Even with a population of just under 220,000 residents, and as a major Sydney metropolitan council, Sutherland Shire still proudly retains its ‘Shire’ name. In fact, in NSW, to many it is better known as ‘The Shire’ than it is Sutherland Shire.
In 1993 when the NSW Local Government Act was changed and the State
Government decreed there would no longer be any shires, only councils and city councils, there was a major community outcry.
Removal of the reference to ‘shire’ was something the residents of the Sutherland Shire would not accept.
And after a major campaign, led by the Mayor of the time the Late Ian Swords, and with a groundswell of support from his residents, the Local Government Minister agreed to change the name from ‘Sutherland’ to ‘Sutherland Shire’ from one minute past midnight on the day the new Act came into being on 1 July 1993.
For Sutherland Shire it wasn’t just about a name. To the people of ‘the Shire’ the reference to ‘Shire’ was and still is part of their culture and identity.
The people in the area proudly regard themselves as a close-knit community despite being the second largest local government area by population in the State.
Such was the level of community feeling and involvement at the suggestion of a name change, that when Local Government Minister of the time Gerry Peacocke conceded the name should remain.
He told State Parliament: “I have never received more letters from any area of the State than I have from the Sutherland Shire. Those letters have been overwhelming and convincing … They do not need to write to me any more, I have enough to do without reading all those letters, as much as I appreciate them and like to read them.”
In the deluge of letters residents argued that the name was part of the area’s history and was a long-held tradition. Losing the name would mean losing part of its identity.
Many businesses, sporting clubs and community groups had the word ‘Shire’ in their name and didn’t wish to change them.
Others said the shire reference was a good practical identifier for the one region and that the name embodied the community spirit that exists in the area.
