Harbour View Apartments

These apartments initially housed personnel that reported directly to the General Manager of Cockatoo Island’s Naval Dockyard; namely, his personal driver and launch coxswain (the equivalent of a boat chauffer).

At this time, the General Manager was Captain Julian James King-Salter, a naval engineer who had been seconded from the British Admiralty – a department of the UK Government then responsible for the Royal Navy. His initial three-year appointment commenced in 1914 and his contract afforded him an annual salary of £1,750 as well as a furnished house on site, where he lived with his wife and at least one child. King-Salter’s contract was renewed for a further three years in 1917; however, his appointment was not extended beyond 1920 due to criticisms levelled at his administration of the dockyard by the Commonwealth Economy Commission .

King-Salter oversaw the dockyard, including a workforce of 3,000+, during a period of expansion and industrial unrest. When his second contract expired, his colleagues gifted him a luxury suitcase and a solid leather travelling trunk. His position was considered very prestigious and his encounters with Sydney’s social elite were reported in newspapers as well as Vice-Regal notices. The identities of his coxswain and driver – and whether they were distinct roles or a dual position – is unknown.