An extra special celebration - The Harbord Literary Institute turns 100

The Harbord Literary Institute in Freshwater celebrated its 100th birthday over the weekend with lots of nostalgia and memories shared with both past and present users.  

Celebrations included ‘old time’ games like quoits, a musical performance by the students of Harbord Kindergarten, story times and history talks, a cake-cutting ceremony, activities for children, an ‘Aussie-themed’ Christmas decoration craft workshop and much, much more!

The Harbord Literary Institute is a heritage listed building which includes a hall, meeting room, community library, children’s playground and a kitchen.

For five generations it has been a hub of social and cultural life in the Harbord-Freshwater area, witnessing every kind of function from concerts, silent movies, weddings, birthdays, library lending, to the excited learning of pre-schoolers and homecomings for soldiers.

The Harbord Literary Institute had its beginnings in 1912 and a land grant was obtained.

A ‘Committee of the Freshwater Literary Institute’ was set up with Committee members carrying out much of the building work in the site themselves.

The committee president’s son, Albert A. Sterland, was a master builder and together with the committee’s honorary architect, Mr H.C. Hind of Manly, oversaw the Institute building works.

The resulting building was modest, simple and practical: a plain brick hall with a metal roof; its only exterior decoration being string brickwork courses and buttresses. But it was an immediate success!

The Institute received local heritage listing in 2011, designated as having “great social and historical significance for the community, having been part of community life since the early 1900s”.

The Institute has been in constant use, hosting community and school concerts, weddings and other celebrations, political addresses and election polling, dancing lessons, returns for servicemen and much else.