Peninsular Observer 2 December 2020 Copy.Indd

the peninsula Observer newsletter of Balmain Association Vol. 55 No. 3 Issue 356 Founded November 1965 December 2020 Callan Park Carolyn Allen 50 year vision for greater Sydney parklands The Balmain Association has made a submission to a ‘discussion paper’ for the amalgamation of all major Sydney parks from the State WHAT’S Government. As a Chair has already been appointed to the proposed INSIDE ‘mega’ trust it seems that this big merger will take place regardless of ‘discussions’. Callan Park 1 The issues of great concern to us relate to the future of Callan Park. Following the Callan Park Special Provisions Bill in 2002 we were Fence fi ght 2 promised a trust, and some funding. There is concern the proposal Connecting you now 3 excludes the portion managed by Health and that there will be no Life membership ... 4 consideration for mental health services on the site or the heritage precinct which includes Broughton Hall and should remain intact. The early days of Balmain 6 No commercial activities are allowed under the Act which is different Council from the other parks concerned. Will the State Government change the Act? Quiz 10 The primary worry for the Balmain Association is the lack of local participation in the management and care of Callan Park. Friends of What’s on at the Watch 11 Callan Park, a dedicated group of local residents, has fought tirelessly for House over 21 years to retain this wonderful parkland, the most precious in the Inner West. Our community needs to be a big part of the management of Callan Park and not leave it in the hands of another posse of this Government’s friends. Fence fi ght Carolyn Allen Inner West Council has proposed to replace and maintenance to the existing wooden picket the fence around Birchgrove Oval with a metal fence and report back at a later date. picket style fence. The Balmain Association was The Inner West Local Planning Panel is the alarmed by this and a number of members approval authority for development applications that submitted objections. Local residents would have a number of objections as well as Council’s certainly not be able to do this on a heritage listed smaller proposals. property and even the heritage offi cer in the report These panels are now mandated by the stated that a ‘wooden fence would be preferable’. Government and remove authority from local Council argued that metal was preferred for cost councillors in planning matters. Each sitting of the and maintenance reasons. We have since then seen a panel selects four members (Chair, two experts and few of these fences around local ovals and they are a community representative) from a group of twelve. very poor quality and deteriorate very badly, with The 12 are comprised of rotating Chairs, six paint seen peeling off in a number of locations. experts (most are planning consultants, a number Several members and heritage architect sitting on numerous panels) and three ‘community Ian Stapleton spoke against this at the Inner West members’. Community members need an awareness Local Planning Panel meeting to no avail and it of the Local Government Act, the planning process was approved. and assessment issues. We were, however, able to gain the support of Two of our community members are actually Balmain Ward Councillor, John Stamolis and he planning consultants, one sits on four such panels. proposed at the August Council meeting ‘that Although they may have knowledge of the LGA, I Council consider a new wooden fence or repairs wonder what ‘hat’ they wear when meeting? 2 Connecting you now Sue Callanan As one of three artists, I was The title of the piece, is also intended to invoke the idea invited to submit a proposal to ‘Connecting You Now’, was a of connecting the community we Inner West Council for its new familiar catchphrase of that era live in, here in Balmain and the Telstra Plaza in Balmain. as the telephonists physically Inner West, and, in some way, I was delighted to have this connected calls from one person underline the value of exchange, opportunity to present something to another. however brief, between people on in my local community, and as a There is something very the street. local resident, am grateful to all the appealing, even more so now The work takes account of efforts of the Balmain Association, in the time of Covid, about the the architectural form and will who have sustained a campaign physical connection between appear to be part of it. In this over so many years to secure people in the course of way it highlights the nature of the the plaza. conversation, in this instance, by exchange and the activities that voice. The telephonist becomes the took place inside. In so doing, it conduit, enabling this connection. consciously incorporates it and There are still people, now in neighbouring buildings as a site of their late 60s and 70s, who had communications, both past and experience of those jobs. present- telephone, telegraph and The work is, in part, a homage post offi ce. to all those telephonists, the I hope and trust the work will people that made the boards, nestle into the plaza and become a and those that laid the cables place to pause, enjoy, and imagine connecting us all, before direct the kinds of communications that knowledge of that experience slips might have taken place as the lights out of current memory. come on and off, signalling calls It’s an acknowledgement of the coming in and out. craftsmanship of the equipment The Commission is funded by Inspired by David Field’s of that time. While machine Inner West Council in recognition photos of telephone exchanges, made, there continues to be an of the value of public art and (https://www.profundum.com. order of the handmade and hand placemaking in celebrating au/balmainexchange) around the written. There’s a particular font, heritage and stories that connect countryside, I came up with the often accompanied by a written people to place. idea of creating a large, abstracted instruction or number. For more information visit www. version of an old switchboard. The title, ‘Connecting You Now,’ innerwest.nsw.gov.au/TelstraPlaza. 3 Top left: Di Garder, Duncan MacAuslan and new BA life member, Bill Haesler Top right: New BA life members, Errol and Rose Pickard Bottom right: Errol Pickard and Bill Haesler member presentations 4 so when an opportunity to move to Sydney came, Bill Haesler they moved to a rented fl at in Wollstonecraft and The Haesler family (Bill and Jess, Andrew, Roslyn went looking for a house. and Jeffrey) moved from Melbourne to live in As Jess had already fallen in love with Balmain, Sydney in 1966 and fi nished up in East Balmain there was no other choice. in 1967. They eventually found a little terrace house hidden It was probably fate but Bill blames Robert Irving, in Lookes Avenue, East Balmain in November, architect, lecturer, historian, author and founding started restoration and moved in at the beginning member of the Balmain Association in 1965 and of March 1967. its second president in 1968, and a mentor to Bill Bill had already joined the Balmain Association over the years. with its early battles and helped work on the Bob and Bill met when Bill joined Australian Paper Watch House.He was elected to the management Manufacturers as an electrical draftsman in early committee in August 1967 and became the 1955. Bob worked in the adjoining architectural Association’s third president in 1969 to 1971. section and the families became friends. Mention must be made of Bill’s jazz band that When Bob moved to Sydney in the early 60s to we enjoyed on a number of occasions at Balmain teach at the UNSW he bought a large 1880s house in Association fund raising functions – a notable one Donnelly Street, Balmain. The families maintained contact, being in Eve and Guy Kendall’s back garden in staying with Bob, Pat and family in Balmain several times Waterview Street. and swapping houses at Christmas in 1965. Bill regularly travelled to Sydney for work and Words by Di Garder Joan Chapman, Richard Waterfi eld in Gerry and Dick McGillicuddy’s Rose and and Roy Waterson being there. house in Ballast Point Road. Errol Pickard There were others of course. They And who could forget the cricket In 1964/65 Rose and her decided to have a public meeting matches in Birchgrove Park! neighbour, Jeannette Stevenson at the Town Hall to plan the After the Association acquired met Toni Furness in the park association. Brian McDonald was the Watch House, Errol and opposite their houses in Grove involved by then, also John and Rose were active helpers in the Street. They all had small children Lorraine Power and Alan Harding. work of restoration, spending and became good friends and Toni became the fi rst Secretary hours scutching away at the Rose would drop in on them for and Errol was on the fi rst old stonework, painting, and a coffee and they visited her at Management Committee. gardening, and in Rose’s case, 35-37 Wharf Road where she As Rose had a young baby and supporting the workers with food had bought two old stone houses, a toddler, she was mainly involved and drink. badly in need of TLC. in things like planning social and Later Rose worked with Joan One day Rose mentioned that fundraising events at that stage. Chapman and Julie Campbell her aunt, Sybil Masterman, who Jeannette took the role of social and others to set up a children’s lived in Numa Street down at organiser on the committee.

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