Fremantle Port Authority

In August 1829 the Fremantle Harbour Master position was created, the first incumbent (1829-1832) being Captain Mark John Currie >

Fremantle Harbour Trust

In 1903 Fremantle Harbour Trust was created with five commissioners, three commissioners to be appointed by the Governor with the remaining two positions appointed by the Fremantle Chamber of Commerce and the Perth Chamber of Commerce respectively. The chairman of the Trust was then appointed by the Governor.

Sunday Times leader 1903:
At the beginning of the year [1903] the control of the Fremantle harbor, agreeably to Act of Parliament, was delegated to a Trust of five Commissioners nominated by the Government or, more accurately, by the Colonial Secretary. The Trust was composed of Captain Laurie, MLC (chairman), Mr. A. Leeds (Fremantle manager for Dalgety and Co.), Alfred Sandover (of W. Sandover and Co.), Mr. W. Hudson (insurance agent}, and Mr. T. Coombe (of Coombe, Wood and Co. ) Their duties were generally to administer the harbor… Sunday Times, Sunday 14 June 1903: 11.

Hitchcock:
The first Harbour Trust for Fremantle was appointed on 7 January 1903, the members being: Messrs. Robert Laurie, M.L.C. (chairman); A. G. Leeds, C. Hudson, A. Sandover and T. Coombe. Mr. F. W. B. Stevens, who had been associated with the harbour scheme as secretary to C. Y. O'Connor, was appointed secretary and has held that position ever since [ -1929]. The present [1929] commissioners are: Messrs T. Carter (chairman), J. H. G. Taylor, W. H. A. Tanner, L. L. Bateman and P. G. McMahon. Hitchcock: 81.

The first formal meeting of the Fremantle Harbour Trust commissioners occurred on 5 January 1903 in the Dalgety Building. At that time Resident Engineer of Harbour works was W. Leslie and Harbour Master (1902-16) was Captain Irvine, both of whom were present for the meeting.

The Trust had its own building from 1904 when C.Y. O'Connor's office building (a former customs building) was moved from Arthur Head to the northern end of Cliff St, near where the present Fremantle Ports building has stood since 1963.

Hitchcock:
The port of Fremantle, as controlled by the board of Fremantle Harbour Trust Commissioners to-day [1929], consists of the whole of the sheltered area of water lying between the mainland and Rottnest, Carnac and Garden Islands, and the reefs connecting these islands, and includes also the inner harbour basin within the estuary of the Swan River, at present extending up the river as far as the existing [1929] railway bridge. FWB Stevens, in Hitchcock: 142.

The Harbour and Light Department and the position of the Chief Harbour Master of Fremantle were created in January 1880. Captain George Forsythe was Harbour Master 1874-1886.

Fremantle Port Authority

The Harbour Trust ceased to exist in November 1964, being replaced by the Fremantle Port Authority, which began operations in its newly-completed building at the street address 1 Cliff St (tho it's really on the South Wharf).

Fremantle Ports

The authority is now known as Fremantle Ports, as created under the Western Australian Port Authorities Act 1999 and Port Authorities Regulations 2001. The current CEO is Michael Parker, appointed by the Board of Directors in May 2021. Allan Gray was Harbour Master until the appointment of Captain Savio Fernandes from 1 February 2021.