Lew Hoad Reserve, on Minogue Crescent next to the PCYC, was originally marshy ground between the mouths of Johnston’s Creek and White’s Creek. It was reclaimed in the 1870s. In 1965, it was named after Lew Hoad, who was a daily visitor to the Police Boys Club as a youth.

A member of the Glebe Society, Wayne Carveth, has send us some photos of Glebe. Two are particularly interesting. One is a carving in the rock face at Lew Hoad Reserve (‘1918 FIGA’) and the other is election graffiti from 1958 (“put Liberals last”).

Does anyone know anything about either of these? 

“1918 FIGA” graffiti near Minogue Crescent footpath

 

1958 election graffit on cliff face

This posting sparked some Glebe Society members to share memories of other political graffiti.

Ted McKeown recalls:

When we moved to Forest Lodge in 1972, the ‘Put Liberals last’ graffito was much fresher and more visible from the Crescent. I may be mistaken, but I seem to remember a ‘Pig-iron Bob’ graffito as well. If that’s the case, it may have gone back to about 1938. I don’t recall the ‘1918 FIGA’ carving. … After the 1975 Federal election, there was also a graffito on the Harold Park wall opposite the Lew Hoad Reserve reading ‘Australian voters are bloody-minded sheep’. Also on the wall, and about the same time, was ‘God hates homos’ – and underneath, in a different hand, ‘but he loves tabouli’.

Phil Young sent two photos of political graffiti, saying:

My contribution re graffiti in Glebe is from the early 1970s. What does ‘Chile All Out Sept 11’ refer to? Interestingly, the one referring to the Anarchy Conference gives the address of 158 Bridge Rd, i.e. the old church (The Abbey) when it was in ruins and being used by the photographer and others who were living in Reussdale next door.’

What does the message on the wall of the Harold Park Paceway mean? ‘Chile All Out Sept 11th!!’ (image: Allan McEvoy
Did any readers attend this conference in the 1970s? (image: Allan McEvoy)

Mark Stapleton was reminded of Chile related graffiti, this time at Darling Harbour:

Reminds me of the graffiti at Darling Harbour that read ‘Free Chile’ to which was added ‘With every Taco’

On a roll, Ted McKeown comes back with:

On the wall of the Harold Park Hotel: ‘Free Hess’. Underneath: ‘Where can I get my free Hess?’

Jeanette Knox remembers a somewhat more sinister piece of on-wall political commentary:

Another one I remember was “Fraser is the Hilton Bomber’’.

According to John Gray, that particular piece of graffiti had occupied the stone wall on the corner of Bridge Rd and Ross St. Sadly (?) it disappeared when the wall was repaired. In the same piece in 2011, John also said:

In the late 1960s, we would vote at the hall in Woolley Lane. Its exterior wall was adorned with ‘Don’t vote. It only encourages the bastards’.