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the balmainassociat ionIncorporatednews sheet

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

Vol 39 No4 issue 290 F o u n d e d N o v e m b e r 1 9 6 5 August 2004

M o d e r n A r c h i t e c t u r e"■" t I s w e l l k n o w n t h a t t h e L e l c h -*hardt Council Planners discourage Replication' of tradit ionalarchitecture in redevelopment ofsites. Some of the recent examplesare merely ^ boxes without topses'to quote a popular song. A site Inspec t ion o f 17 -19 Cove S t ree t ,Birchgrove took an hour to cajolethe architect to respect the protests of a neighbour who wouldlose significance light because theproposed building extended to theboundary. It only required thestairwell to be reposit ioned. Thecompromise still agreed to the skil-l l o n r o o f t h a t d i d n o t h a r m o n i s ewith the streetscGpe. The ownersare beiieved at first to support apitched roof design but were discouraged by the pianner.

The NSW Government new harbourpolicy prescribes that new buildingsshould not ^ break' undevelopedridgelines and state that "while noshapes are intrinsically unacceptable, rectangular boxy shapes withflat or skillion roofs usually do not harmonise with their surroundings. It ispreferable to break up facades androof lines into smaller elements andto use pitched roofs".

The proposed development of36-42 Louisa Road is an affront tothis policy. It would be higher thanthe existing eyesore rising to 3 '''RIoorsabove s t ree t leve l and there are 4floors below, The developer claimsthe same floor space ratio of 1.66:1as existing. There will be no setbackfrom the street' and car parkingwould be by a stacker which meansthat most of the time the cars will bein the street, Leichhardt Council isunlikely to approve the proposal.

F o l l o w t h e L e i c h h a r d tT r a c k

Whips cracked, bells jingled andWllhelm Ludwig Leichhardfs overland expedition set off into ttie wilderness. . , the men loudly singing'God Save The Queen', J imbourStation, 1 October, 1844, when thedetermined 30 year old Prussian scientist/explorer led his party of eighton a 14 month trek to Port Essington,NT.

The Ludwig Leichhardt Expo celebrates the 160'^ anniversary ofLeichhardfs depar ture f rom J imbour S ta t ion in Wamboo Sh i re ,Queensland, Five Western DownsCouncils hove combined to presentthe Leichhardt Expo from 215*10 26*^S e p t e m b e r, 2 0 0 4 , T h e r e w i l l b ere-enac tmehts o f horses and r idersIn Leichhardt style with camp ovendinners, concerts and guest speakers including Bernd Marx from theLeichhardt Museum, Trebatsch, Germany, Leichhardfs birthplace, Agroup of Leichhardt Municipality residents will visit the Expo.

Trace the4 footsteps of

LudufigLe ichhard t

Al l are welcome. Contact JuneLunsmann 9810 6885 .

Ludwig Leichhardt arrived in Sydney from England on 14**^ February1842 travelling steerage on the'SirEdward Paget. He wrote "I cannotadequately describe with what enthusiasm I sprang ashore, or withwhat joy I greeted every new plantand how the wealth of novel sightsalmost turned my head"

He landed with aiet ter of introduction to the NSW Surveyor-General, SirT h o m a s M i t c h e l l , w h o w a s i mpressed with Leichhardfs qualifications and suggested that he mightlike to be the naturalist with the nextexpedition of explorofion. However,It was to be delayed indefinitely, so

SHFA Appea lsSydney Harbour Foreshore Authority

has decided to appeal the decisionby Justice Talbot in the Land & Environment Court to award $60 millionin compensa t ion fo r the fo rmerColtex site at Ballast Point, The judgement included an amount of $43,5million to be paid to a developer.Walker Corporation,

"It is difficult to understand the basisof the decision," said SHFA CEO, DrRobert Lang. "The land is zoned Industrial by Leichhardt Council. TheCourt decided to disregard this zoning and to determine compensation on the basis of medium densityresidential development,"The developer had poid $825,000

for an option to buy if the site wasrezoned although the Council wasdetermined not to rezone. The Government originally offered $ 10 mil-lion OS compensation

he organised his own to go from Brisbane to Port Essington - a distanceof 4,800km, This was to be financedby gifts from assorted pastoralistsand businessmen. One Sydney merc h a n t w a s W a l t e r B e a m e s w h onamed his Piperson Estate, Leichhardt in honour of his fr iend, Leichhardt was persuaded to start the trekfrom the inland at Jimbour Stat ion.

The journey was not a happy one. Itwas dogged by misfortune mainlybrought about by poor leadershipand inexperience. The exhaustedparty finally managed to reach PortEssington after 14 months and 17days.The trip revealed tracts of land suit

able for settlement and many imp o r t a n t s t r e a m s , o n e n a m e dBeames Brook. After resting the explorers arrived back in Sydney byship on 25'" March 1846 to publicacclaim as they had been given upas lost. "Sydney welcomed Leichh a r d t a s a h e r o a n d f o r s o m e w e e k sh e w a s t h e m o s t f a m o u s m a n I nAustral ia". Sunday Telegraph 30'"April 1995.

B e a t t i e B u s hB a l m a m I c o nAn appreciative audience attended the-̂ presentation of the documentary by JuiieNebauer of The Paper Queen at the BaimainLibrary on Wednesday 9^"^ June.Who was Bettie Bush? A little lady who stood

on a median strip with her trade mark of Tigersrugby league socks, amidst the daily peakhour traffic for some 25 years to sell newspapers on one of the city's busiest intersections,Victoria Road and The Crescent at White Bay.Every city in the world has its street identities

that make their impact on society. They become part of the urban landscape, taken forgranted until one day they are no longer there.

Beatrice Bush was born in Evans Street Rozeliein 1925 and was one of seven children.

It Is unknown how her larynx was Injured butshe remembered being conveyed to hospitalat a young age when a dresser fell on her. Thiswas to be a handicap for her for the rest of herlife as she missed a lot of schooling and finallyleft school at 14 years of age. Her first job was ina handkerchief factory at Broadway.

Beattie was a seamstress in the 1950s whenshe married her husband Frank Bush. They wereto have two sons Glen and Phillip and it was In1970s when teenager son Glen quit his paperrun that Beattie started selling newspapers,Julie Nebauer said the Image of Seattle push

ing the newspaper trolley up the hill from WhiteBay to the newsagent symbolised an uphillbattle In life.

Beattie's husband Frank would join her atWhite Bay by sitting at the bus shelter andwatch over her while she sold the papers to thethousands of motorists. Beatrice and Frankwere forced out of the area as rents began torise and they moved to Mocquorie Fields. AfterFrank's death In 1991 Beatrice returned to herpaper selling and to do so, was up at 4ameach day to catch the first train at Liverpool tothe city then a bus to White Bay to collect her

T h e A n n u a l G e n e r a lMeeting of the

B a i m a i nA s s o c i a t i o n I n c w i l lbe held at 5pm on

Wednesday6 October in the

W a t c h H o u s e

trolley of newspapers, holding on to her senseof place.After 0 busy morning Beattie would often drop

by the Merton Estate Hotel for a soft drink and arest before the return trip to Mocquorie Fields,Her hea l th dec l i ned and she d ied in November 1996,

Folk-sing©t4udy Small immortalised Beattie inher 1984 song, The White Boy Paper Seller. A little wizened figure scarcely more fhan skin andbone / She looks as though the wind's about tosweep her right away I As she sells the daily paper on the corner at White Bay.

The documentary has been placed in Lelch-hardt Library and The National Film Archivesalong with contemporles of Beatrice Bush,such as Arthur Stace (Eternity), Bea Miles,William Chidley and Billy Blue celebrating theindividuals who hove played an Important partof our cities' social history.

T h a n k Y o u J u l i e

Photo from David Liddle's The Baimain Book.

H i s t o r y W e e k11-19 Sep tember 2004The past Is all around us. It's there in our books,,

our records, our archives, our inst i tut ions and:our memories. It encourages us to think obout-places, objects or ideas of the present link withthe post and tell stories about our history. History Week Is the annual, state-wide celebration'of history organised by the History Council ofNew South Wales to promote history. The Bal-'main Association will participate with a Photographic Exhibition, coach tour of Baimain anda guided walk. See What's On,

O u r n e w w e b s i t e c a n b e f o u n d a tw w w, a u s s i e h o s t s , b a l m a i n a s s o c i a t i o n , c o m , a u

Why not brouse,

4o 2 Evans S t ree t , Roze l l e .hat a difference 30 years can make. Recently the Association History group be-

lan cleaning the archives room thoroughlyind we found many photographs of oldhop token by former members.I have updated Important research of the970s with photographs of the old butcher'shop or McGrath store built in 1885 at 2 Evanstreat, Rozelle,The first occupant listed In the Sands Directory✓as Joyner Bros, grocers, in 1887, who re-nalned there until 1891 when the groceryn o v e d t o a n o t h e r a d d r e s s a t 1 3 5 S e a t t l et r e e t ,

There was no listing of 2 Evans Street in theands until 1897 to 1901 when It recorded MrsA McGrath, grocer, then In 1903 T Edwards,jrocer. There was no listing again until 1912 to914, Frederick Dale, grocer and then, surpris-"igly, for the next two years as a baby clinic,rem 1923 James Lockhardt , butcher, had thehop for many years until 1960. The locals al-vays refer to the building as the old butcherhop,

_ j

I remember it as that when I played tennis onthe old Ashgrove courts In Seattle Street. Sadlythese courts have now gone as have so many

Is courts and butcher shops in BalmainR o z e l l e .

B o n n i e D a v i d s o n .

' Old butcher shop, buift in 1885 as it was in 1970s and

left how it looks today

B i r c h g r o v e Te n n i s C o u r tC e n t e n a r y Ye a r 2 0 0 4The Sydney Mail, Wednesday 25"' May, 1904,

eports a grand occdslon of the opening ofwo grass tennis courts of the Birchgrove Tennisriub, Rose Street. A large gathering of beauti-ully dressed women with large ornate hots,jome carrying parosc^ls and men in smartlyPressed in suits, ties with caps, bowler hats and5ven a top hat or two'had been grouped onhe courts for the officipl photograph.Pamela Jefffery, in the Birch Grove

istate, states,' byl9G4 a tennis pavilionDnd grandstand hdd been madeeady', In the Balmain ,Jubiiee Municipali 860-1910 booklet,' Birchgrove Park with>even acres is in a most charming posi-ion at the head of Snail's Bay, from/vhere on uninterrupted view of the har-Dour is obtained. On i t there are three::ricket or football spaces, each havingDmple room within their own playingTrld, A neat little grandstand overlooks"he oval , whi lst at the s ide is a tennis.■:ourt and pavilion, surrounded by a well<ept garden,'The Birchgrove Pork Trust Committee

A/as set up in 1882 and operated until1948 when control was vested In the.eichhardt Council after the amalgamation of Balmain Cout ic i i .Tennis was being pibyed in Balmain

even before the 1 yp4 dote as theSydney Mall 18'" June, 0 887, reports thata match was played c n Saturday, June11 , a t B a l m a i n , b e t w e e n t h e B a l m a i n

and Montrose Lawn Tennis Clubs, and resultas follows:-Balmain lOsets, 62 games;Montrose, 1 set, 23 games, The tennis courtw a s m o s t p r o b a b l y i n l o c a l r e s i d e n t ' sgrounds.

The early minute books of the Trust have notsurv ived but the 1931-1948 dre ava i lab le a tthe Mitchell Library, It would appear from theminute book for 1944, that court surface wasstill lawn, 'weeds and foreign matter to TennisCourts to be dug out and new sods of goodgrass be replaced,'

Birchgrove Tennis Club, 1904

In 1935 the Hard Court Tennis Association applied to buiid on vacant land on corner Grovea n d R o s e S t s , T h e c o u r t w a s n o t b u i l t .

On the Grove Street side of the park the St John'sTennis Club court was officially opened in May1920 and was ca l led the Parkv iew Tennis C lub.The court remains today.

From about 1953 the courts were upgradedfrom grass to loam and to include four courts byt h e B a l m a i n T e n n i s A s s o c i a t i o n . E x h i b i t i o nmatches to celebrate the opening, featured LewHoad, Ken Roewall, George Worthington and Jeff

Brown . The BTA was i nco r

porated into the NorthW e s t e r n S u b u r b s T e n n i sA s s o c i a t i o n i n t h e m i d1 9 7 0 s , w h o m a n a g e sthe six synthetic grassc o u r t s , l e a s e d f r o m t h eL e i c h h a r d t C o u n c i l .

For some 30 years then a m e R o c a v e r t h a sb e e n a s s o c i a t e d w i t h

Birchgrove Tennis Cent r e . D o n ' s s o n Te r r y,f o r m e r W i m b l e t o n c o m

pet i to r, born in Ar thurStreet , Balmain and wi feK a y b o r n i n T h o m a sS t r e e t , h a v e t a k e n o v e rt he coach ing and a recompiling the history ofthe B i rchgrove Cour tsa n d a r e s e e k i n gm e m o r a b i l i a .

Source: Terry RocavertKath leen Hamey.

t

(fvGrow ing Roses^he modern rose is o plant as-*- much at home among abeliasand grevllleas in fuii sun as it is inthe huge old rosebeds of yesteryear. Few gardeners have spacetoday t o devo te t o l a rge t r ad i -tionai rose plantings so the landscape use o f the rosebush hasc h a n g e d .

A few tips for plantingroses: (l)Select the sunniest posit ion in yourgarden as at least fivehours of sunlight eachd a y i s r e q u i r e d . ( 2 )Avoid root competitionwith adjacent trees andsh rubs . ( 3 ) Cons ide rplanting standard rosesin a cen t ra l pos i t i onsu r roundred by bushand dwarf roses. (4) Plant roses withthe graft union just above groundleve l , (5 ) Prune damaged roots

before planting. (6) Don't fertilisenewly planted roses. ,

E a c h p l a n t r e q u i r e s r o u g h l y asquare metre, The roots are not adventurous but they are heavy feede r s , A v o i d s h a d e t h a t l e a d s t odiseases such as black spot, powdery mildew and grey mould on thepetals and leaves. Treat powderymildew and grey mould with Banloteand black spot with Triforine. Established roses need a matchbox fui i ofa comp le te rose food every s i x

w e e k s f r o m N o v e m b e ru n t i l M a r c h .

Here are a few fungald i s e a s e - r e s i s t a n troses , Champagner,F i e s t a , G o i d m a r i e ,Iceberg, Limel ight,B e l l a R o s a , P a t r i c i a ,Mis ter L inco ln , TonyJ o c k l i n , S u n b u r n tCoun t r y, Red Cedarand Traumerei, My favourite is a lovely fra

grant yellow rose called DiamondJ u b i l e e ,

B o n n i e D a v i d s o n

W h a t s O nL ' J

H o u s e E x h i b i t i o n sR o s e m a r y W i l l i a m sAr t works 7 -8 AugDouglas L i t t le .A r t 14 ,15 ,16 ,17 AugJ a n e t C a r t e r A r t21-22 & 28-29 Aug

C e l e b r a t i n g 1 5 0 t hAnn ive rsa ry o f t heB a l m a i n W a t c h H o u s eOpen each Saturday inS e p t e m b e r, 11 . 3 0 a m -3 . 0 0 p mB a l m a i n C o a c h T o u rS a t u r d a y 11 S e t e m b e rD e p a r t Wa t c h H o u s e1.00pm - Cost $5N u m b e r s l i m i t e dB o o k i n g s 9 8 1 8 4 9 5 4

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T h e B a i m a i n A s s o c i a t i o n I n c

Representing Balmain, Blrchgrove &Rozeiie.Our aims are to:Improve the living, working and recreationalamenities of our area; maintain all featureshaving natural, architectural and or historicalvalue of the area and keep a permanent collection of historical interest; seek the cooperation of everyone concerned in therealisation of the above.

The Baimain Association meets on the firstWednesday of each month at 5.00pm in theWatch House 179 Darling Street Balmain.The Watch House is open every Saturdayfrom 12 to 3pm.Our editorial phone/fax is 02 98184954.Email :vhamey@tpg.com.au.Our Web site::www.aussiehosts.balmainassociation.com

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