Barry was a Mayor of City of Parramatta in 1967 and held the record for continuous service in the office. He was also elected to the state seat of Parramatta in 1976 and re-elected in the 1978, 1981, and 1984 state elections. He retired after the state elections of 1988. To recognise his achievements and to commemorate his contributions to the community of Parramatta, a bridge was named after him – Barry Wilde Bridge.
Barry Wilde (Source: Parramatta Heritage Centre)
Spanning the Parramatta River upstream from the ferry terminus is the Barry Wilde Bridge. It runs north from Smith Street to Wilde Street with unusual Y-shaped piers. The bridge is named in honour of the local politician Barry Charles Wilde. He served on Parramatta City Council from 1959 to 1977 and in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1976 to 1988. Barry Wilde Bridge was built in 1975.
When City of Parramatta Council was investigating the new fountain effects on Parramatta River, HME (Engineered Solutions for a Creative World) offered to incorporate water, light and colour to create an engaging visual and sensory experience.
This outdoor lighting and water effects, creating an impressive wall of light and water on Barry Wilde Bridge is Australia’s first bridge fountain. This fountain bridge was opened in July 2012. Twenty-one high volume fanjets delivering as much as 5000 litres a minute, custom designed and carefully placed to be able to create a wall of water that is lit from 41 LED light sources. The highly regarded lighting designer, Martin Kinnane, designed this display. This outdoor display is designed to delight.
Barry Wilde Bridge Fountain illuminates Parramatta at night ( Source: At Parramatta)
The fountain runs during the day as a simple water effect and after sunset that the real show begins. After the sunset, the LED lights begin to operate, and at each half hour one of four different lighting shows will run for ten minutes.
Barry Wilde Bridge - Water Fountain (Source: HME)
The Lighting Designer Martin Kinnane said, “Working on the Barry Wilde Bridge Fountain was a fantastic experience. The ability to take all my knowledge from lighting theatre and events and apply them to such an exciting kinetic display. I have created four shows each individual in content and style. One celebrates Australian music, another to some strong international acts; the third has a movie theme and the fourth a tribute to our local and national sporting stars. I have always been fascinated by light and water, not something that always mixes happily and to design not only thinking of the lighting in the jets of water but also reflected in Parramatta river was exciting.”
Neera Sahni, Research Services Leader, Parramatta Heritage Centre, City of Parramatta, 2021
Reference:
Wikipedia Contributors. (2020). Barry Wilde. In Wikipedia, the free Encyclopaedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Wilde
Parramatta History and Heritage. (2020). Barry Charles Wilde 1967-1974. Retrieved from https://historyandheritage.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/blog/2014/06/17/barry-charles-wilde-1967-1974
Former Lord Mayor of Parramatta Barry Wilde passes away at 89. (2018, January 22). The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved from https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/parramatta/former-lord-mayor-of-parramatta-barry-wilde-passes-away-at-87/news-story/1aa55dd35698561b1f298e44309340fd
HME Solutions. (n.d.). Past projects. Retrieved from http://www.hmeservices.com.au/projects