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On the 14th of May 1910, David John Gilbert senior and Lilian Ethel Gilbert gave birth to a boy with blue eyes and brown hair, Stephen Hamilton Gilbert, in Sydney, New South Wales at Wollstonecraft. He had two older siblings, one eight, Margaret, and one seven, Alfred. When Stephen was only four World War I had begun but neither of his parents enlisted. They all lived in the district of St Leonards, Sydney, however, they later moved to Adelaide. Stephen went to Scotch College, in Adelaide. While his father is often remembered as a man who had various professions, he had one very impressive job. In 1922 David Gilbert senior became secretary writer, later general manager, for a recently established news bulletin. The bulletin was very serious and focused on Australian culture and nationalism, it is often looked upon as starting the conversation for the Australian Federation in 1901. The Australian Federation was when the six British colonies, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania joined as the Commonwealth of Australia. David also supported a lot of Australian writers, such as Banjo Patterson and Henry Lawson.

“Aunty Marg (Stephen’s sister) would often tell the story of how Banjo and Henry came into their kitchen one Saturday morning, asking David to publish their works,” David John Gilbert Junior said during an interview. “He was said to have supported them well.”

Lilian (Stephens’s mother) died in 1925 when Stephen was fifteen years old. Seven years after her death David moved to Perth when Stephen was twenty-two years old. David Junior said throughout the interview that Stephen seemed to think of his father as a “no-hoper”, someone who did not have a well-put-together life, it was also suspected that David Senior had a drinking problem throughout Stephens’s childhood. Stephen’s and David Senior’s relationship was nothing more than a civil understanding of father and son, as Stephen did not cut him out of his life. Stephen did not talk about his childhood often with his children.   

Stephen Hamilton Gilbert was very ambitious from a career perspective as he became a very well-known architect and engineer. In 1930 he began his apprenticeship with Kenneth Milne, he was an apprentice for three years. During that time, he also completed a Bachelor of Engineering at the University of Adelaide. He was then elected an Associate of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects in 1933, which made him more known in the Architectural community. Later in life, he would go on to be elected a Fellow of the institute in 1951, a member of the council, and junior vice president from 1963 to 1966. Dean Berry, who had known Stephen since the mid-1930s, invited him to be his partner in 1938, however, due to complications from the rising World War two the partnership was not recorded until 1947. Dean and Stephen worked together for many years, and he described his time with Stephen as “…a happy life-long professional and personal association.”

“He was a very hard worker and had a great sense of responsibility towards his family and colleagues.” Said David Gilbert Junior.

On the first of September 1939, World War Two began only twenty-one years after World War One. Australian citizens, both men and women served in campaigns in Germany, Italy, the Mediterranean, North Africa as well as Japan, and other parts of the Pacific. Stephen enlisted very early on in the war, on the 24th of May 1940, likely when propaganda and conversation had just started.

“I think he thought of enlisting as just a responsibility, and I do believe it would have been hard to not enlist.” David Junior said. Stephen enlisted at Wayville in Adelaide accompanied by many of his practice members.

His service number was SX3657, and because of his experience with architecture and his degree in engineering, he was placed in the artillery/engineers. Soon after enlisting he was flown to Darwin where his role was to plan and build the Darwin Base, which was an airport and where all the soldiers lived.

“He only really spoke of the Japanese bombing raids.” Said David Junior. At the time when Stephen was in Darwin, Japanese planes were spotted flying overhead which was the beginning of the attack on Darwin in February 1942. He sighted them from his gun position, most likely along with others, and radioed back to his senior officer, Ronald Hone. Ronald then radioed his senior officer who assured him they were American planes. When Stephen saw them, he knew they were Japanese planes, so he radioed Ronald again, Ronald’s senior officer was radioed again “…and that was the disaster that occurred, they weren’t ready.” Said David Junior. Because of Stephens’s sighting, he was mentioned in Dispatches.

“He only told this story once, as he seemed to be a bit embarrassed. When he was in Darwin the Japanese bombing had begun. He told this story when bombs were being dropped. My dad said there was a large number of men lying down on the road to avoid serious injury. One chubby large man was trying to protect himself by lying in the gutter on the side of the road, however, the top half of his bum was sticking out. When a bomb dropped a shard of metal was flung over the top half of the man’s bottom that was exposed. He went on to say that they could all see the top half of his bum was almost completely cut off. The man injured was not in any critical condition.” David Junior told me that this was one of the only stories his father ever told him, however, he mentioned the topic of war rarely came up in family conversations.  

 After Darwin Stephen was sent to Papua New Guinea, where he spent a much smaller amount of time. He was deployed to Port Moresby on 21/7/1943, however, he was then transferred to Lay on the North Eastern coast. As the soldiers were in a tropical mosquito-infested area they were required to take an Atebrin tablet each day to prevent Malaria. This tablet made their skin very yellow and shiny. Stephen did not catch a major illness.  

“He often spoke of how wet, humid, and hilly it was in Papua New Guinea.” Said David Junior. After some time in Papua New Guinea Stephen briefly went to the Solomon Islands in 1944, which is only 1821 km away from Papua New Guinea. This was where he met his future wife Necia Winifred Johansson. Necia was working in Medical records at the time of Stephens’s arrival, and she described an immediate connection.

“He was attached to 2 Aust Crops, having served in Darwin with the 2/14 Field Regiment…Steve and I paired off immediately” Said Necia Gilbert in her biography. She also mentioned that there were very strict rules about the girls ‘going out’. They had to go in fours and be accompanied by four escorts, which were non-commissioned officers, or simply just in pairs, two boys and two girls. She described going swimming at the beach with Stephen and his two closest friends at the time Rob Allison and Jack Allen. Necia was twenty-two when she met Stephen, while he was thirty-four. It is important to mention the victory in the Pacific, which was declared on the 14th of August 1945 at 2300 hours, or 11 pm.

The time in Papua New Guinea had not been pleasant for many soldiers, with the mosquitos, intense heat, constant wetness from the perspiration and of course the Japanese Imperial army. Many men and women caught dangerous diseases and almost everyone lost a lot of weight.

“I weighed only 7 stone 6 pounds when I returned to Sydney.” Said Necia, which is around fifty-six kilos.

“They didn’t talk about how they met a lot, but there were references to the happy times together.” Said David Junior. After the war ended in 1945, Stephen and Necia got married and were released from the Army. Necia said that he was a wonderful husband and was always full of knowledge and the ambition to travel.

“Today, I choose to travel with a knowledgeable tour guide when visiting a new country, because I still miss his remarks on the built landscape when I visit an unfamiliar place,” Necia said.

Adult life

After Stephen Hamilton Gilbert had come back from the war, he continued his partnership with Dean Berry. Their commissions were mainly for offices, welfare centres, homes for the aged, hospitals, religious institutions, schools, and warehouses. His favourite projects, however, were the late 1960s reconstruction of the tower on Marble Hill which was the former Adelaide Hills summer residence for the Governor of South Australia, and the work on Government House, North Terrace including the modernization and decoration of the Royal Suite for Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh’s visit to Adelaide in 1973. Stephen was appointed the Chief Architect of the South Australian Brewing Company, where he had already had a history. The company needed urgent construction on improvements to existing hotels, this ultimately led to the brewing company spending over three million euro on capital works by February 1956.

“He worked at the brewing company for much of my childhood, located on the North end of Hindley Street. I had been introduced to all his colleagues, and I would remember walking in after school, people would say hello and welcome. I guess he sort of created a family environment.” Said David Junior. Necia and Stephen had their first child in 1947 on the 16th of February, they decided to name him after Stephen’s father, David John Gilbert. They had their second child in 1950 on the 1st of June, Mark Gilbert, and their last child in 1952 on the 27th of February, Marianne. During Anzac Day Stephen, Necia and their children would all go to Ronald Hone’s house (Stephen’s senior officer throughout the war), Stephen’s friends from the war would all come as well, it was never a sad event but an event of celebration and laughs.

“I remember him as being a very serious person. When we were growing up, he was quite strict. We had regular rules, and if we stepped out of line there would be serious punishments.” Said David, however, he also stressed strongly that he knew his father loved him and his siblings very much.

“I remember as a father he was very caring but not overly affectionate. I never saw him cry or show ‘large emotions’…He obviously loved us, he probably was emotional, but he didn’t show it” Said David. Stephen was a very busy and talented man but mainly a hard worker. He had been working on the experimental Highway Inn on Anzac Highway, Plympton. The inn was opened in 1955 and boasted the first drive-in bottle shop in Australia, and quite possibly that world. This made Stephen appear in many newspapers, commending him on this idea. All throughout his career, he designed many popular hotels, like the Hendon, Mansfield Park, Lockleys, Warradale, Findon, Marion, Tonsley, and Paradise. Stephen also designed the Morphett Arms at Glengowrie and the Rose and the Crown, Red Lion and Kairwara at Elizabeth, and the Feathers Hotel at Burnside which held a neo-Georgian façade, that impressed many. After twenty-six years at the company, he retired in 1972, when he was sixty-two years old.

Stephen and Necia had a large love for history and in 1961 he was a foundation member of the Early Buildings Committee of the National Trust. Necia and Stephen along with Margaret Sandow and Mary Grose, researched buildings on the National Trust’s Register of Historic Buildings for more than thirty years. As he researched, he became concerned that these buildings would be gone before they could be recorded, that was when he taught himself photography. He took pictures of old buildings all around the state, in fact, many of his pictures are now housed in the State Library of South Australia’s Pictorial Collection. From this, he wrote many books about the history of architecture. In collaboration with Sir Edward Morgan, he was the author of Victorian Adelaide (1968) and Early Adelaide Architecture, he also contributed to a number of publications by the Australian Council of National Trusts. Stephen also was part of the preservation of the 1878 Bank of South Australia building in King William Street, Adelaide, which ultimately ended with a great change in community attitude towards preserving Adelaide’s architectural heritage. As said before he was a very busy man, he was part of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, a member of the Board of Architectural Education, member of the Architects Board of South Australia, member of the South Australian Institute of Architects, member of the Council of the National Trust S.A, Foundation member of the Early Buildings committee of the National Trust of S.A, and member of the Royal South Australian Society of Arts.

Elderly life

During Stephen’s retirement, he travelled with Necia across the globe. Sadly, he died of a heart attack on the 30th of October 1979, but he will always be remembered in architecture and by his family. David told me that his father always wanted the best for him and his siblings he wanted them to achieve great things and learn the responsibility of being human. He was very much involved with Legacy, which was a charity that continues to provide services to families of Australian defence personnel. Stephen would often visit an orphanage of children whose caregivers had passed due to the violence of war. When I told David that that was very kind of his father he said,

“I don’t think he thought of it that way, he just felt like it was his responsibility to do so.”

Stephen Hamilton Gilbert, rest in peace.

Special thanks to David John Gilbert who provided me with personal stories and pictures, Necia Gilbert who wrote a book with personal stories and feelings, and finally a special thanks to Alison McDougall, a historian who provided me with extensive information on Stephens’s career accomplishments.

Reference list

architectsdatabase.unisa.edu.au. (n.d.). Architects of South Australia - Architect Details. [online] Available at: https://architectsdatabase.unisa.edu.au/arch_full.asp?Arch_ID=127.

Australian War Memorial (2021). Second World War, 1939–45 | The Australian War Memorial. [online] www.awm.gov.au. Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/second-world-war#:~:text=Almost%20a%20million%20Australians%2C%20both.

vwma.org.au. (n.d.). Stephen Hamilton GILBERT. [online] Available at: https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/605472 [Accessed 14 May 2023].