45 History & Multiculturalism

History

Construction of main canal, 24 June 1916

In 2016 the city of Griffith celebrated 100 years of settlement and growth.

The town of Griffith was proclaimed on 4th August 1916, and was named after Hon. Arthur Griffith, who was the New South Wales Minister for Public Works, 1910 – 1915. It was designed by Walter Burley Griffin, the Chicago architect who designed Canberra. Like Canberra, his design for Griffith featured a distinctive radial pattern with wide tree-lined streets, ring roads and parks. The first farms were made available in 1912, and the influx to the area increased as potential farmers from far afield as Sydney, Broken Hill and California responded to the Government’s vigorous advertising campaign. Many Italian migrants were drawn to the area to pursue the type of farming familiar to them in the homeland. More recently, other nationalities have arrived creating a city rich in culture and diversity.

The first World War held up the building and settlement of the new town, but by late 1919 settlement had begun. The population of the area received a boost as returned soldiers settled on irrigation farms under government sponsorship. Some businesses were reluctant to leave the thriving Bagtown to relocate in the new town which was a considerable distance in the days of horse drawn transport. By early 1920s, Bagtown had been abandoned and all that now remains is the small Bagtown cemetery. Griffith has ventured a long way from its early Bagtown years, from the introduction of irrigation, which is still the life blood of the area, to being proclaimed a city in 1987. It is hard to believe that the Griffith region was dismissed by the explorer John Oxley in 1817 as being ‘uninhabitable and useless to civilized man.’ Now a thriving oasis, thanks to the development of the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area in the early 1900s. The MIA was established in 1912 following construction of the Burrinjuck Dam, Berembed Weir and 139km of canals. The irrigation scheme was designed to drought proof inland Australia and provide food security for the nation.

Multiculturalism

With the opportunities created by irrigation, Italian migration was strong from 1913, with a second wave of Italian immigrants settling here after the second World War. As a result, to this day Griffith has the highest proportion of Italian ancestry of any Local Government Area in Australia.

From the 1970s onwards, the thriving economic conditions created by this agricultural oasis attracted a new wave of migration from around the globe.

Today, Griffith is home to a rich blend of cultures and traditions with more than sixty nationalities adding to its cultural tapestry including Italian, Indian, Fijian, Filipino, Samoan, Pakistani, South African, Turkish, Afghani, Tongan, Taiwanese, Malaysian and Chinese communities along with many others.

Griffith warmly welcomes, embraces and fosters the cultural enrichment that each group brings to the increasingly cosmopolitan city. Permanent settlement in the region continues to see these culturally diverse communities contributing significantly to the economic, cultural, religious, social and political life of Griffith.

Multiculturalism is a way of life in Griffith. Multiculturalism enriches the lifestyle and is celebrated by the many festivals and events held throughout the year.