Gillman’s Corner

8 August 1939

When I first recollect the corner it was built back about 25 feet from the Victoria-street. There were three looms facing it with a verandah in front, and at the ends a large shop facing Stephen-street with a verandah in front about 16 ft. from the street line. There was a double door in the centre and counters down both sides and across the back with shelves etc. A few months after they put up a store room on the Eastern side also a butcher's shop. Mr. Gillman had all the land from Victoria-street to the Arthur-street except one block on which the motor garage in Stephen street now stands and which belonged to a Mr. Lefroy. The Victoria street frontage was about two chains long. A stone warehouse was built with a top floor where Clarke's Store now stands also a two-room wooden cottage where the paper shop now is and stood till Mr. Kirtori, a chemist, built a shop there. 

Mr. H. Trigwell had a blacksmith's shop and house on the motor block and lived there for many years. Gillman also built the stables and warehouse now used by Haywards, also a long wall and the two ends but it was never roofed or floored. Next to it was a long shed with a lattice front used for a storeroom. Gillman brought a cottage from Australind and put it up where Haywards store now is. He also built a bake house and wooden store on Arthur-street and a brick room right on the Stephen street corner for crockery, etc. 

Mr. A. Atkins lived in the cottage as a store for many years, then built a two storey place alongside. I do not know who owned the land in the first place but think that a Mr. Geo. Elliott, the R.M. at that time, owned the Victoria-street corner. A Mr. Hands came as accountant to Gillman and an office was built on the Stephen-Victoria streets corner with a fireplace and Hands used to sleep there and had his meals with the Gillman family. Mr. Gillman had at that time a couple of horse teams. They went out to Williams, nearly 100 miles, for sandle wood in the summer, and did brick and wood carting in winter. A man named Joseph Webb was over the horses and drove one of the teams. They carted all the bricks for the Church of England, also for the R.C. Chapel. Things did not turn out as expected so Gillman left the shop and went to where the Koombana House is now, and had a small shop. Hands went to a site next the Rose Hotel and had a shop. Later he bought a property where the Prince of Wales Hotel now stands and built a shop, sheds and dwelling house of one storey. The land had belonged to a Mr. Pratt who lived there for many years. He was an army pensioner. Later on Hands sold out and got the next block and put up a two storeyed house and sheds. The land had belonged to a pensioner named Lee. Some of the last mentioned family are still living in South Bunbury.