Wentworth Park
Celebration
Sunday, 18 May, marked a new beginning for Wentworth Park. For
years this former treasure has been neglected, but now it is coming
back to life and is ready once again to take its rightful place as
one of Sydney’s great parks.
On 18th May 2008, about 2000 people came to the
Wentworth Park Community Games. There were little kids and
teenagers, and young parents and grandparents, and dogs – big dogs
and little dogs, fluffy dogs and smoothhaired dogs, dogs of every
colour, shape and size imaginable.And everyone had a good time.
They threw quoits and boules, and even gumboots.
They ran in a mini-marathon and carrying wineglasses. Little kids
kicked soccer balls and bigger kids celebrated 100 years of rugby
league. The dogs ran – not always where they were supposed to run,
or with the application their owners had hoped for – but much to the
entertainment of the crowd.
In the bistro under the grandstand people
browsed through a comprehensive collection of historic photographs
of Glebe, Forest Lodge, Pyrmont and Ultimo, and listened to talks by
Shirley Fitzgerald and Max Solling.
Outside they munched all kinds of food and
sipped a coffee or a glass of wine. If it all got too much there
were plenty of seats in the grandstand. If you looked closely there
was even a VIP or two in the crowd.
By all counts it appears that the Community
Games were a success. Many of the people who came had never been
inside the central part of the park, and the fact that so many
people participated suggests we have succeeded in raising the
profile of the park with both residents and local and State
government.
- Bruce Davis
The Community Games Day was organised by the Blackwattle Cove
Coalition (BCC) and was designed to attract residents from the
suburbs surrounding the park, and draw attention to its great
potential.
The Glebe Society is a founding member of BCC and many members,
particularly Anne Fraser, have been involved in organising the day.
BCC, which was established in 2006, is made up of a wide range of
community groups from Glebe, Ultimo and Pyrmont.
For more information see
www.wentworthparkcelebration.org.au
Glebe
Point Road upgrade
The drab fence at the front of Glebe Public School has become a colourful and inspiring work of art as a centerpiece to the $15 million upgrade of Glebe Point Road by the City of Sydney.
The Glebe School Fence Project by renowned public artist Nuha Saad is a tribute to the area’s rich and diverse heritage (see artist's impression below).
Ms Saad said that her ideas were based on the wooden picket fences found throughout the Glebe area. "It will act as a link to both Glebe's vibrant contemporary culture and its architectural and social history and will combine aspects of Glebe's Victorian architectural past with a contemporary art aesthetic.”
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The Lord Mayor, Clover Moore MP said that the art work reflects the fact that Glebe was a special and historic part of the city with a unique village atmosphere that the City of Sydney would preserve and enhance.
“The colours of the fence symbolise the great diversity of Glebe’s and Australia’s people. The result, along with the rest of the upgrade work, including further public art projects, will be a more aesthetically-pleasing and vibrant suburb for the whole community to enjoy.”
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The City’s public art projects are one of the key points of the Glebe Point Road upgrade which will bring new life to Glebe while preserving and protecting the heritage of the area. In addition, a new civic space will be created at the corner of Glebe Point Road and Parramatta Road. It will include restoration of the historic Jubilee Fountain. Drinking water will be restored to the fountain which was installed in 1909 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Glebe Municipality. The City will also protect and restore the Boundary Stone and Dave Sands Memorial Plaque. Other major improvements in the project include:
- Wider footpaths
- More trees
- New paving
- New street furniture and lighting
- Slower traffic
- Safe environment for cyclists
- The upgrade of Dr HJ Foley Reserve at the corner of Bridge Road.
Upgrade work commenced in August 2007 and is scheduled to continue to mid 2009.
Dry
Boat Storage plan approved by Government
The Minister for Planning, Frank Sartor, has
approved plans for Australia's largest boat storage facility to be built
on the shores of Rozelle Bay. In his announcement on 23 May 2007, Mr Sartor
said he had applied "a series of strict controls following community
consultation." (Click
here to read the full text of Mr Sartor's statement.)
He said a total of 80 conditions of approval
had been applied, including:
-
A four knot speed restriction
for Blackwattle and Rozelle Bays to reduce wash and
improve safety;
-
Installation of two high-definition
cameras to monitor the bays;
-
No vessels to leave the facility
between 5:30am and 7am from February to September, except
for ten special event days; and
-
A complaints hotline is to
be established
NSW Maritime had also agreed that no vessels longer
than 50 metres would dock at the adjacent Superyacht Marina.
Glebe Society deeply disappointed
Commenting on the announcement, the President of
the Glebe Society, Jan Macindoe said:
"The Glebe Society has fought long and hard in
opposition to this proposal, and gained extensive support for our position
from local residents, as shown by the 1,500 people who signed a petition
against the proposal. Our efforts have at least resulted in an extensive
set of conditions on the operation of the dry boat facility, with the
main focus being on safety measures to protect the traditional users of
the Bay - the rowers and dragon boaters.
"However, we remain deeply disappointed that this
inappropriate facility has been approved, and concerned about its impact
on the safety of all users of the Bay. We fear that it may even affect
the viability of activities such as dragon boating.
"As a sign of good will towards the dragon boating
community we call on the relevant authorities to proceed as quickly as
possible with the creation of the park and dragon boat launching area
already approved for the Bank Street area.
"That our small and almost landlocked Bay has been
deemed an appropriate location for the largest dry boat storage facility
in Australia shows that the waterways of Sydney are becoming as congested
and dangerous as our roads."
The boat storage proposal featured:
It remains to be seen whether the proposal has been
modified during the approval process.
One major criticism is that the proposed development
does not provide a public foreshore walkway. Other issues highlighted
by the Society included:
WANTED!
Privately held historical items
Do you hold letters, photos,
documents and other material related to the people, history and heritage
of the Leichhardt Municipality? The heritage Group of Leichhardt District
has received a grant to compile a database of this material for Local
Studies at Leichhardt Library. Nothing will be removed from your possession.
Contact Sue on 9519 3268 [stronser@bigpond.net.au], June on 9810 6885
[speal@zip.com.au] or John on 9810 1109
[bhopal@sydney.net]
How
far did your Glebe bag travel?
Many
of us bought (either as gifts or for ourselves) the hessian "Glebe"
bags that the Society has sold during the last couple of years.
The
pictures below show how far the bags have travelled!
/Images_News/Liz%20in%20London.jpg)
(1)
/Images_News/Shon%20Abu%20Simbel%202.jpg)
(2)
Many
thanks are due to Fay Mander Jones for her initiative and execution of
this project. But now we are curious to know how far these bags have travelled?
If you have a photo of a bag in a distant location, then please send it
to PO Box 100, Glebe 2037 (a scanned .jpeg image would be even better)
and we do promise to return your pic. The first photo (1)
came from London, taken when our Secretary was visiting family there. The second (2) came
from a friend visiting Abu Simbel, Egypt.
'Local
'Goss
Monica Trappaga has opened a shop on the corner of St. Johns Road and Ross
Street called Reclaim.
It sells
decorator items that have been "reclaimed". Monica also offers
an interior decorating service, using various vintage treasures and
wallpapers, with fabrics from Harris Nugent further along St. Johns
Road.
Incidentally Monica's boutique is next door to Mikalina's Coffee Shop,
owned by one of The Wiggles!
Green
Waste Service for City Residents
City
of Sydney residents now have access to a fortnightly, green waste, recycling
service to collect garden waste such as grass and plant clippings, leaves
and branches.
City of Sydney residents now
have access to a fortnightly, green waste, recycling service to collect
garden waste such as grass and plant clippings, leaves and branches.
Residents with large gardens
requiring a regular service can now request a fortnightly pick-up, while
infrequent users can request pick-ups as required. The green waste will
be taken to a recycling plant and recycled into other organic products.
This service builds on the City's weekly recycling service and the
existing free "book in" service for picking up whitegoods and other
household items.
For more information on how to participate in this
service, or to make a booking, phone the City's Waste Unit on 1300 651 301 or visit
www.cityofsydney.gov.au
Who to Call if you find NEEDLES in a public place
24 hour needle cleanup hotline is
1800 633 353 or Sydney City Care Line on 1300 65 1301
Free water saving kit available from Sydney Water
A
free "Do It Yourself Water Saving Kit" is available that can
help you achieve an average saving of 16,000 litres of water per household
per year. The kits will not work for houses with gravity fed or older
instantaneous hot water systems.
Visit www.sydneywater.com.au
for more information.
Coming
Events
Click
here to view our informative Calendar
of Events
*
* * * * *
Anytime.
. .
visit Sydney’s
Chinese Heritage -- Sze Yup Temple
Learn more about one of Sydney’s
oldest Chinese temples
Sze
Yup Temple has been a spiritual and cultural centre for Sydney’s
Chinese community since 1898. Come along anytime. In Chinese New Year,
the temple bustled with crowds of worshippers praying for luck in
the coming year, The Year of the Rooster.
/Images_News/szeyup.jpg)
Sze
Yup Temple, Edward Street Glebe
Photo:
City of Sydney
Dragon outside Sze Yup Temple, Glebe,
one of Sydney’s oldest Chinese temples
For
more events in the City of Sydney visit:
www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/WhatsOn
Queries?
email:
secretary@glebesociety.org.au
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