sliding sash windows and keystone.  Portico has heavy string coursing with parapet wall.  Corrugated iron hipped roof.”

Within a year of the building’s completion, it played a minor role in the 1867 Royal tour by Prince Alfred, the Duke of Edinburgh, son of Queen Victoria. The Duke had been up to the River Murray on a hunting and fishing expedition, and his return journey to Adelaide saw him triumphally process through a number of small towns, including Wellington and Hartley.  He was received rapturously in Mount Barker, despite arriving two hours late:

[A]s he turned into Gawler street, preceded by a large cavalcade of equestrians and equestriennes, a most hearty cheer rose from the assembled crowd, which was suitably acknowledged by the Duke, who was driving himself four in hand. On arrival at the National Bank the procession passed under a triumphal arch, consisting of one large and two smaller arches, beautifully ornamented with evergreens and flowers.

The Prince rested in the residence of the bank manager (William Gray), before taking lunch in “a most excellent pavilion” that had been erected on fallow ground adjacent to the Bank.  The National Bank Directors were present for the occasion, along with the District Council and other prominent townsmen.  The Bank covered the costs associated with the visit. Other aspects of the Royal visit may have ended in fiasco (the tour was marred by rioting, conflagrations, a drowning, and Australia’s first political assassination attempt), but at least this part went as planned.

After all this excitement the National’s Mount Barker Branch resumed its core financial business, which it carried out without drawing much attention to itself for 119 years, until in 1986 the Bank (now the National Australia Bank, or NAB), decided to demolish the building and replace it with something more modern.

If this decision had been taken twenty years previously the building may well have been bulldozed without much comment, and even in 1986 the Mount Barker council tranquilly approved the demolition order.  However, more widespread pro-heritage forces were in play, and when the demolition crews moved in and started taking off the roof, the Mount Barker community surprised both the NAB and the Council by rallying in defence of the old Bank.

The “green ban” conservation movement of the early 70s had mostly been confined to NSW, but it had demonstrated the power that community groups could wield when allied with Union muscle.  It had also raised national awareness of the extent to which heritage assets were being lost in the wake of unchecked development.

In Adelaide, these matters came to a head during the construction boom of the early eighties.  The Aurora Heritage Action group, named for an historic CBD hotel that was sacrificed to development, made heritage protection an issue in the Adelaide City Council elections of 1985. The group also became involved with heritage issues outside Adelaide when requested to do so by local communities, among them a Mount Barker coalition that wanted to save the Bank.

The action to save the National Bank building involved street protests, a petition signed by 800 residents, and the support of building unions.  Although the demolition was technically legal, the protestors insisted that it was “contrary to the wishes of the people of Mount Barker.” Spokesman John Pfitzner explained that the retention of the building was vital:

It is adjacent to the old post office and the courthouse which together provide a magnificent reminder of what Mt Barker looked like 120 years ago.  If this building is lost a very significant part of Mt Barker’s history will be lost forever.

Against the odds, the building was saved.  The success of its rescue undoubtedly motivated the similar campaign that was mobilised to save the Bank of Austalasia (ANZ) building two years later (see 16 Gawler Street).

The photos below are from The Courier newspaper, 1986, accessed at Mount Barker Local History Centre.  The first photo shows a “Save Our Bank” rally outside the partially-demolished National Bank.  The second photo shows Terry Carroll of the Builders’ Workers Industrial Union addressing protestors alongside community activist Aurora Moore-Kropinyeri. (Click on photos to enlarge.)