Geoff Webb joined us in the KCR studio last week to talk about a milestone that means a great deal to many local families - 100 years since the first land sales at Werri Beach.

He is part of the Werri 100 project team at the Gerringong and District Historical Society, which is leading the centenary commemorations. 

The anniversary marks the auction held on 30 January 1926, when 280 blocks in the newly created Werri Beach Estate were offered for sale.

“It was quite a bold development for 1926,” Geoff said.

“It was aimed heavily at potential buyers from Sydney and marketed as a place to build a holiday home.”

The subdivision was undertaken by James Muir Miller, grandson of early Gerringong settlers Robert and Elizabeth Miller. 

Despite the ambitious marketing, only 18 blocks sold at the first auction, mostly to locals. It took more than 20 years for the remaining lots to find buyers.

As Geoff explained, the centenary quickly became more than a historical marker. “We realised it was also an opportunity to record the social history of a small coastal community over the last 100 years,” he said.

Werri’s clearly defined boundaries - the ocean and the lagoon - have helped preserve its identity. It has not been absorbed into surrounding development, and that sense of place has shaped the project.

The Historical Society reached out for photographs, stories and memories. Every household in the estate was contacted, and the call went out on social media. 

“The response has been amazing,” Geoff said. “It’s given us a huge volume of material to work with.”

The result is a substantial 200-page book featuring contributions from almost 80 people. 

It includes stories of early migrants, such as the Medenis family from Latvia and the Prociuk family from Poland, alongside the evolution of community organisations including the Surf Club, the Werri Boardriders and the Progress Association.

The book also highlights artists who lived and worked at Werri, including Lloyd Rees, Colin Lanceley, John Downton and George Gittoes.

One theme runs through many of the accounts: families building their own weekenders over time. “Our parents built their weekender on the weekends,” Geoff noted, a line that appears repeatedly throughout the book.

An exhibition will run from 14-24 April at the Gerringong Gallery and Museum (GLaM), open daily from 10am to 3pm.

Among the highlights will be the original real estate contract books from Richardson and Wrench, kindly loaned by the State Library. 

Beautifully bound and secured with leather straps, they date back to the 1926 sales.

The official opening on Wednesday 15 April will feature guest speaker Jillian Broadbent, former Chancellor of the University of Wollongong and a Werri Beach homeowner.

The centenary book will be launched at the event, which KCR will record.

Celebrations continue on 18-19 April with “A Weekend at Werri”. 

The Werri Beach Progress Hall will serve as a hub for a self-guided walking tour, with 25-30 large displays positioned outside homes and significant sites, sharing historic images and stories.

Organisers anticipate more than 1000 visitors across the weekend, including families travelling considerable distances to reconnect with their Werri history.

As Geoff made clear in the studio, this is not simply about marking an auction held a century ago, it is about recognising the continuity of a community that has retained its character while the world around it has changed.

We wish the Werri 100 project team volunteers every success with this wonderful community celebration.

Thanks for coming in Geoff and thanks for the fabulous chocolate croissant.