T T i e P e n i n s u l a

the news sheet of the Balmain Associat ion • PO Box Si* Balmain/ .ba lmainassoc iat ion. (

2 0 4 1w w w . I . a u

Vol 47 No 4 Issue 325 F o u n d e d N o v e m b e r 1 9 6 5 D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 2

The Illoura Reserve Foreshore A brief history: Bruce Mackenzie AM FAILAWe were forlunalc to have Bruce McKcn/.ie. the designer of lloura Reserve, at the the opening of the Bell'sForeshore Park on 1 September 2012.Following is the history that he spoke about on that day: Stage 1 (1970), Stage 2 (1980) and Bells Store (2012).The 1970s compared to today, was aworld aptirt it seems, and the ckingeshave since been significant. Only justinto the world of Decimal Currency andDecimal Dimensioning within society,where we chtmged from imperial to metrictneasuiX's. Even the boys of the time, hadlong hair to l^low their necks: tell Ixjttomtrousers and beards were popular. Thegirls - had discovered mini skirts and Ibelieve pantyhose. Apart from culturaland economic changes, the 1970s saw thechange from a White Australia Policy toa Multicultural Society and the culturalqualities of Australia have changedimmensely since then. But never the less- the word environment was hardly evermentioned. Just an Academic Term and anAustralian Ecology - it did not feature inour vocabulary.Next I can refer to - Our New

Landscape, a landscape that was moreor less invented at that time. SydneyHarbour Parks turned out to be a

somewhat ground breaking event, usinglocal materials in a direct response to thei m m e d i a t e e n v i r o n m e n t a n d t h e e l e m e n t s

of the harbour. Local indigenous plantspecies, sandstone walls and cliff faces,wharf ix)les and jetties, combined to bes o e v o c a t i v e o f t h e h a r b o u r ' s s e n s e o f

place, Assembled together in a way thathad not been done before, recreatingthe charms of the Sydney natural bushand sandstone, much-loved harlxmrside

places and childhood bush playgrounds.Human patterns of use - paths and

walks, lookouts and picnic areas toucheda chord of recognition for professionalsand public alike - this is our landscape,this can be truer to our character thantraditional ptirkland. and so many timesmore pleasurable.Another imjxirtant factor that applied at tlielime: The harbour was cxjnverting from itsindustrial background to one of a recreationalhitrbour. The industrial Fbrl Bolan> was thenbeing conslniclcd and maritime industiy wasshifting from Sydney Harbour to BotanyBay. Another outcome of tliis was the it^sidiieof reduncimt industrial sites and derelict sites

becoming aviiilable for new uses, one beingjxtrkland. The Maritime ServicesBcaid of NSW was the client forthe design of what was to becomeIlloura Reserve using its leased siteat Peticxx'k Point. BtUmain. whereJohn Peacock had once carriedout his maritinte business. In a

state of dereliction and disuse theland was eix-'losed behind a liygesteel fence, denying all views tothe adjacent harteur. The Board,in the creation of a parklaixl, wasresponding to the local cxjmniunitytieeds and celebrating a 1970bieentenaiy gesture of Ca[)iainCook's discovery of Botiiny Bay.llie parkland was divested to LeichhaidtCouncil shortly tifier.We responded to the site, its maritimeenvironment, some reference to the oldBalmain community and importantly,the indigenous qualities of Sydney

Harbour. We also paid respectt o t h e i n f o r m a l s i t e a n d c h o s e t o

design to its vague shapes andlevels. The informality of parkdesign aligns fairly well withthe informal nature of today'spopulation. Stage 2 became anextension of Illoura Reserve in1980 when the adjacent industrialpremises became redundant.Later with the purchase of BellsStore and Fenwick & Co byLeichhardt Council, the new sitewas restored and subsequently

prepared for the development of a newparkland to complete the Illoura ReserveForeshore. The extension was designedby ASPECT Studios, LandscajjeArchitecture under the direction ofSaccha Coles.

Since 1970 the following parks havebeen designed and built by landscapearchitects throughout the harteur: IllouraReserve - Yunilbin Reserve - Mort

Bay - Garden Island - Clark Island-Bicentennial Park Glebe - BradleysHead - BP Wavcrton - Ballast Point- Pirrama Park.

The gathering at the opening on I Sepleinher.

The Association has submitted commentsto Council on the draft Plan of Management for Illoura Reserve at East Balmain.

supporting the original Bruce Mackenzieplan for the site with plantings, retentionof public open sjxice and improvementswhich include tetter footpath access, improved infrastructure, sea wall restoration,improved maintenance.

The stone pole walk in 1990

I n t h i s i s s u e

P. I I l l o u r a R e s e r v e F o r e s h o r e

P 2 S e l f - G u i d e d W a l k s

Planning mattersNT Heritage FestivalVale Frances Heathfieid

P.3 The Girl who Loved Ned KellyP.4 Wha t ' s On - Exh ib i t i ons

Dunny Book LaunchSAWA ar t exh ib i t ion

What we've been doingSubmissions; The Association has Post Office Park, the Telstra exchanges u b m i t t e d c o m m e n t s t o C o u n c i l o n t h e - L e i c h h a r d t C o u n c i l h a s s u b m i t t e ddraft Plan of Management for llloura a Memorandum of Understanding toReserve at East Balmain. Refer cover Telstra and, as of mid Nov, is awaitingpage f o r p l an de ta i l s . a r esponse . New Mayo r, Da rcy By rne ,O n t h e A g e n d a : h a s i n d i c a t e d h e w o u l d l i k e Te l s t r a t oTigers - Rozelle Village Pty Ltd has bear some of the cost. Federal member,made modifications to the plan which Tanya Plibersek, has said she will writewas submitted to the NSW Government to Telstra urging them to expedite theand rejected earlier this year. The demolition project,modified plan reduces the height of Proposed Glebe Island exhibition andthe towers to 24 storeys, and parking convention centre is being opposed byspaces to 509, but is larger than the Leichhardt Council and local residentsplan rejected by the State Govt Joint due to traffic and potential noiseRegional Planning Panel in 2010. The concerns. It pre-empts the Government'svalidity of the assessment under part 3A response to the Bays Precinct taskforcehas been questioned. See saverozelle. report in which the Associationcom websi te, see box to r ight . part ic ipated.Anka has submitted a DA to Leichhardt Proposals for the BarangarooCouncil for its proposed residential and site continue to be of interest to thesmall commercial development in Terry Association which wishes to retain by a particular club. 'Friends of CallanSt. This follows the rezoning of the site central Barangaroo as public open Park' opposes the amendments. Usesfrom Industrial to Residential. space and opposes a casino on the East of particular areas within the park areRoche has taken the battle for its Darling Harbour foreshore site. awaiting the outcome of NSW Govtplanned redevelopment of the Elliot The NSW Govt Review of Planning deliberations and the setting up of theSt N utrimetics site to the Land and Laws has been pre-empted by bills in Trust.Environment Court. Parl iament before public submissions have Thirty-minute free paridng tr ial inBell's Store: Leichhardt Council is closed. Further proposed Govt planning the main streets has received a positivecalling for public submissions re the law changes are expected to be passed response from the public. Meetingsuse of the building and its curtilage. before the White paper is on exhibition. are proposed to discuss the possiblyThe site is zoned community land but The changes are of concem to Council permanent introduction of this measure,allows for a short-term commercial and residents as they appear to expedite Heritage-listed White Bay Powerlease. Support has been expressed for development approval at the expense of station - The site is receiving minora cafe with various artworks by local consultation and local DCPs. attention and maintenance workartists on display and/or for sale with the Callan Park Masterplan - Council has by SHFA. It may be opportune forupstairs area available for a variety of amended the plan, without community interested members of the Associationcommunity uses. See the LMC website consultation, in order to approve to consider suitable future uses for thefor details. another sports field in the park for use buildings and site. Christina Ritchie

S E L F - G U I D E D B A L M A I N W A L K S

As explained in the September newsletter, the Balmain Association's new websiteis able to display illustrated guides to themed walks around Balmain and Rozelle.These will be accessible by visitors from anywhere in the world, via computer,tablet or smartphone.The first Balmain walk, a self-guided tour focusing on colonial architecture from1840-1860 has now been completed and expected to be uploaded onto the B A websiteearly next year. It is planned to launch this exciting addition to the website during theNational Trust Heritage Festival in April 2013. Hopefully it will be closely followedby planned future walks. Thanks to Meg Wallace who liaised with RedAnt media aswell compiling information and the researchers Ferg Fricke, John Morris, KathleenHamey and Diana Garder who took the accompanying photographs.

National Trust Heritage Festival: Community Milestones18 April-31 May 2013Community Milestones of Balmain PeninsulaAn exhibition of important achievements from April, 1800, when the 550 acres weregranted to Dr William Balmain to April 2013, when the first e-Walk guide for theBalmain Peninsula will be launched on the Balmain Association's website.Your assistance and ideas will be greatly appreciated contact Kathleen9818 4954, khamey@tpg.com.au or June 9810 6885, speal@zip.com.au

H A V E Y O U R S A Y !The Balmain Leagues Club site is againbefore the Council. 2 residential towersof 22 storeys and a commercial /retailcomponent!Do you want to see Rozelle go the wayof Bondi Junction? All the local stripshops would be affected and manywould disappear!Don ' t le t th is happen! Wr i te yours u b m i s s i o n N O W !Address submiss ions to :

Dept of Planning & InfrastructureGPO Box 39, Sydney 2001Send a copy of your submission toJamie Parker MP (local member)Barry O'Farrell MP (premier)Pa r l i amen t HouseMacquarie Street, Sydney, 2000F i n a l d a t e i s 1 0 D e c e m b e r b u t d o n ' tleave it until then - DO IT NOW!D i G a r d e r

Vale Frances HeatlifieldFrances was a member of the BalmainAssociation for 30 years, joining in January1981 and in April of that year Francesbecame a member of the managementcommittee helping with the Association'sfirst exhibition in conjunction with theNational Trust Festival. Her history teacherknowledge assisted with research forBalmain history leaflets and newssheetitems. She was president 1983-1984 andremained on the committee for manyyears. Frances was community minded andwas a member of the Balmain Town HallCommittee and a founding member of theFriends of Balmain Library also convenorof University of the Third Age. Francesdied on 19̂ August 2012 age 87 years.A wake was held by her children for hermany friends at the Royal Oak Hotel on the6"' September. Our sincere condolences toher family and friends.

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The Girl who Loved Ned KellyBalmain's connection to this enduring story Paul O'Keefe1 remember quite well as a child beingtold stories by an old aunt about ourfamily's connection to the Kelly Gang.My Great Great uncle Steve Hart wasa member of the Kelly Gang killedat Glcnrowan in .lune 1880 alongsideDan Kelly and .foe Byrne.I was told also another family secretthat my Great Great Grandmother.Httic Hart. Steve Hart's younger sisterwas the ch i ldhood sweethear t o f Ned

Kelly. The Han and Kelly familieswere all extremely close and all thesekids had grown up and socialisedtogether.Before moving to Balmain our familyhad lived in the North East region ofVictoria, just a few miles south of thetown of Wangaratta.But after the events of Kelly Gang,many of the Steve Hart's sistersmoved far away to Balmain. toobviously start new lives. Ettie'sonly daughter had moved to RosserSt near her aunts when she married.

But in 1923 she tragically died fromcomplications from child birth. Herhusband (ironically a Sergeant ofPolice) was now left a widower tobring up these six children alone.E t l i e m o v e d f r o m V i c t o r i a t o B a l m a i nto care for her now mother less

Grandchildren, but even more tragedywould strike the family only 3 yearslater. Ettic would take ill sufferingfrom advanced ovarian cancer. She

More abou t Ned

would die in Balmain Hospital inSeptember 1926, taking to her gravethe greatest untold love story. I believein Australian History.But it wasn't until I was in my 20s,that I was given a book written bythe iiighly respected Professor ofAustralian History. John Molonybased a t the Aust ra l ian Nat iona l

University in Canberra. His bookdirectly named my Great GreatGrandmother as the love of Ned Kelly.This book completely backed notonly my family oral history passeddown but ahso intrigued me to findout more. In the last 10 years I havebeen painstaking researching her andmy entire family's involvement in thisdefining period in Australian History.It's been a fascinating quest for me tofind ou t more abou t th i s remarkab le

woman. S ince then I have uncovered

many obscure historical documentsthat not only directly name her but allpieced together, tell an amazing story.During my research I recentlyuncovered highly confidentialVictorian Police Reports previouslyhidden away for over 130 years.One of which states Ned Kelly is" m a r r i e d " . A l s o u n c o v e r e d a m o r esinister and cryptic police plan fromt h e C h i e f C o m m i s s i o n e r o f t h e

Victor ian Pol ice to use Ett ie as bai tas they knew Ned Kelly was visiting

Skutw of Ned Kelly in main street of (Henrowan

her constantly. To the point I havepieced alt my research into a lecturethat 1 now del iver around at His tor ica l

soc ie t i es and L ib ra r i es .

But my greatest find was two yearsago at my old family home inBalmain. an old scrapbook of myG r e a t G r e a t G r a n d m o t h e r ' s h i d d e n

amongst other family items. Onthe inside you can clearly read hername E t t i e Har t Th ree M i le Creek

Wangaratta and it contains the mostbeautiful but extremely sad poetry of alost love. One l ine reads

"Like brother yon have gone to yourrest where suffering can no longerharm yon ". . .was i t wr i t ten about Ned? I 'd l ike to

hope so.

On a recent trip to Kelly country, we visited Glcnrowan. Over a copious morning tea of homcbaked scones and spongecakes, 1 asked about Ned Kelly. Our hosts and their neighbours, all long term families of Glenrowan. said such a thingas the hunting of Ned would not occur these days. They regarded him as a typical teenager who, because of constantharassment by the local police, in order to survive became an outlaw.At Jerilderic, waiting for dinner at the local watering hole, we were introduced to a Mr Taylor who claimed to bedescended from one of the Kelly gang. Unfortunatelywe were called to the "dining room" and he had left bythe time we had finished. I've been unable to find anyconnection between Kelly and Taylor but it seems thatall the towns and a fair proportion of the populationin that area claim Ned as their own. Photo at right is arecent installation in Glenrowan. Seriously woundedNed had struggled to a copse of trees now known as TheKelly Copse. He managed to mount his hor.se leavingbehind his bloodied cap and rifle which were later foundby the police who then realised that some of the ganghad escaped. The small post under the tree marks thespot where the rifle was found. J Lunsmatin.

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IWhat's on at the Watch Housewww.balmainassociation.orq.au

F K B R l ' A R ^

Saturday 9 and Sunday 10, I0am-4pniInspiring ExhihiHon in support ofSAWA^'see more below).Tliis exhibition and sale of works byrecognised exhibiting artists will raiseimich needed funds to support SAWA(Support Association for Women ofAfghanistan). Artists donating their worksinc lude Caro le Gr i lTin . I ' e te r Handran-Smith. Jan Melville, Menick Fry andJan Wood. Supported by the BalmainAssociation all money raised will go toSAWA NSW. For more information aboutSAWA visit www,sawansw.org.auOpening Friday 8th February, 6- 8.30pmSaturday 16 and Sunday 17Ciinently not booked, may continue theabove e.xhibilion, for update check ourwebsite.

History room will open Sat.11.30-3Saturday 23 and Sunday 24, lOam-4.30pm'Landscapes. 1'towers and More'If you missed their 2012 exhibitionyou can catch up now. Large bright andcontemporary canvases by renownedanists Helen Ross and Christine de Stoop..All for sale at affordable prices.Opening Friday 23 6pm to 8.30pmAl l we lcome.M A R C H

Saturday 2 and Sunday 3, I0am-4pmthree of LightMixed media works on paper and fine artphotographic images by artists GrazynaWollman. Karen Visser and RobynKennedy. Grazyna. a mixed media artistworks with gouache, acrylic and textilest o c r e a t e b e a u t i f u l c o l o r f u l fl o r a l a n dabstract pieces. Karen will be exhibitinga series of fine art photographic images■ emerging botanicals, sensual in theirform, intricately unfolding, curiouslyintimate. Robyn, a mixed media artist hasa passion for creating art that blends andlayers umisual and exquisite textiles, withpapers, photographs and intricate metallicthread embell ishment.

www.iobynkennedy.com.auSaturday 9 and Sunday 10, 10am -4 p m"Visual t 'easfs"

The Balmain Peninsula Park Painters are

holding their 9th annual exhibition. Moreabout this exhibition in the next issue.

Opening Friday 8, 5:30 to 8pm

Inv i t a t i on to Launch and ^^Chr i s tmas Dr inks "Saturday 8"' December, 4pm at the Watch House

Getting to the Bottom of Balnialn*s DunniesA short histor>' of the sanitation of a Sydney suburb by Fergus Fricke

To by launched by The Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP.Federal Member for Sydney and Minister for Health.

If you are looking for an unusual Christmas gift with a local flavour you shouldsniff this one out. Should it not be what you had in mind for a present then buy acopy for yourself and learn what life was like in Balmain in the 19"' century whenthere was no reticulated water supply and there were no sewers. What you nowtake for granted saved Sydney from self-destruction but where did the poo go inthe past and where docs it go now't For the price of a few rolls of toilet paper youcan buy this book and find out answers to these questions and others. The few-remaining dunnies are both an endangered species and a reminder of a criticallyimportant part of our history .

Bookings essentia! June 9810 6885 or Kathleen 9818 4954 oremail bookings^balmainassociation.org.au by 1 Dec. 2012.

$20 a copy but secure \ our copies at tlie launch for special price oi' 2 Ibr $30 forassociation members. Then available at the Watch House. Saturdays 11:30am to 3:(X)pmor baImainassociation.org.au/publications for an order form and at local bookstores.

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C A L L I N G A L L A R T I S T S A N D C O L L E C T O R SThe Balmain Association is sponsoring an exhibition and sale of works to raisemuch needed funds to support SAWA NSW (Support Association for Women ofAfghanistan) and is seeking donations from exhibiting artists, and collectors who maywish find a new home for some items. All profit will go directly to SAWA.If you have an item to donate to this inspiring exhibition contact June atbookings'^balmainassocialion.org.au or 9810 6885 for an entry form or downloadone from Balmain Association's website balmainassociation.org.au.Entries to be submitted as soon as possible, and before Friday, 18 Januar>', 2013.SAWA raises funds to support Afghan women and children in Afghanistan andPakistan where many have fled to difficult refugee situations. SAWA supportsHeward School in Pakistan. More information sawansw.org.au.

Exhibition will open Friday 8 February at 6pmand continue on Saturday and Sunday 10am to 4pm

RSVP essential by 3 February:bookings@balmainassociation.org.au or 9810 6885

The Balmain Association Inc Representing Balmain, Birchgrove and RozelleOur aims are to:

•Improve the living, working andrecreational amenities of our area;•maintain all features having natural,

architectural and or historical value of thearea and keep a pennanem collection ofhistorical interest:•seek the cooperation of everyone

concerned in the realization of the above.

The Balmain Association meets on the first

Wednesday of each month at 6:00pm in theWatch House, 179 Darling Street Balmain,M E M B E R S A R E I N V I T E D T O AT T E N D .The History Room at the Watch House isopen every Saturday from 11:30-3Postal: PC Box 57 Balmain 2041M a t e r i a l f r o m t h i s n e w s l e t t e r i s n o t t o b e

reproduced without acknowledgement4