Windale's Surprise Naming

You may be in fact ‘surprised’ to learn that in the past Windale was variously named Surprise Township and later, simply as Surprise Town. In 1952 the “Sun Newspaper” referred to the suburb as a “Cinderella Township” and a 2010 article by “Newcastle Herald” journalist Mike Scanlon reported that in 1947 the Housing Commission proposed naming the suburb Sherwood!

The Cinderella comment related to an observation favourably detailing the apparent closeness and camaraderie of a community adversely affected in its founding period by a general lack of appropriate accompanying infrastructure.

Prior to being purchased by the Housing Commission, most of the land on which present day Windale was built had once been farmland owned by Vere James and Emily Winn. The Winns’ acquired the land in the 1920s; the first Commission home was subsequently built and occupied by 18 April 1949.

In the foreword to Max Saxby’s book “The history of Windale: A surprise township”, Laurie Nilsen states that an unusual aspect of the Winn’s farm was that when they had purchased it the land had already been primed for a subdivision. It was said that Lake, James, Cherry, Munro, South, Bourke and Swan Streets had all been laid out as early as 1892. Global depressions and war are speculatively blamed for the subdivision’s initial failure, allowing the region to revert to farming.

Prior to subdivision plans, Europeans including Micah Proctor were granted land in this area as far back as 1876. However, the earliest inhabitants of the area were of course indigenous populations, most likely clans from the Awabakal Aboriginal people. In 1973, Mr C. Fisher is reported to have found evidence of an Aboriginal midden in a local gorge.

From 1947, the NSW Housing Commission began resuming land from the Winn’s for housing. Max Saxby informs us that the first renting tenant in Windale was Mr D.M. Ure, residing at Lot 17 No.9 Lakes Road. By the start of 1950, Windale had a modest population of some hundred or so people occupying some twenty-six homes.

In March 1951 the town's name was gazetted as 'Windale', acknowledging the farmers whose land had been resumed for the suburb. This change was advocated by the 'Surprise Town Progress Association’, which had formed in January of the previous year.

Reference

Saxby, Max & Lake Macquarie (N.S.W.). Council 1990, The history of Windale : a surprise township, Lake Macquarie City Council, [Boolaroo, N.S.W.]

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