Paying an electricity bill, selecting a new electric appliance for the home or attending cooking classes, many readers will remember visiting the Prospect County Council Windsor Branch Office on the corner of George and Catherine Streets.
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Prospect County Council was formed in January 1957 by the NSW government to manage the distribution of electricity to western Sydney, initially the councils of Holroyd, Blacktown, Baulkham Hills and Fairfield. The City of Parramatta was added in 1958.
Despite local opposition, the council areas of Liverpool, Penrith and the Windsor were added to Prospect County Council in 1960. In some areas of Colo Shire Council and the former Municipality of Castlereagh, electricity continued to be supplied by the Hawkesbury Development Company until 1965 when it was taken over by Prospect.
A temporary PCC office was set up in the former Richmond Municipal Council Chambers (now Richmond Library) prior to acquiring the Windsor site for £5,400 in 1960. Constructed of glass and concrete on the site of Clement’s grocery store in 1963, the Windsor Branch Office screamed modernity on the conservative 19th-century streetscape of George Street.
Electricity came to Windsor in January, 1916 and Richmond in October, 1913. However supply to other areas took some time. North Richmond was connected in 1934, East Kurrajong by the end of 1948 while outlying areas such as Mt Tomah, Laughtondale, Macdonald River and Colo had to wait until the 1960s.
Most households used the new power source for lighting. Prospect County Council recognised the potential for the marketing of household appliances through its retail showrooms and Home Management Centres. A wide range of products was displayed at Windsor and demonstrators visited the homes of customers to give advice on the use of new appliances.
A quarterly ‘Better Living Bulletin’ came with each electricity bill featuring recipes, warnings about the dangers of electricity and the advantages of appliances such as the chest freezer. ‘Lemon Delicious’ pudding was a favourite in August 1977.
By the late 1980s attendance at the regular cooking classes had declined and it was discontinued.
In 1991 the entity was renamed Prospect Electricity and operated as a NSW government business enterprise. In 1996 Prospect Electricity merged with Illawarra Electricity to form Integral Energy.
Much has changed with deregulation of electricity in NSW but the Prospect County Council building serves as a reminder of another time.
