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THE GLEBE SOCIETY

BULLETINPO BOX 100, GLEBE NSW 2037 AUSTRALIA

AprilPrint Post Approved - No: 234093/000 10 No 3 of 1997

The opening of thenew Glebe library willbe the main event in abusy April

Social Activities

Autumn PicnicIt is a good time for a picnicinstead of the usual monthly

Sunday lunch. The time and place areabout 12.30 to 1.00 pm, on Sunday 27thApril, in the Bicentennial Park. In theevent of inclement weather, we'll try forthe following Sunday, 4th June. Bringyour own food, beverages, plates, etc andperhaps a chair or a rug, but we should tryto commandeer one of the tables there.

Historic PhotographsPlease remember that Max Solling will begiving Society members a tour of the finephotographs of old Glebe in the ToxtethHotel, starting at 9.45 am on Saturday,12th April. Note that children under 18can attend as the hotel will not be openthen, but they must leave the premiseswhen the hotel opens for business at 11am. I have checked this issue with thepublican, by the way. Come along to ap-preciate Max's erudition, and to ask ques-tions about Glebe's fascinating history.

The publican, Shaughn Murphy, has gen-erously offered to supply coffee and bis-cuits after the tour.

The New Glebe LibraryBy the time the Bulletin reaches you thelibrary will be open to the public, althoughits official opening, by Ms Sandra NoriMP, remains Saturday 19th April at 10.30am. The numbers are building for the pre-opening cocktail party, 7-10 pm in Ben-ledi, on Friday, l Sth, Tickets cost $25 andcan be obtained by ringing Christine New-ton on 9660 8349 or Marie Mackie on95524227, or by sending a cheque madeout to the Glebe Library Fund to GlebeLi-brary Fund, c/- PO Box 400, Glebe 2037.Entrance to the event will be by ticketonly.

I think the Glebe community is pretty happywith the result of the endeavour of a smallgroup of people, mainly women, who foughtso hard for community use of the formerderelict site. We have obtained two impor-tant victories: a much bigger and better li-brary in what I believe is a better position forresidents, and finally, after years of requests,public access to a formerly fenced grassedarea; it was hardly a park at the time it wasused very occasionally by the hospital pa-tients. The library was achieved in a remark-ably short time, less than three years, and wemustn't forget Sandra Nori's help in obtain-ing a cheaper price for the HomeopathicHospital, bought by Leichhardt Council, af-ter long negotiations with her colleague, theMinister for Health, the Hon. Andrew Ref-shaugue, MP, as well as the unremittingsupport of Cr Neil Macindoe. The presentuse beats the idea of a women's prison on the .•site mooted about three years ago.

A clean-up of the wall around the libraryhas been organised for Sunday, 13th April,at lOam. One hour should see it completed.Please bring a bucket, a scrubbing brush,and if possible a wire brush and a paintscraper. I will organise the detergent andwarm water. I hope we can have a clean wallbefore the official opening six days later,and I trust that there will be a good roll-upon the 13th to remove the detritus.

Inside This Issue

Page 2 The Glebe Society Bulletin

The Glebe Book Fair on Sunday 20thApril offers the Society the chance to run afree stall in the grounds of Benledi. Volun-teers please! Ring me at 9692 0071 if youcan put in a couple of hours.

In exchange for a free stall, the GlebeChamber of Commerce asks that stall hold-ers supply at least one box of books to helpraise funds for the library. Please leave themon my front verandah, 30 Wigram Road,(unless it is raining) or bring on the day.

Don't forget the Party with the Literati,hosted by Peter Corris, in the Toxteth Hotelat 3pm of the same day - Sunday 20th April.The event will be held in the hotel's BeerGarden, with some nibbles provided.

John Hoddinott

Heritage WeekA series of events in Glebe will be pre-sented by the Glebe Chamber of Com-merce and The Glebe Society

Wednesday 23 April, 5pm - SpmPhotograph Copying SessionLeichhardt Library is holding its third pho-tograph copying session. Residents areasked to bring in photographs so that theycan be copied and then used as a heritageresource in the library. The copying will beundertaken by a staff member from the StateLibrary of NSW, using a "flat-bed" method(i.e., no folding of valuable photographs in-volved). Advice can be obtained aboutpreservation of photographs, and postcardsfrom previous copying sessions will be onsale at Leichhardt libraries. Enquiries toMargaret Penson on 9367 9266.

Saturday 26 April, lOamA history walk along Glebe Point Road,from Broadway to Benledi, site of the newGlebe Library. Assemble at University Hallon the corner of Glebe Point Road andBroadway. The tour will be lead of Cr NeilMacindoe, star of the award winningdocumentary Rats in the Ranks.Refreshments available at Glebe Library.$12 Bookings, Ph 9660 7781Funds raised will help towards therestoration of the Glebe Diggers Memorial

Sunday 27 April, 2pm - 4pmMaureen Fry - a walking tour throughGlebe Pointwith visits to St Scholastica's Convent andChapel, the Chinese Temple and the manynotable streets and features of the area.Refreshments at St Scholastica's School.$12 Bookings 9552 1546

Sunday 27 April, 2pm - 4pmSt Scholastica's Convent and School,Avenue Rd, Glebe will be open withdisplays of photographs at the school andguided tours of the house and chapel. Thiswas the original "great house" of the area,completed in 1834.

Events outside GlebeAs well as the above events in Glebe, the.Balmain Association is conducting aRozelle Heritage Walk, an exhibition at theBalmain Watch House, and a HeritageBalmain Pub Crawl (only two pubs out of22! Glebe has exactly half that number ofpubs). For further information contact theAssociation's Heritage Co-ordinator, KathHamey on 9818 4954.

The Pyrmont-Ultimo Historical Society isconducting Heritage Walks in the twosuburbs. For information contact theSociety's President, Margaret Wood, on96929905, mobile 015497433.

There are numerous events at theAustralian National Maritime Museum inDarling Harbour. The Historic Houses Trustis holding several exhibitions in The Rocks,the Museum of Sydney, the Justice andPolice Museum and the Hyde Park BarracksMuseum. Most of the above events have amodest charge, usually about $5.

Thanks to the National Trust of Australiafor sending details of these events.

Wednesday 23 April, 7pmGlebe's History and StoriesMax Solling, well-known local historianwith pictures, maps and a wealth of infor-mation about Glebe's development from1789 to the present.At Glebe High School Library, Taylor St,Glebe $15Funds raised will help towards the restora-tion of the Glebe Diggers Memorial

Page 3 The Glebe Society Bulletin

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Planning Report461/463/465 Glebe Point RoadAt a recent Council meeting, the matter ofthe two Section 102 amendments to theDAs approved for 461 & 463 werediscussed. Council's Planning Departmenthas prepared a document which presents theviews of the Council's working party, or atleast this was the claim. However thedeveloper and the tenants were unhappyabout both the short time given to examinethe document and the contents. Councildecided that the matter be held over, andthat the working party be reconvened to tryto reach some degree of consensus. Thisseems as unlikely as ever, unfortunately. Istill believe that the three sites will beresidential before the big day in 2000.

The John Fletcher SiteI have no major news about this issue. Iunderstand that the area that Fletcher'swanted in Botany was close to a residentialdevelopment, and was not approved byBotany Council, and that the company mustlook elsewhere in that Municipality. Hencethe process seems to be on hold.

Reussdale, 156 Bridge RoadFor those members with a copy of Bernardand Kate Smith's book, The ArchitecturalCharacter ofGlebe, I suggest a stroll downBridge Road, just west of Glebe Point Road,and compare the photograph on page 55 tothe present state of this once-fine building.I don't think it is worth saying more, as inthis case a picture is worth more than athousand angry words.

Councillor Macindoe moved successfully ata recent Council meeting that Councilapproach the new chair of the HeritageCouncil, Hazel Hawke, to urge action torestore Reussdale.

Clean Up Australia DayI omitted to mention in the previousBulletin that there was a very poor turnouton the day; only 9 people, apart from me,came, and I couldn't collect as I undertookto look after the registrations, bagdistribution, etc. I think that there was lessCouncil involvement this year compared to1996, and if we do it again next year(always the first Sunday in March), theCouncil's resources must be included, as

much as is possible. I wonder, as do manyGlebe residents, whether the problem ofrubbish will be solved in our suburb in theshort term.

However, apart from these perennialproblems, it seems that things are goingwell for Glebe at the moment; if we canachieve a happy solution for the secondphase of the Light Rail, and a suitable GlebePoint Road underground stop, and bring thetwo major sites mentioned above to anacceptable conclusion, maybe we can putour feet up for a while. The Italians have aword for this - magari - which meanssomething like "if only it were true". In thealmost thirty years the Glebe Society hasbeen in existence, there have been very fewtimes when there was not a new orrecurring issue or problem on the boil.

John Hoddinott

Gladys BuckinghamGlebe Society members will be sorry to hearof the death in March this year of GladysBuckingham. Gladys had been a member ofthe Society for very many years andsupported its activities by her attendance atpublic meetings and local site inspections byCouncil. She will, however, be particularlymissed by the "Monday Groupers". She wasa regular attender at their lunches and apopular member of the group, being alwaysa very friendly and cheerful person.

Our sympathies to John Buckingham andhis family.

Page 4 The Glebe Society Bulletin

Aircraft and GlebeKSA - Sydney (Kingsford Smith) AirportAircraft Noise & Other Complaintsphone 9582 1850 or fax 9556 6641

The Glebe Society made a submission onthe long term operating plans for KSA'sflight paths. The Society concluded it couldnot place confidence in the plan as majorquestions about the airport's future are stillunresolved. KSA's growth appears to belimitless. We don't know if aircraft noisewill continue to be shared. It could becomefar worse and constant for everyone con-cerned. There are enormous pressures onthe airport. Political promises are not goodenough as a means of controlling the air-port's growth. At the same time the operat-ing plan was in public consultation phasethe Federal Airports Corporation was foundto be extending the third runway's thresh-old northwards. This runway change repre-sents expansion of the airport and we be-lieve it was not included in the operatingplan.

the third runway environmental impactstatement.

Inner City and Foreshores Community Ac-tion Group lead the ten-year campaign op-posing a heliport at Pyrmont, culminatingin the demise of this proposal in 1995. Theheliport would have given rise to 90 heli-copter movements per day. You can see howclose this activity would have been to Glebeif you stand in Blackwattle Bay park andlook toward the city - all that noise wouldhave emanated from a short distance acrossthe bay and over the narrow Pyrmont penin-sula. Together with Leichhardt Council'sEast Balmain Precinct 2, the Group haveput out a new leaflet called "How MuchNoise Can You Take!" People are encour-aged to note noise events on the leaflet'scalender and also officially register theircomplaint. At the end of this year the Groupwill compare official figures with their owncompilaton from individuals' calenders.Noise events are to include ship and wharfnoise, helicopter and aircraft noise andparty boats and events noise (party boatshave recorded up to 60 dB(A». The leafletquotes: "The World Health Organisationhas revised its guidelines in the light offresh research . . . The new guidelines willreduce the recommended night-time aver-age level of noise suitable for undisturbed •sleep from 35 to 30dB(A). For the first time,the guidelines will also include a peaknight-time maximum of 45dB(A)." Refer-ence: "Plagued by Noise", New Scientist,16th November 1996.

Inner City and Foreshores Community Ac-tion Group can be contacted by phone: 98103279.

Alison McKeown

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Could there ever be such a thing as a priceon KSA's curfew, the Society's submissionasks. Ansett and six international airlineshave contributed about $50 million towardsthe Olympic Games, of which $40 millioncame from Ansett, the same airline that haspublicly called for a reduction in the air-port's curfew at that time.

The submission refuted the comment madeelsewhere that if aircraft were 15 metreslower over Annandale (Glebe and ForestLodge) it would make no significant differ-ence. It rejected the operating plan's sug-gestion that noise is the significant issue.There are at least two other significant ef-fects of having this airport operating andexpanding in Sydney's heavily populatedsuburbs and they are pollution from aircraft,dangerous to human health, and worsenedrisk of aviation accident.

If you would like a copy of the Society'ssubmission please ring me (ah) 9660 3917.Assistance in the submission's preparationfrom Mavis McCarthy, John Sleeman andJohn Hoddinott is greatfully acknowledged.John Sleeman and John Hoddinott wereamongst several contributors who gave theirexpertise to the Society's 1991 response to

Page 5 The Glebe Society Bulletin

Victoria ParkGlebe Society members will have noticed the changes taking place in Victoria Park, but may havemissed the following article from The Sydney Morning Herald last year, which gives details of thework being undertaken.

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALDWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1996

Lieutenant-Governor Grose. In1850, when the farm wasselected as - the site for· theUniversity of Sydney, land wasearmarked for a "park andgarden" for the new institution,which eventually became Vic-toria Park, dedicated in 1870.

But it maintained its link tothe university in the grandavenue leading to the clock-tower, lined with double rows ofMoreton Bay and Port Jacksonfigs. According to council's planof management, the vista to thetower was reinforced by the twoGothic Revival gatehouses anda wooden bridge overthe lake.

From the 1930s to the 1960s,however, successive rem odell-ings of the park took place: afence was built between the parkand the university, new plant-ings obscured the pathway, thecouncil built a swimming poolpart-way across it and, in the1960s, the lake was madesmaller and the bridge removed.

But now the lake has beencleared, extended and planted

Back to the way it was - in 1870 ••• Left, work on the avenue from the road to theclock-tower will also include restoration of the old gatehouse, above. Photographs by QUENTIN JONES

Grand avenue to universityheading for full restoration

with reeds and waterlilies, andpart. of the swimming poolcomplex removed from the pathline to the university.

This week council staff willcontinue building the formal,stone-edged pathway to the uni-versity. Within the next year, abridge across the lake will bereinstated. Sydney Universitywill construct a new entry to itscampus from the park.

The old stone gatehouse, foryears relegated to use as apublic toilet, is to be restoredand may be leased as a cafe.

A council spokeswoman saidyesterday the pool - which isnow heated for year-round use- would be made more accessi-ble to local residents and beused as a focus for local culturalevents, the kiosk would berevamped and a small crecheintroduced.

The bowling club site wouldrevert to council, which wouldpossibly use it for a communityarts centre, for which it hopedto run a design competition.

By GERALDINE O'BRIENHeritage WriterA vista that has been lost to. Sydneysiders for more than 60years is slowly being restoredwith the creation of a tree-linedroad through Victoria Park,leading to the clock-tower of theSydney University quadrangle.

Under a plan of managementadopted by. South Sydney CityCouncil, the park is undergoinga two-year, $1.5 million restora-tion that will involve theremoval of the battered bowlingclub premises on City Road, theupgrading of the central swim-ming pool and kiosk and areinforcement of the park'straditional Victorian character.

According to Helen Proud-foot's history of the park, it was,before white settlement, aheavily treed, undulating land-scape through which a springdrained to the head of Black-wattle Bay.

First known as Parakeet Hill,it later was called Grose Farmafter the early land grant to

The Glebe Society BulletinPage 6 '

For Your Diary Saturday 19 April, 10:30am -opening of the new Glebelibrary by Sandra Nori

Saturday, 12 April, 9:45am -Max SoIling comments onphotos of old Glebe, at the Toxteth Hotel Sunday 20 April - Glebe Book fair in the library grounds &

3:00pm - Party with the Literati, Peter Corris, Toxteth HotelSunday 13 April, lOam -clean-up of the wall around thelibrary grounds 21 - 27 April - Heritage Week - various events (see p2)

Sunday, 27 April - Autumn Picnic, Bicentennial Park.Assemble between 12:30 and 1:00.

Friday 18 April, 7:00 - 10:00pm - cocktail party tocelebrate the opening of the new library.

THE GLEBE SOCIETY ine.Management Committee

Convenors of Sub-CommitteesAll convenors are ex-officio members of the ManagementCommittee

PresidentMavis McCarthy

Senior Vice PresidentVacant

Junior Vice PresidentCynthia Jones

Immediate Past PresidentDavid Browne

SecretaryJeanette Knox

AircraftAlison McKeown 96603917

Bays & ForeshoresIan Edwards 9660 3240 (EH)

Children & GlebePenny Haskins 95664450

Diggers' MemorialMax SoIling 9660 1160

EnvironmentJan Wilson 96602698

FRROGSRoberta Johnston 95523248

Light RailAndrew Wood 96602194

Planning& Harold ParkJohn Hoddinott 96920071

95189218 (fax)

TrafficJeanette Knox 96607781

Wentworth ParkJudy Vergison 96929200

96605119

96602451

96600865

96607781

TreasurerJohn Sleeman

CommitteeMarianne von KnobelsdorffChristine WhittemoreHelen GriffithsChristine Newton

ContactsBulletin Editor:Jan MacindoeMembership List:John HoddinottNew Members:Helen GriffithsArchivistLyn Milton

96929507

96920916966079699660554896608349

96600208

96920071

96605548

96607930

Membership of The Glebe Society Ine

Ordinary $25 additional household members $5 eachStudentiPensioner $10Institution $30

Costs:

Write to P.O.Box 100, Glebe 2037, or ring Jeanette Knox on 660 7781