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.Anon-digital 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 man photograph in a garden is Joseph David Starkie, who was a Bulla Shire councillor for more than twenty years and during that time he was elected Shire President four times. He was also a member of the Sunbury Waterworks Trust and served as the chairman from 1905 - 1908. While serving on the water board he was instrumental in Sunbury gaining a permanent water supply. A drinking fountain has been erected on a reserve at the Village Green to honour the arrival of the permanent water supply to the town. Initially it was erected at the intersection of O'Shanassy and Brook Streets but was moved for safety reasons.The installation of a permanent water supply benefitted the town and contributed to a more reliable rail service as steam trains refilled their tanks with water at Sunbury Station. Prior to this the water was transported by horse and cart from nearby Jacksons Creek.A non-digital sepia photograph of a well-dressed man who is holding a book and is standing in a front garden of a weatherboard house.starkie, joseph daniel., sunbury waterworks trust