History of Ku-ring-gai
The name Ku-ring-gai comes from the Kuringgai (or Guringai) Aboriginal language group who inhabited the area from Port Jackson north across Broken Bay and beyond Brisbane Water. The word Kuringgai can be loosely translated as meaning "belonging to the Aborigines". This name was later adopted by the Ku-ring-gai Shire Council, the area's first local government authority.
One of first white settlers was William Henry who, in around 1814, farmed on land next to the Lane Cove River. The early population consisted of itinerant workers, timber-getters, farmers and orchardists who were often self-sufficient and lived in isolated communities.
Major transport routes by land and water were in place by the mid-1800s. The construction of the railway in 1890 and the introduction of local government to the area succeeded in transforming a series of isolated farming communities into a line of sought-after suburbs.
The Shire of Ku-ring-gai was initially constituted with six Councillors in March 1906. A small Shire Council building was built in 1911 on the main road in Gordon, replacing the temporary offices that had been in the grounds of St John's Church.
The interwar period saw vast improvements in infrastructure and a period of urban consolidation. With the increase in building applications, local government needed to expand. In 1928 the Shire was converted into a municipality with four wards each represented by three aldermen. The original section of the present Council Chambers was opened in 1928.
Almost all of Ku-ring-gai was designated for residential development as opposed to commercial and industrial developments, and very few blocks of flats were permitted before 1940.
During World War II Ku-ring-gai hosted major Australian Defence agencies and bases and a number of community organisations were formed to help with the war effort. Amongst these were the Ku-ring-gai Women War Workers who supplied "comforts" such as knitted goods to soldiers fighting abroad, and the Ku-ring-gai Voluntary Aid Detachment who cared for sick and wounded soldiers on their return.
The period between 1950 and 1980 was marked by a doubling in Ku-ring-gai's population from roughly 50,000 to 100,000 as a result of post-war marriages and immigration. The increase since 1980 to around 110,000 has been much less rapid.
Over the years the Council has built or supported local amenities to service the growing population, including four libraries, two public golf courses, an arts centre, youth centre, Olympic swimming pool and many other community sporting facilities.
The Ku-ring-gai of today is a culturally diverse society that still retains much of its unique natural and built heritage.
Source: Focus on Ku-ring-gai: the story of Ku-ring-gai''s growth and development.
Ku-ring-gai Historical Society Inc, 1996.