Joseph Starkie was the Chairman of the Sunbury Waterworks Trust from 1905 to 1913. During that time he was instrumental in getting a permanent water supply installed for the town of Sunbury. After his death in April 1913, the townspeople erected a memorial which stood at the intersection of Brook and Stawell Street. It was unveiled on 26 January 1915 by Terence O'Brien. The original memorial included a drinking fountain and horse trough. As traffic increased within the town, the centre section of the fountain, without the horse trough, was resited in a reserve opposite the Memorial Hall. The photograph shows the monument on its original site. The installation of a reliable and permanent water supply for Sunbury was an important achievement for the town in the early years of the twentieth century.A sepia photograph in post card format of a water fountain and trough in a street in front of an avenue of trees.J. D. STARKIE MEMORIALstarkie, joseph daniel., water fountain, j.d.starkie memorial

The photograph was taken in 1915 at the opening of the Starkie Memorial Fountain that was erected at the intersection of Brook, O'Shanassy and Stawell Streets in Sunbury Township. Joseph Starkie was instrumental in establishing a reliable water supply which was turned on 13th March 1905. The fountain was erected in recognition of his contribution to the town 10 years later on 26th February 1915. As the town grew and the main shopping strip became busier, it was relocated to a memorial site opposite the Memorial Hall.The Starkie Fountain is one of Sunbury's important memorials erected to celebrate an important development in the town.A non-digital black and white photograph of a crowd of people are gathered around a monument for a ceremony. Flags are festooned above the crowd and an open parkland is in the background as well as a church. Details of the event are handwritten on the back of the photograph.joseph starkie, j.d.starkie memorial, stawell street, sunbury, water fountain