Torr Park provides community and visitor recreation facilities, including a landscaped picnic area with slate tables and seating, a sheltered BBQ, children’s playground, public toilets and baby change facilities and off-street parking. A community orchard and open park areas complement these facilities.
Torr Park also provides recreational and sporting facilities for the Mintaro and nearby towns. These facilities include the tennis courts and clubrooms, and bowling green and clubrooms. The tennis courts can be accessed by visitors to the town (on request), while the bowling clubrooms are available to hire for community and private functions through the Mintaro Bowling Club Inc. The Torr Park facilities complement the sporting and fitness facilities at Mortlock Park.
Torr Park is named after Sydney Torr, son of John Sampson Torr and Anne Torr (nee Tickle).
History of Torr Park
A land grant of allotments 52,53 and 58 was made to Henry Gilbert on 1 December 1849. On 6 December 1850 the allotments were transferred from Joseph Gilbert to James Hay. (This suggests a transfer was made from Henry to John Gilbert in the intervening period).
There is no further reference to James Hay who was the owner of the land. He may have left for the goldfields (a common occurrence), died etc. He “abandoned” his interest in the landholding. (There is one suggestion he was buried at Harrogate in the 1860’s).
On September 15, 1939 Sydney Torr filed a statement of his interest in the land and a request that it be transferred to his name. There were several other similar and supporting statements from other Mintaro landholders (Grim, Leo Giles, Scarfe etc) and the District Clerk of the Clare Council.
In his statement Sydney Torr stated –
• He was a retired farmer now living at Toorak
• He was born in Mintaro , aged 74 years – suggesting a DOB of 1865.
• He had good recollections of the land use for the previous 65 years – i.e. since age of 9 years.
• During some of that time his uncle George McLeish was in possession of the land. Sydney Torr had been in control of the land for 40 years.
• Lots 52 and 53 were used at various times by the tennis, cricket, croquet and football clubs as long as Sydney Torr could remember.
• Lot 58 was used for grazing and agriculture
• The tennis courts “had been laid down for 40 years,” suggesting they commenced in about 1899.
• Other improvements had been made over a period of 15 years and included tennis courts, a croquet lawn and a shed.
• Rent had been collected by Leo Giles (of Mintaro) for lot 58.
(Note – Sydney Torr makes no reference to any previous Torr, i.e. James Sampson Torr, having an interest in the land – while this may have occurred (before he was born or before his recollection), Sydney Torr only refers to his uncle George McLeish.)
In his statement Leo Giles said that Lot 58 had been in use (for grazing and agriculture) for over 40 years and that Lots 52 and 53 had been used for recreation and sport.
Rates for the land (recorded in the rates book of the District Council of Stanley – later transferred to Clare) for the period 1895 to 1923 were paid variously by the Mintaro Cricket Club, Mintaro Croquet Club, Mintaro Tennis Club and George McLeish. It appears after this period Sydney Torr may have paid the rates.
Following the application on September 15, 1939 by Sydney Torr (for his interest in the land to be registered) it was transferred to his name in 1940. Shortly afterwards, on 13 November 1940, he transferred ownership of the land to the District Council of Clare.[1]