Subiaco Name Origins.
On 31 October 1937, The West Australian newspaper reported the Subiaco Municipal Council had written to the New Norcia Benedictine Monastery to find out the origins of the name of the suburb of Subiaco. The letter was responded to by Dom Bede Lazaro and read at a meeting of the Subiaco Municipal Council.
"....The letter stated the suburb of Subiaco was named after the old city of Subiaco in Italy, where St Benedict founded his famous religious order.
The word Subiaco is from the Italian and from the old Latin Subiacum. Subiacum which means 'beneath the lake,' applies most appropriately to the ancient Italian city, since it lies at the foot of a hill on the slope of which Nero, the Roman Emperor, had three lakes built as part of his luxurious summer residence.
Our West Australian Subiaco also sprang near two lakes, but this circumstance had no influence over the choice of that name.
Originally it was called New Subiaco and following is the story of how it came into existence. "In June, 1850, the Right-Rev Dr. Serra succeeded Dr. Brady, the first Catholic Bishop of Perth, in the government of the Catholic Church in Western Australia.
As priest, Father Serra had assisted his confrere, Father Salvador to establish the New Norcia Mission in 1846. Both Father Serra and Father Salvador were Benedictine monks, or members of the Order of St. Benedict. In January, 1848, Father Serra had been sent to Europe in quest of aims and missionaries. Successful beyond expectation and now a Bishop, Dr. Serra had returned to Western Australia in December, 1849. Over 30 young Spaniards, mostly like himself to the colony with no other ambition than that of working for the welfare of the aborigines. These devoted men, all of whom were experienced tradesmen. Bishop Serrra had at his disposal when he succeeded Dr. Brady. In those days the Bishop of Perth was also Superior of the New Norcia Mission. Bishop Serra sent a few of his men to New Norcia and kept the rest with himself at Perth and Fremantle. Some results of their labor are to be seen in both places.
But these good people were not mere tradesmen they were also Benedictine Monks and therefore should be gathered under a monastic roof as soon as the more pressing needs of the diocese had been attended to. The same step must be taken for yet another reason, namely, to ensue that the contribution in years to come of the good work of these self-sacrificing men. But where was the monastery to be built ? Some three miles west of Perth, and quite close to the lakes known by the name of Herdsman and Monger, there were three blocks of land purchased by Bishop Brady with Church funds. In the surveyor's office these blocks were designed as AH (100 acres) and location AG (200 acres) but to outside people that spot was known by the more convenient as 'the lakes'. It was on the larger of these two blocks, on the one nearer to Monger's Lake, that Bishop Serra decided to build the future monastery.
"In January, 1851, he sent some of the brothers. Needless to say they found nothing but virgin bush. Without waste of time they set to work and with local shrubs and timber built for themselves huts wherein to sleep at night and protect themselves from the midsummer's sun in the day. To these humble dwellings Bishop Serra gave the grand name of 'New Subiaco'....What ever the future for New Subiaco, it is clear that Bishop Serra's idea in choosing this reverend name for the monk's huts near Monger's Lake was to honour thereby cradle of the great Benedictine Order and at the same time, to express his fond hope that this foundation would also become the same renowned order Western Australia. "
In November, 1937, The West Australian reported the letter "....and forwarded it to the Western Australian historical society which recently initiated an inquiry into place names in this State."
