The Chamber has seen the city transformed into a thriving business hub. Formed in 1911, the chamber held its inaugural meeting in February 1912 when its first president, Walter Jago, was elected. He was also the then Mayor of Parramatta.
This year the chamber celebrates its 104th birthday. Also this year Parramatta Chamber of Commerce won the Local Chamber of the Year for the Western Region in the Western Sydney Regional NSW Business Awards (WSABE) held in August.
Established as an organisation to protect the interests of business people in the local community and encourage members to do business with each other, the Parramatta Chamber of Commerce has evolved and extended its purpose and role in the community.
Current events organised by the Chamber include three ‘eNRGY’ meetings per week. These are a network referral group meeting held every Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday mornings, the popular ‘Business After Five’ which occurs on the first Tuesday of every month, and a quarterly ‘Business Before Nine’ event.
The Chamber also hosts annually the State of City Address which invites world class business leaders as speakers for the local business community.
Chamber President, Michael Mekhitarian, said: “This is a great opportunity for our business leaders to hear about different growing cities and how Parramatta is emerging as a world class city.”
Other annual events hosted by the Chamber are the Charity Golf Day in support of local charities, an Aussie Christmas BBQ for the Homeless, as well as other ‘one off’ events relating to current issues.
As a non-profit organisation, local businesses benefit from the all the resources reinvested into services for the Parramatta business community to continually improve and grow.
Michael said: “We see the recent WSABE award as a great recognition and very timely for Parramatta Chamber. We are at the cusp of so much happening in the area, and Parramatta developing as a really vibrant and smart city.”
Present day activities are very different to some of the services offered by the Chamber in its earlier days.
Some of the historic facts about this vibrant and growing chamber is that arranged its first shopping week in Parramatta in 1912.
Now shopping in Parramatta has evolved into large shopping malls, main street boutiques, hotels, apartments, and a range of world class restaurants finding a presence in the city centre.
This is a world away from when the Chamber first began. At that stage a Town Crier would walk down Church Street ringing a bell to summon people to events. Now obviously social media, advertising and marketing have made business in the area more connected with the local community as well as connecting with international businesses choosing to find a home in Parramatta.
Early on in the Chamber’s history, there were some iconic events organised or hosted by the Chamber. 1928 the Chamber organised a reception for Bert Hinkler to commemorate the first solo flight from England to Australia. A year later, in 1929 the chamber was instrumental in having Parramatta proclaimed a city.
The Chamber was incorporated in 1947, and in the 1950s it actively campaigned for the construction of an Olympic sized pool in Parramatta Park. The organisation also lobbied successfully to have the Lord Mayoralty bestowed on the city.
This was ultimately done by the Queen in 1988, and Alan Hyman was the first Lord Mayor given the honour. The first paid employee joined the Chamber in 1992, and its first female president, Betty Barrie, was elected in 1993.
The most recent Lord Mayor’s “State of the City” address was attended by over 300 business people keen to hear what has been achieved and the future plans at Local and State level for the City of Parramatta.
Parramatta Chamber of Commerce has continued to support local businesses, and work with other organisations to develop and transform Parramatta from what used to be a country town to Sydney’s second citya
Immediate past President, Roger Byrne reflected on the last five years, saying the chamber focused on keeping businesses here.
“Our attitude has been to position the Chamber as the “go to” place for businesses already here, and for those thinking of coming to Parramatta.” he said.
Michael said: “As a Chamber body, we are a voice for the business community, and we see Parramatta as a place where people can work, live and play.”
For more information on the Chamber visit its website http://www.parramattachamber.com.au
