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Balmain Town Hal l Refurb ished

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E Sithe balmainassociationincorporatednews sheet

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

r I ihe heritage listed Balmain TownI Hall has been extended and

-1- refurbished to improveaccessibility and to pro\ ide modemlibrary facilities, whilst retainingheritage features. The Town Hall wasbuilt in 1887-1888. as part of theBalmain Civic group of buildings. Thearchitect was EH Buchanan who wasalso an alderman on the BalmainCouncil. The main stmcture is a two-

storey Victorian lialianate building ofbrick and stucco with plasterdecorations. The comer tower used tohave a large dome which was takendown during World War II Ibr safetyr e a s o n s .

Balmain ceased being a municipality in1948 when it was amalgamated intoLeichhardt Municipality. The lastMayor to preside over Balmain Councilw a s R i c h a r d M O ' C o n n o r . O n 1 0 D e c

1948 the Balmain Council held itsfarewell ball, the proceeds of whichwent to the Red Cross and 'The MissAustralia Quest'.

Newly refurbished Town Hall

Le ichhardt Counc i l under took torefurbish the Town Hall in 2008 with a

plan of undertaking work in two stages.The first stage of work was theextension and refurbishment of the

library, provision of a lift to the mainhall on the first floor, upgrade of theMeeting Room and installation oftoi lets with disabled access. Exterior

painting was also included.Landscaping work has been completed

to the front and side of the building.The large fig trees have been retainedand there is now a shaded courtyardarea accessible from Darling Street andfrom the Library.Stage 1 has now been completed andthe official opening by the Mayor ofLeichhardt Council took place on Mon16 March 2009.Attendees were taken on a lour of thenew library and meeting roomsfollowed by tnorning tea. As well as theusual library facilities, there is now acomputerised history section, a newmeeting/reading room for teenagers anda new storage room on the first floor.

Official opening

Comments so far on the renovationshave been positive. There wasparticular interest in the modemartwork windows in the new chi ldren'sarea. Council is to be congratulated onthe fine results. Community response tothe colour scheme, changes to thelibrary and foyer has been enthusiasticand as use of the facilities increases,full appreciation of the improvementswill be possible. Already a number ofmeetings and other events have takenplace in the renovated building,including the March Ordinary Councilmeeting, the first Council meeting totake place at the Balmain Town Hallsince the refurbishment.The second stage of the refurbishmenti n c l u d e s m a i n t e n a n c e f o r t h e m a i n h a l l .

It needs urgent attention so that thevenue can realise its full potential.

Inside the 'new' Library

Resources have been expanded with thepurchase and installation of a publicaddress system, projector and screen.To support improved sound, advice wassought from an acoustic specialist. Hisrecommendation for curtains to reduceand control distortion has been

implemented. For the main hall to befunctional, further work needs to beunder taken . Ba lma in Town Ha l lCommittee has received a request fromthe Mayor. Councillor Jamie Parker, fora list of urgent items to be submitted toCouncil for consideration as fundingfor Stage Two is not available. Heexpressed support for an upgrade offacilities to complement the work thathas already been undertaken. Editor

In 1909 - 100 years ago

Montague South from Post OITicc Tower

I N T H I S I S S U E

Page1 B a l m a i n T o w n H a l l2 & 3 Ro/e l le Her i tage, Met ro and

De\e lopmeni Update4 S y d n e y H e r i t a g e F l e e t5 J o h n B o o t h

6 & 7 Heritage Walk 1. Editorial8 W h a t ' s o n a t t h e W a t c h H o u s e

Heritage Rozelle NeighbourhoodMetro to Terminate History?

A Metro station is proposed by theState Government for Rozelle Junction.

Darling Street and Victoria Road.There is a cluster of heritage buildingsin that location that should be

preserved. In the mid-1950s, toenable the widening of VictoriaRoad, Rozelle lost a swag of builtheritage that stoodbetween Darling Street and TerryStreet and faced Victoria Road.

The landmark While Bay Hotelwas destroyed by fire last year.What remains of the built heritageshould be retained.

When, in 1914. Dr J J C Bradfield

planned a rail link connectingMillers Point to Petersham, viathe Balmain Peninsula, the "Weston

[Victoria] Road" station was to belocated near the Belmore and

Whiticombe Streets' intersection,

adjacent to the former tramwayselect r ica l substat ion in Hancock

Street. Notifications of plannedresumptions were issued to affectedfreeholders at that time. A second

station, "Callan Park", was planned forRozelle's border with Lilyfield.

The following is an extract from myonline Dictionary of Sydney entry onRozelle. With the exception of St

Joseph's Catholic Church andPresbytery, together with the formerMasonic hall, all other items are

clustered around the area where a

Rozelle Metro station would likely belocated. The online entry reads:

In spite of the stigma of an ugly slum,Rozelle was blessed with a small but

remarkable collection of publicbuildings. The oldest of these is StThomas's Church of England, designed

by Blacket and Sons in 1874. This wasbuilt, and later extended, in an early

English Gothic style. The same firmalso designed the adjacent rectory thatwas constructed in 1882 in Victorian

filigree style.

Rozelle Post Office

A spacious 1906 St Joseph's CatholicChurch with i ts dist inct ive French-

inspired fleche dominates thesoutheastern side of Victoria Road. St

Joseph's presbytery in nearby QuirkStreet is styled in free VictorianGothic, possibly by local architect andalderman, James McDonald. The

Anglican rectory and Catholicpresbytery are two of the fewoutstanding residences erected inRozelle during the late colonial periodthat have escaped demolition ora l te ra t ion .

The public school which John HorburyHunt was invited to design opened in1878. William Edmund Kempextended the original wing in 1884and, under the hand of James Sven

Wigram. it was extended again in1901. In 1961, the school's HorburyHunt wing survived an arson attackthat destroyed much of the building'sroof and flooring but left its fabric andstructure undamaged. Using a freemedieval style, local alderman andarchitect Edward John Bowen designed

the adjoining St Paul's PresbyterianChurch, which opened in 1904.

Rozelle still has a Masonic hall,

erected in Victorian classical style in1888. The hall 's elaborate facade

includes a canopied life-size statueof Minerva, whose left hand holds

up the beacon of learning for theenlightenment of nearby residentsand the bustling pedestrians ofDarling Street's northemthoroughfare. On the southwestside of Darling Street there stands

j-| the former fire station designed byWalter Liberty Vernon in a stylethat evokes the domestic arts and

craf ts movement for which Vernon

is famed.

The 2008 rebirth of the former

Mechanics Insti tute in Victoria Road as

a conservatorium of music is a

welcome return to original edifying

purpose of this 1907 building, whichwas the advancement of useful arts.

The building's previous life wasmostly as a haven to a mouldycirculating library which was houseddownstairs and shady habitues who

patronized the upstairs poolrooms.

Other of Rozelle's historical buildingshave not siu^'ived. The early20''' century rail-sidings and wheatsilos constructed on the Glebe

Island reclamation displaced theEdmund Blacket-designed abattoirs,which were demol ished in 1915. The

removal in the mid-1950s of an entire

row of imposing heritage buildings onthe northwest side of Victoria Road for

a wider carriageway took the ornatetowered Rozelle Post Office, designedby Vernon and built in 1893-4, theoriginal weatherboard St Paul's (1876),designed by McDonald. AlexanderElphinstone's 1882 manse for StPaul's, and the original Bridge Hotel.

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The White Bay Hotel, which dated from 1907, became aGlebe Island landmark. It was famed as Rozelle's sole

"earlier opener", with its public bar opening on weekdays at06:00am. After patronage evaporated in the wake of theclosure or relocation of local heavy industry, the hotelceased trading. By dawn on Saturday September 6 2008, afire that began the night before had completely razed thehotel, and thus another of Rozelle's iconic buildings wasremoved from the townscape.

The METRO plan:

The maps for the Rozelle portion of the Metro have areas at

the Darling Street and Victoria Road junction marked as sites for"surface works". "Surface works" may mean that the relevantland is required for tunnel excavation and extraction of spoil, orfor locating heavy construction machinery, or for runnel or station

ventilators, or for Rozelle station access, or for bus access, or for acombination of purposes). At this stage, Metro planners can't bespecific but I have determined the following:

On the north-western comer, the land between Victoria Road and

the former Presbyterian Church is affected, together with the open

space on the Victoria Road side of Rozelle Public School and theopen space behind the Presbyterian Church (where theweatherboard James Macdonald church of 1874 was later re-

erected). The 1904 Edward Bowen church itself is not affected,nor is the early !920's hall behind it. None of the Rozelle

School buildings is affected. The row of shops that standsbetween Victoria Road and the church, facing Darling Street, isa f f e c t e d .

On the north-eastern comer, neither St Thomas's Church nor the

adjacent Rectory (both Blacket and Sons) is affected but the hallwith the window facing Victoria Road, where the pro-school isnow located, certainly is. The rows of shops that standbetween Victoria Road and the church, facing DarlingStreet and Victoria Road, are affected,

1 have two priority concerns:

1, The St Thomas' Anglican Church hall this shares a stylesimilar to the hall at All Souls Leichhardt, which faces Marion

Street. Both buildings are contemporaneous.

2. The comer building on Victoria Road, adjacent to the LeaguesClub (where the all night chemist used to operate) has featureswhich could possibly be associated with James Macdonald theblend of Gothic and classical motifs.

Mr Phillips. Heritage officer for the Metro team, urged that thewhole St Thomas' site (including the hall) be put to heritageassessment before Metro planning is too far advanced.

Before its demolilion c 1955 Rozelle Post Office (see photoprevious page) stood as a splendid example of highVictorian public architecture that came out of the colonialarchitect's office. To assuage residents' hostility to thepostal name "Rozelle, Sydney", Sir George Reid'sPostmaster-General (later Federal Prime Minister), JosephCook, changed it to "Rozelle, Balmain".

J o h n W i l l i a m s

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U

S t T h o m a s ' C h u r c h

A high-demand pre-school operates in the Anglican hall (andhas done for over half-a-century), so use of this portion of landfor a surface works site would be highly contentious, Theparents of the pre-schoolers have publicised their concemsalready in local newspapers.

J o h n W i l l i a m s

Metro and other developments update:

Opposition to the CBD Metro plan, terminating at Rozelle, hasbeen expressed strongly by local residents and LeichhardtCouncil. The plan has already received much criticism fromvarious sources including Infrastructure Australia. The estimatedcost has already blown out to S5.3billion. The latest budgetblowout comes as the Government begins only now to properlytest the project's viability.

The RTA appears to be still pushing ahead with the duplication ofthe Iron Cove Bridge despite strong opposition from communitiesand Councils on both sides of the crossing. Sydney Rowers arelooking into legally challenging the new bridge as it wouldprevent them being able to use what they claim is the only suitablecalm waterway in the area, Opponents of the RTA plans say theduplication is costly, would not alleviate traffic congestionproblems and would cause greater difficulty for traffic enteringand leaving Victoria Rd in Rozelle.

Leichhardt Council and community groups have taken up therunning on community involvement in the planning of White Bay.After more than 2 years of promises of proper planning with fullcommunity consultation, nothing has happened other thancontinued ad-hoc inappropriate proposals put forward by StateGovernment, The community has been kept in the dark about anyTaskforcc meetings and no information has been forthcoming onany proper planning of the foreshore.

E d i t o r

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Sydney Heritage FleetThe forerunner of the Sydney HeritageFleet, was founded in 1965 by a groupof public-spirited individuals topreserve Sydney's 1902 VIP steamyacht Lady Hopetoun. The organisationlater became known as the SydneyM a r i t i m e M u s e u m L i m i t e d a n d t h e n i n

1998 the trading name Sydney HeritageFleet was adopted. The Fleet nowcomprises 8 operational historicalvessels, one of the largest suchcol lec t ions in the wor ld .

A community-based non-profitorganisation, the Fleet's mission is to:build and maintain an internationallyrecognised centre of excellence inmaritime heritage for the benefit of allAustralians by presenting throughresearch, acquisition, conservation,restoration, education and operation,our continuing maritime history. TheFleet is funded through donations,membership subscriptions and incomefrom vessel charters and tours. TheFleet receives no federal or state

government funding.

1874 barque James Craig

The Fleet's 1200 strong membership and550 dedicated volunteer workers restore,

operate and maintain the fleet of vintagevessels while preserving traditionaltechn ica l methods and sk i l l s .

taking place on thcl912 ferry Kanangraand the 1927 relief pilot vessel JohnOxley, both of which are located at theheritage shipyard off James Craig Rd,Ro^elle Bay. Restoring a 1000 ton shipwi th a vo lun teer work fo rce i s

necessarily a long term proposition, therecovery and restoration of the JamesCraig from her resting place inRecherche Bay, Tasmania took 30 yearsand cost approximately S25 million.

The restoration of the John Oxley is ofconsiderable historic significancenationally and internationally. One ofthe few Clyde built steam ships stillaround she is typical of the fleet ofcostal steamers that played such a hugepart in the economic and socialdevelopment of Australia, she is the lastsurviving example of such a vessel.

The John Oxley is a familiar site to allwho cross the Anzac bridge westbound,

The Sydney Heritage Fleet also madesignificant contributions towards thees tab l i shmen t o f t he Aus t ra l i an

N a t i o n a l M a r i t i m e M u s e u m w h i c h

opened at Darling Harbour in 1991. Thetwo organisations play complementaryroles, the Sydney Heritage Fleet placingan emphasis on restoration andoperation of heritage vessels rather thanpreservation and conservation.

A volunteer painting the rails

her ta l l steamer's funnel is

unmistakable as she si ts on the fleet 'sslave dock at our heritage shipyard sitein Rozelle. Over the last four years wehave just about completed therestoration of the hull replacing and re-riveting nearly a hundred steel plates ofabout a tonne a piece. The project isbeing lead by Barry Jones the 84 yearold ex chief engineer of Garden andCockatoo Island dockyards. We hope tore-float her in the next two years thoughthe ship's interior will require at leastanother 5 years work. Once restored,she wi l l be exhib i ted and steamedwithin the harbour and along the NSWc o a s t .

1902 Steam Tug Waralah

The Fleet also has 55 small heritageboats and one of the largest collectionsof marine engines in Australia whichare being restored and conserved. TheFleet's collection includes over fiffymodel ships including models of someof the Fleet's own vessels. The Fleet'sMar i t ime Reco rds and Resea rch Cen t remaintains a comprehensive researchlibrary and archive which includesphotographs, ships' plans, diaries, logsand journals.

The fleet rel ies on the volunteers to

carry out much of the work.Volunteers can be of any age over 16yrs, and any background, fromcarpenter and welder to researchassistant or artist. Recently, inconjunction with the AustralianSociety of Marine Artists, local artistDavid Wi lsh i re was inv i ted to be anartist-in-residence on the Kanangra for5 mths during which time he producedover 40 paintings and drawingsinspired by his surroundings whichwere on exhibition to the public at theend of MarchThe Fleet is not just abunch of old men restoring ships therearc also a variety of courses run withlocal schools in particular SydneySecondary College at Blaekwattle,L e i c h h a r d t a n d B a l m a i n a n d

Canterbury High School. The coursescover everything from "Messing aboutin boa ts " to commerc ia l seaman 'scourses and a project to build a 28ftdiesel hard chine fishing boat.

The fleet needs water f ront fac i l i t ies toundertake the restoration projects andto run ship charters. Water front landis increasingly under pressure in theHarbour. The Fleet has an excel lent

relationship with NSW Maritime andis negotiating with the NSW Govt fora permanent shipyard site and fleetoperating base. Goat Island has beensuggested.

C h r i s t i n a R i t c h i e

Thanks to Jon Simpson. GeneralManager, SHF. for his assistance inwriting this article.

The Fleet's oldest vessel, the 1874 ironbarque James Craig has been fullyrestored and sails regularly. The Fleetrecniits and trains her crew of 45 and

runs regular square rig sail trainingcourses for all comers, the courses costSI05 and upon graduating deck traineescan sign on as crew for day sails andannual trips to Hobart, Newcastle andMelbourne The Fleet also operates threeof the most historically significantvessels on Sydney Harbour: the 1902steam tug Waratah, the 1902 VIP steamlaunch Lady Hopetoun and the 1903schooner Boomerang. To supplementthe dying band of steam engineers theFleet runs i ts own accredi ted course forMarine Engine Drivers (steam) the onlyorganisation in the world to do so.Other operational vessels includeworkboa ts and a 1950 's wooden

speedboat. Restoration is currently

J O H N B O O T H

Local Historical Identity, Balmain's First MayorMost sources portray John Booth as animportant IQ"* century figure in Balmaina n d i n N S W. C i r c u m s t a n t i a l e v i d e n c e

confirms Booth's reputation (there is aBooth Street in Balmain as wel l as in

Annandale). Some biographical details onBooth are missing (his mother's name andfamily for instance) and given the verbosevagueness of his entry in Australian Men ofMark (published, when Booth was stillalive, to celebrate the centenary of Britishsettlement in Australia), it could be inferredthat his family, euphemistically termed"uneducated", though not convicts, werefrom the wrong class. It seems the NSWcolony was not the egalitarian society thatAustralia was portrayed as later andindicates that Booth had to contend withmore than a devastating fire, to make thecontribution he did.

Below is the entry on Booth in AustralianDictionary Of Biography - Online Edition(wH^ '̂.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A030I84h.him)an<i an extract from Australian Manof Mark, v I, E. Digby (cd), Sydney, 1889.Another reference is Peter Reynolds" JohnBooth of Balmain : Booths in Bermondsey.Kincumher. Balmain and on the Manning.1800-1946. Balmain. N.S.W.: LeicliluirdtHistorical Journal. 1997.

BOOTH, JOHN (1822-1898), timbermerchant and politician, was bom on 27February 1822 at Bermondsey, London,son of Henry Booth, corn-factor, ofSurbiton. He went to sea in 1833, reachedSydney in the barque Rajah in 1839 and inhis own words 'stopped ashore in 1840 toleam shipwrighting'. He learned the trade atKincumber, Brisbane Water, underJonathan Piper and in 1846 turned masterbuilder. Business grew and about 1854Booth moved to a more central location atBalmain (later the 'containerization'terminal). After shipbuilding for a fewyears he entered the timber trade andopened mills at Balmain and on theManning River. In 1870 Booth's BalmainSawmill, together with his Sussex Streetyards, had sixty employees and an output of60,000 feet (18,288 m) a week. In that yearBooth retired, leasing his business toTaylor, Kethel&Preddy, and sailed forEngland. In December 1874 the mills weredestroyed by fire and, as they were onlypartly insured. Booth's loss was heavy.They were rebuilt on a larger scale and by1885 John Booth & Co. Ltd had doubled itsnumber of employees and increasedproduction to 200,000 feet (60,960 m) oftimber a week. Booth's residence, SurbitonHouse, Donnelly Street, Balmain, was nextto his nine-acre (3.6 ha) establishment; healso owned many other houses at Balmain,

a property at Cooma and 510 acres (206 ha)a t B u n d a n o o n .

Booth entered politics in February 1872,when he and Joseph Weame, JohnRobertson and Joseph Raphael were electedfor West Sydney. Standing as arepresentative of both capital and labour heclaimed that he opposed Injustice to theworking classes and reduction of theirsalaries. He approved the eight-hourmovement in principle and wanted moreliberal land measures, 'something after theAmerican system', as the govemment's landbill was in part 'very oppressive to the poorand favoured the better classes'. He wasalso opposed to border customs and wantedto see Sydney made a free port. He stoodfor the Glebe in Decemberl874 as a PublicSchools League candidate but lost to (Sir)George Wigram Allen. He then stood inJanuaryl 875 for East Macquarie,advocating the extension of railways andnew land and mining Acts, and wasreturned along with William Suttor junior.In 1877 he stood for the Williamselectorate but was defeated by WilliamJohnston by twenty-one votes.

Self-made and largely uneducated. Boothwas an unsophisticated politician and hisshort parliamentary career was not verydistinguished. A stocky and jovial figure,he was not in his own words 'a long-windedmember in the House', where he usually saton the cross benches; his chief interest withmarine matters earned him the title 'thehonourable member for the lighthouses'. InMay 1874 he was examined by the selectcommittee on wharf accommodation for theport of Sydney. He was also active in localgovernment and other civic affairs; in 1867he was the first mayor in Balmain andactive in the School of Arts and theWorking Men's Institute. Booth died at hiscountry residence, Femdale, Bundanoon.on 11 April 1898 and was buried in

Waverley cemetery. He was survived byhis wife Susannah, nee Wetherall, whom hehad married at Brisbane Water in 1850, andby four sons and six of their sevendaughters.

J o h n B o o t h - E x t r a c t f r o m A u s t r a l i a n M e n

of MarkThe pioneers of the industries of NewSouth Wales certainly deserve a place inany role of Australian men of mark. Tothem is due much of the material prosperityof the country. It is they who find work andwages for the artisan. Each one of thosegreat instimtions of labour - not yet halfnumerous enough in this colony - withtheir workshops ringing with the strongvoice of labour, and their approachesthronged at morning and evening bycoming or returning workmen, are so manymonuments to the energy, capacity, andsuccess of the men who now form the heartand brain of the industries of the country.John Booth, of Balmain, Sydney, is well-known as one of the pioneers of our earlycolonial industries, and his success,crowning a career of forty-eight yearsactive work, amply entitles him to arepresentative place among the honourableand desirable class of colonists. He hasbeen a representative of the people too in amore directly responsible capacity. It wassubstantial and useful, without beingpretentious, and to be judged rather by thework performed than the noise made indoing it. His business career, from first tolast, shows that energy and vigorous self-assertion which first displayed itself at anearly age, when he preferred the fascinationof the sea to an uneventful life on land.Another mark of his career, never absentfrom the lives of our pioneers, is the never-failing faculty of seizing the opportunity asit presented itself, and doing the right thingat the right time.

Fergus Fricke

D U N N I E S A G A I N

The Balmain Association intends toproduce a publication on dunnies and thesanitation of Balmain. We are looking forhidden dunny lanes (often the entrances tothese lanes have been blocked off and theyarc not easy to see or photograph). Also, wewould like to gather stories relating todunnies involving, spiders, lost articles,spillages, overflows or just reminiscencesabout what it was like living with abackyard toilet on a stormy night with anupset tummy. If you can help please contactFergus (Tel. 9810 117. emailfcrtz@arch.usvd.edu.au. address 229Rowntree Street Balmain 2041)

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Balmain Association Heritage WalksWa l k 1 - G l a d s t o n e P a r k t o t h e B a l m a i n Wa t c h H o u s e

The suburb of Balmain is named afterWilliam Balmain, a Surgeon-General,who in 1800 received a land grant (TheBalmain Grant) of 550 acres (220ha)f rom Governor John Hun te r. Wi l l i amBalmain was bom in Perthshire,Scotland in 1762 and enlisted with the

Royal Navy as a surgeon's mate, whichmeant he did not need to be fullyqualified.After twelve years service to theColony of New South Wales W.Balmain returned to Britain in 1801where he died, aged 41 years in 1803.In 1801, prior to his departure toBritain, W. Balmain sold the grant to aDr John Gilchrist for the nominal sumof five shillings.The suburb of Balmain could beclassified as a microcosm of Australiain Political, Religious and Industrialhistorical aspects.

Gladstone Park - was originallyknown as the 'Pigeon Ground' becausepigeon shooting supposedly took placein the area during the 1850s. The SlateGovernment purchased the land in1882 and on 5 April 1890, GladstonePark was officially opened as arecreation area for the residents ofB a l m a i n .

Gladstone Park School - Originallyknown as Pigeon Ground School' wasopened in 1862 with a pupil attendanceof about 250 pupils. It is now calledBalmain Public School and pupils usethe park as a play area.

Reservoir - Before the reservoir wasbuilt, the people of Balmain got theirwater from backyard wells or frompumps or water carts. After years ofpromises to improve the watersanitation, the announcement in 1912that a water reservoir was to be builtunder the park caused a public outcry.The Water Board reassured residentsthat, once the reservoir was built intothe rock below, the park, completewith a new bandstand, would berestored right over the top of theconcrete and steel structure. Theconstruction of the Balmain Reservoirwas completed by the Water Board in1917. It is no longer in use.

Gladstone Park Bowling Club(GPBC) - Is one of the oldest bowlingclubs, founded in 1891. Part of localfolklore states that the GPBC broke

away from the Balmain Bowling Clubin 1891. The reason, I'm told, was thereligious rivalry that occurred duringthat period, which resulted in one clubbecoming Catholic and the other aProtestant venue. This in format ion hascome from a 'word of mouth' source;the written word on this subject is yetto be seen.

I .

Gladstone Park Bowling ClubThe club has recently reinvented itselfby hiring out its venue for varioussocial events such as birthdays,weddings etc and 'barefoot bowling' isa regular and popular occurrence.

In the early 1800's the Roman Catholic(RC) Church was somewhat restrictedfrom constructing their establishmentsin the centre of towns and suburbs. Togel around this hurdle their churcheswere built on the nearest highestground available, and tall steeples wereadded that could be seen at greatdistances. This familiar pattern repeatsitself in the older suburbs and countrytowns throughout Australia.

St Augustine's Church

St Augustine's Church (RC) - hadearly beginnings. In 1848 WilliamAdolphus Young donated a site for aCatholic church in Balmain and on 4

September 1848 the foundation stonewas laid. Funds being short and muchof the labour voluntary, the church wasnot opened until 5 May 1851. Father J.J. Therry was its first priest andremained there until his death in 1864.In 1860 the building was extended by12 feet and a gallery added.As the congregation grew with theBalmain expansion, the church becametoo small and in 1906 the foundationstone for a new church was laid. Thepresent church was dedicated on IDecember 1907.

Fawcett St. (Cottages) - The cottageswith the overhanging balconies are pre1880. This is similar to other olderinner-city suburbs. The law was laterchanged so that any future balconydesigns had to be inclusive within theproperty. Most of the older propertieswere built by a stonemason TimothyFawcett in the 1860s.

Stephen St. - used to lead down to the'Stephen St. Wharf 7' ferry terminal inWhite Bay. This discontinued duringthe constmction of the Industrial WhileBay area in the 1950/60s.

Adolphus St. - named after WilliamAdolphus Young (1814-1885),merchant and Sheriff of NSW,acquired a substantial holding indefault of a mortgage foreclosureduring the 1840 depression.

Balmain Bowling Club (BBC) - thisclub was founded in 1880 and isrecognised as Australia's oldest clubstill playing on its original ground.This club shares a history that interactswith the above GPBC.

4 Wallace St, Clontarf Cottage - wasbuilt in 1844 by Robert Blake, asoldier. Sheriff and spec builder. In the1980's the building became derelictand the threat of demolition stirred aresident action group who, by notabledemonstration, helped to save it andpersuade Leichhardt Council to restorethe building for community use.

6

White Bay - named after FirstFleeter, John White, Surgeon-General to the Sett lement. "Journal

of a Voyage to New South Wales",by John White, was first publishedin 1790. This publication included65 magnificent colour plates of"non-descript animals, birds,serpents, curious cones of trees andother natural productions".White Bay was developed in the1950/60s into an industrial complexfor Lever and Kitchen, a detergentmanu fac tu re r. Th is i nvo lved

creating a wharf area and railnetwork l ink that covers thedistance of approx 1.5 kms. Thewharf area was used as a containerterminal from the mid 60's until themid 1990's. It is, at present, usedfor the storage of cars beforedelivery to retailers.

White Bay

The future of White Bay dependson the outcome of a new planningprocess for the bay area.

The local community has beenpromised input into the planning ofWhite Bay.

12b Grafton Street, HamptonVilla - cl 855. Sir Henry Parkes(1815-1896) resided here from1888-92 whi le Premier of NewSouth Wales. As an Austral ianstatesman he became known as the"Father o f Federat ion" .

As the earliest advocate of a FederalCouncil of the then colonies of

Australia, a precursor to theFederation of Australia, he isgenerally considered the mostprominent of the AustralianFounding Fathers.

E w e n t o n P a r k

E w e n t o n P a r k / C a m e r o n s C o v e -Ewenton Park over looks Jubi lee

Bay/Camerons Cove and containsone of Balmain's grand waterfronthouses, Ewenton. Built in 1854 as asingle story dwelling it wasextended between 1862 and 1873.

It was purchased in 1911 by HenryBrisbane Swan, a timber merchantand local wharf owner. After hisdeath it fell into disrepair but hasnow been meticulously restored.Camerons Cove is also the

Headquarters of the NSW WaterPolice (Sydney Harbour).

Balmain Watch House - Today,the Balmain Watch House is the

headquarters of the BalmainAssoc ia t ion , fo rmed in November1965 to preserve and promote thedistrict. As Balmain grew in the1850's it became a nuisance to takeshort term prisoners to the City for asingle night and local residentsrequested a police force and localgaol. The building was used by thepolice up until 1960 when it becamedere l i c t .The building dates back to 1855 butbecame a target for demolition inthe early 1960's when the NationalTrust was asked to support anappeal, led by local residents, tosave the Watch House. The BA nowmaintains the building which isused mainly for exhibitions and tostore archival history.

George Cooper

You can contact George via theBalmain Association forinformation on future conductedloca l h is to r ica l wa lks .

Autumn/Winter updateThe cooler season is well and truly with us - a time whenwe can appreciate the changing colours provided by thedeciduous trees in our parks and streets. It may also turnour attention to thinking about ways we can providewarmth and comfort to those less fortunate who live incold, damp conditions or on the streets of our diverse city.Luckily Balmain/Rozelle is now a far cry from thesubstandard overcrowded unhealthy suburb of our not-too-distant past when dirty, noisy industry occupied theforeshores and slopes around the peninsula and theworkers endured harsh working and living conditions.Traffic and parking problems are a new annoyancehowever and our footpaths need attention. Unfortunatelytoo, while many of us have been carefully upgrading,renovating and extending our homes, superb examples ofhistorical, and even heritage, architecture have disappearedfor ever from our historical area. Swathes of concretesurround us in ever-increasing expanses. Parks and openspaces struggle to meet the needs of our increasingpopulation, especially those of our new young families.We need to be vigilant and question new planning reformsthat threaten to destroy not only the historical character of

the area but also its liveability. The foreshores too needour attention. Huge marinas and other inappropriateproposals continue to be assessed and approved for ourharboLirfront and waterways. Our health services too areunder threat. The casualty services provided by BalmainHospital have recently been reduced. There is no longer anight CP casually service and even the day services are atrisk of closure. Our residents, our special community,d e s e r v e b e t t e r . E d i t o r i a l

100 Years Ago - 1909

Electric Light and Power SupplyCorporation Ltd was established to supplyelectricity to Balmain. Electric streetlighting was installed and public buildingsalso received lighting.

A Garbage Destructor was built to replacethe tip in Elkington Park.

7

What's on at the Watch HouseF o r f u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n s e e h t t p : / / h a l n i a i n a s s o c i a t i o i i . o r L ' . a u

J U N E

6, 7 Long weekend Watch housec l o s e d .

13,14 and 20, 21 Available for hireotherwi.se Balmain Association openSaturday 11.30 to 3pm

Saturday 27, Sunday 2810am -6pmH A R Ts t A R T

The annual exhibition by students ofh A R Ts t A R T s t u d i o .

J U L Y

Saturdays 4, 11,18, 2511.30 to 3pmB a l m a i n A s s o c i a t i o n E x h i b i t i o n i n

conjunction with National Trust to bec o n fi r m e d .

A U G U S T

Saturday 1, Sunday 210am-6pmAbby Wang et a!V i s i t B a l m a i n A s s o c i a t i o n w e b s i t e f o r

more i n fo rma t ion c lose r to t ime o fe x h i b i t i o n

Saturday 8, Sunday 9Available for hireBalmain Association History Roomwill be open 11.30 to 3pm

Saturday 15, Sunday 1610am to 5pmPaper and BonesJeffD'KelTs sculptures in hardwoodbased on the body; drawings of paperby Judy Castle and Georgina Castle;photographs by Lorraine Sullivan andpainted landscapes by BarbaraZ a m b r a n o .

Opening Friday 14th 6pm to 8.30pma l l w e l c o m e .

Saturday 22 10am - 6pm,Sunday 23 12 noon -4pmCompanions: People c6 the LandscapeLea Kannar & Jens LichtenbergerNew works by Lea explore thechanges that have been imposed onthe landscape by the people who wishto reinvent what is a landscape.Photography by Jens Lichtenbergershows you his vision of the people

who surround us everyday and thosewho we never see.

Friday night, 5-8 pm, drinks from6pm with the artists everyone isw e l c o m e

Saturday 29, Sunday 301 Gam 4pmOut of HoursAn artistic exhibition from the peoplewho know the too ls and mater ia ls o f

Fine art best - after all, it's their job tosell it. The staff of Eckersley's storesaround Sydney and beyond haveco l labora ted to showcase the i r d ive rse

skills, natural talent and hard-earnedtechnical knowledge.Opening Friday, August 28"̂ , from 6-9pm, all welcome.For enquires, contact Nicole Pendle on0402059454, or Helen Alker, on0 4 0 0 9 4 0 0 3 6 .

S E P T E M B E R

History Week 2009 will take place 5-13 September. The official theme forthis year is Scandals, Crime atidCorruption. History Week 2009 willbe a wild journey through the darkshadows of our past. Discover thescandals, crime and corruption thathave shocked us over time and shapedour history, sometimes in unexpectedw a y s .Balmain boys DO Cri..me and otherM i s d e m e a n o u r sThe Balmain Assoeiation will presentan exhibition of Crime, scandals and

corruption on Saturdays 5, 12,19a n d 2 6 .

Watch House. Opening hours 11.30am- 4pmThere will be a guided tour of theBalmain Courthouse, 2pm Thurs 10Sept. FREE. Nos. limitedContact: 9818 4954 & 9810 6885

O C T O B E R

Saturday 3, Sunday 4Mixed exhibition of Doris Rainsford'sdrawings, mixed media and sculpture;paintings and mixed media by KarenAlex and Barbara Hardy.

History WeekIf anyone has items forexhibition they wish tohave included for

History week pleasecontact 9818 4954 or9 8 1 0 6 8 8 5

Heritage FestivalThe Ba lma in Assoc ia t i on

participated in the 2009,NationaITrust Heritage Festival held-4-19April although the photoexhibition continued all April.An item published in The Glebeabout Fergus Frickie's attempt toobtain permission to take photosfrom the Balmain Post Office

tower, attracted visitors to viewthe Kerry panorama taken fromthe tower in 1909.Two coach tours of some formersandstone quarries in theMunicipality, guided by Bob andNoel Irving and ChristopherReeves, visited our sandstonephoto exhibition and Noel'squarry photo display. Noel hasgenerously donated the exhibitionto the Associat ion.

Many tourists enjoyed their visit tothe Watch House and

complemented the Association onthe presentation of the buildingand gardens.Thank you all for assisting withthe mounting and demounting ofthe display and the volunteering atopening times.Looking forward to the SeptemberHistory Festival with a greattheme, "Scandles, Crime andCorruption". Can you help herewith a story, as Balmain boys DoC R I m e ?Kath Harney

The Balmain Association Inc Representing Balmain, Birchgrove and Rozelle

O u r a i m s a r c t o :

Improve the living, working and recreational amenities of ourarea; maintain all features having natural, arehiteetural and orhistorical value of the area and keep a permanent eollcclion ofhistorical interest; seek the eoopcralion of everyone eoneemcd int h e r e a l i z a t i o n o f t h e a b o v e .

The Balmain Association meets on the first Wednesday of eachmonth at 5:()0pm in the Watch Hoii.se, 179 Darling Street Balmain.The Watch House is open every Saturday from 12:00 3:00pm.

Our editorial eontacts:phone/fax is 02 9818 4564Email: chrisritchieO I (a vahoo.com.auPostal: PC Box 57 Balmain 2041O u r W e b s i t e :

http://balmainassoeiation.org.auAnnual subscriptions:Household S20, Concession SIO,Organizations S30.Materia! from this newsletter is not to be reproduced without

acknowledgement