Sydney Mail Souvenir Bridge Number |
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| Title : | Sydney Mail Souvenir Bridge Number |
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| Creator : | Sydney Harbour Bridge opens | ||
| Source : | Sydney mail, 16 March 1932 | ||
| Place Of Creation : | Sydney,N.S.W. | ||
| Date of creation : | 1932 | ||
| Format : | Newspaper | ||
| Catalogue record | |||
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| Copyright : | This item is reproduced courtesy of Robert Macoun. It may be printed or saved for research or study. Use for any other purpose requires written permission from Robert Macoun and the State Library of South Australia. To request approval, complete the Permission to publish form. |
| Description : |
Art work by Robert Emerson Curtis. The Sydney Harbour Bridge was officially opened on 18 March 1932. It had taken eight years to construct and provided much needed employment during the Depression years. In the early 1900s, with the fast developing city on both Harbour shores, traffic on the Harbour was increasingly congested and dangerous. Passenger ferries were hard-pressed to provide effective service. The Sydney Harbour Bridge Act was passed in 1922 and tenders were called to construct a bridge between Dawes and Milsons Points. The riveted steel arch bridge with reinforced concrete deck and pylons was built by British firm Dorman Long and Co., supervised by engineer Dr JCC Bradfield of the New South Wales Department of Public Works. Building materials were sourced and manufactured in the state where possible. Over 2,000 people were employed in the work which included building the approaching roads; 16 men died during the challenging construction. The arches were joined on 19 August 1930. In March 1932, an estimated 750,000 people gathered to watch the Bridge opening and pageantry. Before New South Wales Premier Jack Lang could cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony, Francis De Groot, a member of the paramilitary New Guard, rode forth on a horse and slashed the ribbon with his sword. Militant monarchist De Groot believed that only a member of the Royal family should be allowed to open the Sydney Harbour Bridge. He was quickly arrested and removed from the scene. The ribbon was tied back together and then Premier Lang cut the ribbon with specially made scissors to open the Bridge for all. At the 75th anniversary celebrations in 2007, over 200,000 people walked across the Bridge. Also known as the 'Coathanger', Sydney Harbour Bridge is an Australian icon recognised worldwide. |
| Subjects | |
| Period : | 1927-1939 |
| Further reading : | Ellyard, David. The proud arch : the story of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney : Bay Books, 1982 Spearritt, Peter. The Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney : George Allen & Unwin, 1982 Sydney Harbour Bridge, [Ingle Farm, S. Aust. : I. Collins, 1996] |
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