By Heather Wade and Kerry Davis, 2026.
Uduc Road and Hayward Street in the late 1930s or early 1940s. The Bank of New South Wales is on the corner. Photo: Harvey History Collection.
The Western Australian Bank opened an agency in August 1909 in a wooden building on the south side of Uduc Road, diagonally opposite the current Westpac Bank. The agency became a branch in July 1910; Mr Charles Shenton was the first Bank Manager and remained in that position for 18 years. The bank purchased the current Westpac site on the north-west corner of Uduc Road and Hayward Street from Mr Phillip Ward.[1] Although tenders were called in 1921 by architects Hobbs, Smith and Forbes of Perth,[2] the wooden bank building with residence was first occupied in early 1923. A fire at R Murray Wilson’s shop in April 1923 gives the timeframe; ‘The end building was only vacated by the W.A. Bank a few months ago when they moved across, to their handsome new bank on the opposite side of the street.’[3]
The photo shows Wilson’s on the left, Uduc Road looking west, the Western Australia Bank on the corner facing Hayward Street as does the Buckhold’s Handy Foods store. Photo courtesy of Harvey Districts Historical Society.
The Western Australian Bank and Manager’s residence on the corner of Uduc Road and Hayward Street between 1923 and 1927. Note that Phil Ward’s house is at the right. Photo courtesy of Harvey & Districts Historical Society.
The Western Australian Bank was acquired by the Bank of New South Wales in 1927.[4]
In November 1937 the Bank of New South Wales and residence was destroyed by fire as was Buckhold’s Handy Foods store next door. The next day revealed a mass of smouldering broken tiles and masonry, twisted iron and charred wood of what was formerly one of the chief business corners of the town. The strongroom and some brick chimneys were all that remained standing.[5] The bank moved into temporary premises for 11 months occupying Markham’s two story building in Hayward Street. On 26 October 1938, the Bank of New South Wales moved into its new premises which included a Manager’s residence. For a number of years it had been the desire of the Harvey Road Board to truncate the corner occupied by the bank, and the new building permitted this to happen.[6]
The Bank of New South Wales on the corner of Uduc Road and Hayward Street, c1957. Photo: Harvey History Online collection.
Extensions facing Hayward Street were built in the late 1950s or early 1960s.
The Bank of New South Wales changed its name to Westpac Banking Corporation following the acquisition of the Commercial Bank of Australia in October 1982.[7] In 1995 Westpac purchased Challenge Bank and the bank went under that name. Later on, it reverted to Westpac.
Westpac became known as the Challenge Bank, photo taken 2004. Photo: Harvey History Online Collection.
Although the Commonwealth Bank closed in Harvey in 2021, the Harvey Westpac Bank continues to operate.
Westpac Bank, January 2022. Photo: Harvey History Online Collection.
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[1] Harvey Waroona Mail, 9 September 1955, p. 2. Or see ‘History of Harvey’ on this website
[2] South Western Time, 5 March 1921, p. 4.
[3] South Western Times, 19 April 1923, p. 3.
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_New_South_Wales
[5] Western Australian, 23 November 1937, p. 18.
[6] Harvey Murray Times, 27 October 1938, p. 2.
[7] https://www.westpac.com.au/about-westpac/westpac-group/company-overview/our-history/ viewed 11 January 2022.