A major Maitland landmark, the Belmore Bridge, celebrates its 60th anniversary next week.
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Its formal opening on April 4, 1964 was one of Maitland's grand occasions, fully befitting the importance of the bridge to the town and the region.
People turned out in numbers as they always did for significant openings whether of bridges, the railway line from Newcastle, the town hall or the tramway between East Maitland and West.
The original Belmore Bridge over the Hunter River, opened in 1869, was the second in the Maitland area after the Pitnacree Bridge a few miles downstream and crossing the river between East Maitland and Largs.
This first Belmore Bridge, built of iron with a timber deck, had withstood many floods but concerns had developed over its structural soundness after the concrete-filled cylinders on which it stood had been moved bodily by the flood of 1930.
Fortunately, the old bridge stood firm even through the great flood of 1955 which battered it with debris and flooded its deck.
One had been pushed 27 inches (68.5cm) out of alignment and the other 10 inches (25cm). This was not the first time the cylinders had moved: they had also done so during the 1870s.
The cylinders were restored to their original positioning soon after the 1930 flood, dragged back with heavy steel cables, but planning for a replacement bridge began in 1934.
Designs were submitted to the West Maitland Council in 1940, but World War II and the demands of postwar construction delayed the project by many years.
Fortunately, the old bridge stood firm even through the great flood of 1955 which battered it with debris and flooded its deck. Some people braved the violent shaking by crossing on its side parapets.
The first pylons for the new bridge were driven in October 1961. The bridge itself was built in steel and concrete by John Scott of Carrington on round piers designed to deflect debris rather than trap it.
There were eight spans covering a total length of 643 feet (198 metres), and the deck was constructed at a higher level than the previous one and above the level reached by the 1955 flood. The road carriageway was 24 feet wide with a footpath on each side.
In total, the bridge cost £300,000 to complete, the equivalent in 2024 of more than $6 million. The name 'Belmore', honouring the Governor of NSW in 1869, the Earl of Belmore (Sir Somerset Richard Lowry Corry) was retained for the new structure.
The grand opening ceremony began, as was usual for such civic occasions in Maitland, with a band playing God Save the Queen.
Mr JAL Shaw, the Commissioner for Main Roads, presided, inviting the Mayor of Maitland, Alderman Harry Skilton, to welcome The Hon Pat Hills MLA (Minister for Local Government and Minister for Highways).
Shaw then invited the Minister to the dais to give an address, unveil the commemorative plaque, cut the ribbon and declare the bridge open. The band then broke out with Advance Australia Fair, already virtually the unofficial national anthem.
The ceremony completed, the members of the official party were conveyed to the town hall for lunch and further speeches. There the Member for Maitland, Milton Morris MLA, formally thanked the Minister. The Maitland District Pipe Band was on hand to provide further entertainment.
