Kiama has always had a distinct architectural style, most notably around the old Kiama Council Chambers and down to the Kiama Post Office.

Part of the reason for Kiama’s heritage style is designs by Varney Parkes, who as the NSW State Architect, designed the Gerringong Soldiers Memorial Hall. He was noted for his strong Federation Romanesque Revival style, especially when you look at the several banks he designed in Sydney. Nowhere is that theme more apparent than in Gerringong.

 The Gerringong Hall was erected in 1921 as a memorial to commemorate local soldiers who served in World War I, but additional plaques have been added for subsequent wars.

Varney designed the hall for free and was thanked for his service when the hall was opened and dedicated on 24 August 1921. At the time, the names of the 50 local men who served in the war were unveiled, as well as a separate plaque for the 14 men who lost their lives overseas.

There’s also a special plaque for the airmen lost during aircraft training at Foxground on 18 November 1942. This WWII bomber crashed with all five crew lost near Hoddles Track at Foxground. A plaque was also erected at the crash site in 1999, where remains of the plane can still be seen.

Varney had a strong association with Kiama as his father, Henry Parkes, regarded as the Father of Federation, was the Member for Kiama in the NSW Parliament.

Varney’s most famous design also has a strong Kiama association - the famous Marble Bar in Sydney, for George Adams. It is regarded as the most opulent style in Sydney and was moved underground, but is still accessible via the Hilton Hotel.

George Adams was always an entrepreneur on the move and owned the licence for the Steam Packet Hotel in 1875 in Kiama. This hotel later became the Brighton Hotel which was later demolished and replaced by the Illawarra Retirement Trust. The new building preserved the silhouette of the old Brighton Hotel.

George Adams started the famous Tattersalls Lottery in Australia, which made him so wealthy that he was able to replace the ‘Tin Bar’ in the O’Briens Hotel in Sydney with the famous Marble Bar.