22/10/2026
THE MATTO HISTORY SERIES | 1945–1950
ELEVEN RETURNED SERVICEMEN. ONE LOCAL PUB. A PIECE OF MATRAVILLE HISTORY.
Take a look at this remarkable aerial photograph of Matraville from 1943.
Right on the corner of Bunnerong Road and Perry Street sits the Matraville Hotel, surrounded by rows of cottages, open land, dirt tracks and a suburb still taking shape.
Only two years later, World War II would come to an end, and Matraville would enter another important chapter in its history.
6 JUNE 1946 — A MEETING THAT MADE HISTORY
On this day, eleven returned servicemen gathered inside the Matraville Hotel.
Their purpose was to establish a local branch of the Returned Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen's Imperial League of Australia, what we now know as the RSL.
Just 20 days later, on 26 June 1946, the Matraville RSL sub-branch received its official charter.
It was a significant moment for a suburb with strong military connections, including the Soldiers' Garden Village, established following World War I for returned servicemen and their families.
A SUBURB GROWING AFTER THE WAR
Between 1945 and 1950, Matraville continued to change.
Bunnerong Power Station remained a major part of the local industrial landscape, supplying electricity to Sydney.
In 1946, a new bitumen refinery began operating in the district, adding to Matraville's growing industrial importance.
And along Perry Street, St Agnes continued to develop as part of the local community, with the foundation stone of a new church-school blessed in 1949.
But among all these changes, one moment stands out.
Eleven men sitting together inside the Matraville Hotel in June 1946, laying the foundations for an organisation that would become part of the area's history.
Does anyone recognise the houses or remember family stories from this part of Matraville?
We'd love to hear them.
The Matto History Series — A snapshot of the people, places and events that shaped Matraville.
