the balmainassociationincorporatednews sheet

Vol 37 Mo 3 Issue 277

9 PICTU REa u s t r a l I A

WWW.piCtUreaUStralia.Or9

'he Malional Library of Australiaprovides a single access point to

ver a half million images held bygencies around Australia and over-eas. At present. Picture Australia.rings together the online image ejection of 15 participating agenciesncluding: Australian War Memorial.

Founded November 1955

Town Hall DCP^ 'he Leichhardt Council is in the

early stages of compiling a Development Control Plan for the BalmainTown Hall Precinct. The DCP is to include all of the Councils land adjacent to the Town Hall including theexisting depot.

A community meeting was held at LlieTown Hall in December 2001 and aspart oi the consultation for this project,a second meeting was on 2nd May.2002 At the meeting a video was shownof a 'project by architecture students

June 2002

Auseum Victoria. National Library of Sydney Gniversity; undertaken\uslralia and New Zealand. Stale Li- two years ago for the redevetep-■ ment of the Balmain Town Hall Pre

c i n c t .

Godden Mackay Logon. Consultant,as well as Matthew Viney. LeichhardtCouncil Manager Properly Services,were In attendance to answer the concerns of residents as to the redevelopment of the site. Contact for M Viney9367 9222. The pre-school has beendesignated to be removed to a newbuilding at Mort Bay.

A plea was made for the retention andreuse of the onsite green glasshouse forthe propagation of local native plants forenhansing the Council's parks. The

Drary of New South Wales. Tasmaniaa n d V i c t o r i a .

The service is a valuable free resourcefor research in family history, genealogy. cultural heritage and heraldry. Picture Australia allows you to find picturesof your home town, major events in Australia's history and many other topics.The service is great for home researchas images may be reproduced for personal use after checking the copyrightprovisions.

Af te r some th ree hours "on the web ' ,the search for Balmain' gave 888 references. I was delighted with the manyphotographs of industrial Balmain. sucha s . t h e C o a l L o a d e r a t G l e b e I s l a n d .Lever Bros. Poole and Steele. ColgatePalmolive. Mori's Dock and the EmpireI Imbcr at Iron Cove. Football personalities, swimming and rowing clubs atElkington Park and much much moreso get connected to www.pictureaustia-l i a .au .

Kathleen Harney

B o u n d a r i e s O n H o l djustice Talbot in the Land & Environment Court on May 14. ruled

-hat a report recommending massive:lianges to South Sydney's bounda-■fes was invalid because it was writtenvllhout consultation with the com-ounity.

I he Court holds grave doubts thathe authors applied themselves to thedsk of examination and report with suf-

sliucture has been neglected andunused ior some years and has been accessed by local Architect. Ray Stevensand Meritage Consultant. Paul Davics.On 16th May, 2002 at the monthlymeeting ol the Balmain Town HaCommittee, an approval for $10,000was allotted for the repair of thegreen glasshouse. Community assistance is sought for iund raising and ormaterials. Contact: Kalh Hacking 98182504 or Kaliileen Hamey 98 i 8 4954.

The process for preparing the DCP islikely to take several months with otheropportunities for community inpLit.

Talk about history repeating its self!The Balmain Association's newssheelNovember 1977 includes a long articleon 'establishing a native garden to attract birds to Balmain' also a heading'save the glass house'. The 1946 building was marked for demolition to allowaccess to the 'new' Balmain Town Hallbranch library. However, strong localopposition, led by the Balman Association and intervention by the then Minister of Planning and Environment. PaulLander.slopped the proposal.Thegreen glasshouse was used for anotherten years for a holding area for plants,before replanting in the local parks.

Drawing of the Class House from Paul Davies

ficlent diligence to justify a finding thatthe document reflects a proper fulfillment o( ihe statutory obligation assigned to the Boundaries Commissionunder the Local Government Act." Just ice Ta lbo t sa id .

He noted lhat a poll or public surveyof affected residents had not occurredand the Commission had failed to accord procedural fairness to Ihe applicant. South Sydney Council. Thejudgement was welcomed hy

Leichhardt Mayor. Atoire Sheehan.Council believed that the report was so

flawed It could not be legally implemented." The Minister for Local Government, Harry Woods, was disappointedwith the decision and may appeal although he has not moved to such actionyet. fHe said there were implications forother boundary changes.

It is likely that any action will be onhold until after the State election next

y e a r .

Sydney Harbour 31stMay 1942

'he Japanese aircraft attack in February and March 1942. on Darwin.

Broome and Wyndham caused widespread panic in Morthern Australia,where many believed they were a prelude to invasion. But news of the airraids were heavily censored, a full account was not made available for tenmonths and for most people in southeastern Australia the war still seemedfar away.

I lie evenincj of Sunday 31 May 1942was dark and overcast at Sydney. "I hemoon was full bul until the middle watch( midnight to 4 am ) its light wa.s obscured by heavy cloud. JUi 're were frequent movements of mercliant shipsalong the coasi near Sydney cjnci thesevessels had theii lighls on. '! he mainleads to the harbour entrance alignments lights were out but there was nol)lackout ashore. IBarrenjocy I fead lighthouse was on as was the poweiful reflectors ol the Mdcquarie light,maintaining their measured sweep ofthe horizon, sending a beam of light wellout to sea and providing an Ideal navigational fix .

f"k)odligh(.s were on at the gravingdrx.k site at Garden Island, where wr)rkwas In progress. Several destroyers werealongside the whaives on the westernside of the island. I here was also oneCIS battleship, one large (JS cruiser andf)nc Idigc transport ship, moored closeby. Cockatof) Island had two light cruisers atid a destroyer inside the dock. Theharbour was open to traffic which waspioceeding normally. Ferries were running and ships departing and arriving.

In the evening 31 May 1942. threeJapdnese niidgel subniahnes began theat tack in Sydney Mai-boui . One fol lowed ^ com-a we l l - l i t Man l y f e r r y on i t s way t o byd - u ; . .

Japanese midget submarine recoevered from harbour (Photo John Fairfax Ltd)submarines proceeded up-harbour inthe wake ol a Manly ferry and continuedtowards (ho warships lying at anchor.Searchlights began to sweep across thewater, residents gathered around theharbour in their dressing gowns,watched as the guns swung into action.Although two .sut)marines were simultaneously undoi attack in different parts ofthe harbour, the ferries continued tonrn. One torpedo caused the deaths of2 I naval ir.itings. The ferry/Vu/Zubu/ builtin 1922 for the Sydney berries Ltd. forthe run between MiLsons Point and Cir-culai Quay. The vessel was rec|uisi-tioned by the RAM to provide overflowaccommodation lor crews of ships undergoing refit at Garden Island.

Of the three midget submarines toreach Sydney |-larbour. the Japanesesubmariners of the craft ensnarled in theboom fired a demolition charge whichripped open the steel plating and killedthem, "i he second was so badly dam

ney. through the eastern boom net butbecame entangled in the steel mesh ofthe anti-torpedo boom. The other two

noise woke us up. Air raid sirens weregoing off and searchlights all over thesky. Dad and Mum said we should all get.under the beds. I was 10 years old andwe lived at 99 Mort Street and Dad saidthe air raid shelter near Thames StreetWharf would be full.

Olher shelters were behind a brickfence on the corner of Cameron andMort Streets on Moil's Dock land. Loyally Square and the Balmain Police Stat i on . The re we re o the r she l t e r sthroughout the peninsula. Wo laterfound out that it was not an air raid butmidget Japanese submarines liad followed a Manly ferry through the boomnet placed across the harbour. The submarines were trying to sink Americanshi[)s in Sydney Harbour bul instead hitIhe KitlUihitl. killing 2! men. My UncleFred was assigned to the ship bul as helived in Sydney, he had been given shoreleave that night. Soon alter my ManaBerdg came to visit us from her home at' lillview near Liverpool and persuaded

e s c a i

i i . uL I I i L . x - v. , , , . i - j i i i v i ew nea r L i ve rpoo l and pe rsuadedmander and his petty ollicer chose to parents to allow me to leave Sydneycommit suicide and the third apparently because of possible fu-

ped the harbour to sea but failed to /v\y parents could not leaverendezvous with the go for 10 long months Imother submarine, complained to Mum when she visited

Battle each week-end to let me return to Bal-s main from what 1 then thought was the

HMAS Kuttabul sunk by the midget sub (photo John Fairfax Ltd)

S o u r c e :Surface. Japanb u b f n a r i n e W a r .Against Australia1942-1944 . Dav id

J e n k i n s .C o m m i I t

m e m b e rD a v i d s o nb e r s :

WW 1 I really hitSydney was veryscarey. All my family were in bed andsuddenly a"

m a m i r o r n w i i o i i m e n L n n u y n t l , . . -

country. Liverpool. Mum linally relentedand so 50 odd years later. I am still inBalmain. Soon after we moved to 91Mort Street to the former Star Hotel,where there was an air raid siren on theroof. This was tested every Wednesday

mem- and Saturday at lunch lime. One night aThe night Japanese reconnaissance plane flew

Iv hit over Sydney and Mum was attending acity theatre, bul hurried home to find mefast asleep although the siren had been

-Rnv' How 1 wish I could

e e

B o n n i e

r e m e m -

blasling away. "Boy! HowII the sleep like lhalnow

S o o t B l a c k e n sBaimain (2)

\ n article in the February 2002 edi-■ t i o n o f t h e B a i m a i n O b s e r v e r r e

ported that people in the While Bayarea of Baimain were 'hopping mad'at the unpleasant but dissimilar pollution problems with which they have atl i m e s b e e n a f f e c t e d . R e a d e r s m a yl i k e t o b e r e m i n d e d t h a t i n t h e 1 9 2 0 sthe people of [North Baimain werealso 'hopping mad' at what they described as a 'nuisance' affecting theirl i v e s .

The cause of this particular troublestemmed, not from ships, but from thefact that, unbelievable as it may seem,the government of Mew South Walesand the Ba ima in Counc i l had a l l owed ac o a l m i n e t o b e e s t a b l i s h e d i n B i r c h -grove Road, next to a school and in oneof the most densely populated parts ofSydney.

The nuisance prompted the settingup ol a pressure group called the MorlhB a i m a i n M u i s a n c e A b a t e m e n t C o m m i ttee who called for action to ease the coaldust pollution, even taking the companyto complain "...they are permitted lodevastate a whole neighbourhood, lodestroy houses, to depreciate property,drive out to other suburbs all who canget away, pract ical ly c lose the localchurch and seriously affected attend a n c e a t t h e s c h o o l ' ,

The school was on land adjoining them i n e a n d c o m m e n t s f r o m v a r i o u ssources were that the chi ldren in certainrooms looked like so many blackfcllows,t h a t t h e t e a c h e r s f o r b a d e t h e u s e o fbooks because they would be destroyedand that pupils were required to bringrags to school to wipe the coal dust offtfieir s lates and desks.

According to the Sydney MorningI ierald of 8 August 1927, the Abatement Committee invited a party ofnewspaper representatives to inspectthe area so that they might see first handthe extent ol the problem. Their first callwas at the school where they saw a smallopen piece of ground adjoining thepremises on which the pit ponies runwhen brought to the surface. Between40 and 50 ponies were scamperingabout on th is res t r i c ted area wh ich wascovered with fine dried manure "that wasdisturbed with every movement of theres t l ess hoo fs , and when the w ind wasoff the water th is dus t was car r ied in tothe school in large quantities to the inconvenience and danger to health ofboth teachers and pupils'.

I t s e e m s a l s o t h a t c i n d e r s f r o m t h echimney stack along with the ever-present clouds of fine coal dust consti

tuted an even greater nuisance whichmade it necessary lo keep all the windows closed even on the most tryingdays.

A visit was then paid to a number ofresidences in the locality where similarconditions were complained of. Even today many long-lime residents still remember the increasing coal dustpollution which [)eimeated the wholehouse so that nothing could ever be described as clean. Besides this a carpet ofdust often some four of five inches deepwas invariably found to have settled inthe ceilings, the weight causing many ofthem to bulge and sag.

The nearby church St John the Evangelist also had its share of prrrblems withthe coal dust which they described as 'ablighting plague' and when the windblew from the west it was said to bringwith it "the black blight". The rector, theRev, George F B Manning, complainedt h a t c o a l d u s t o n v a r i o u s s u r f a c e s w a sso thick that it seriously inconveniencedthe woi shippers, who were obliged loprovide themselves with dusters whenthey attended services. I le added that,in desperation, he fiad written to theauthorities recommending that thechurch building be abandoned.

St John's church counci l had alsosubmitted a number of complaints loBaimain Council of the "almost intolerable nuisance and damage lo goodsand deprecialiori of [property caused byIhe dust arising from the mine', and requesting they take steps to minimize orobviate the trouble. In addition they senta recjuesl to the coalmine authorities lora donation towards the cost of cleaningIhe organ which had become 'completely choked with coal dust'.

B e s i d e s a l l t h i s t h e c h u r c h i n t e r i o rwas in a deplorable stale. At that timethe walls were ol rough bricks paintedover and as such were very much inclined to hold the dust, thus needing aregular washing. The thinking was that ifthey were plastered, the walls could simply be swept down each week. To thisend various fund-raising events were organized in order to raise the £48 neededto do the job.

Meedless to say feelings were runninghigh in the wider locality. At a meetingbetween the colliery company, three aldermen and the Baimain Morth Vigil a n c e A s s o c i a t i o n M r F a r l a n d . t h eAssociation's secretary, brought withhim bags of coal dust from houses andtrom St John's church, protesting thatt h e v a l u e o f h o u s e s h a d d e t e r i o r a t e d

through the coal dust nuisance and thatthe company had done very little to remedy the trouble. In reply a colliery director explained that no colliery in the worldhad been able to overcome the prob

lem, Everything possible had been doneto deal with dust and noise, part of thedifficulty being what to do with the dustafter it had been caught. The companywas not prepared to spend thirty to fortythousand pounds in an endeavour toe l im ina te i t .

B e c a u s e t h e n u i s a n c e w a s s e v e r e i nt h e e x t r e m e , c o u r t a c t i o n s w e r elaunched against the company whichwere likely lo have effect of closing themine un less t he nu i sance we re aba ted .But the matter was more complicatedthan this. These were times of depress ion and the c losure o f the mine wou ldadd another 220 men to the alreadyovercrowded ranks of the unemployed.Local storekeepers would suffer conside r a b l e l o s s e s a n d t h e i n c o m e f r o m t h eextensive shipping trade that visited Baimain would be severely affected,

i ^ o z e l l e C h a m b e r o f C o m m e r c e r e

garded the probable closure of the I5al-m a i n m i n e f o l l o w i n g t h e c o u r tproceedings as disastrous, and by alarge majority it resolved lo ask theCouncil lo rescind the prosecution.

In March 1932. after further fundiais-ing. St John's was able to have the inside ol the church roof cleaned andpainted as well as having the inside wallsplastered and painted - all for £48 10-.But by this time the mine had in factclosed dr)wn and blissfully, the years oltrouble and sullering had abated,

Nowadays the only sigh of coal dust iswhen work needs to be done on the ceil

ings of some of the older hr)uses in thelocality and when newer residents decide to undertake this work, some maybe in for quite a surprise.

Vernon Kemp

L e i c h h a r d tP h o t o g r a p h s^ jver the fast six months a range ofthe archival photographs ands l i d e s c o v e r i n g a l l s u b u r b s o fLeichhardt Municipality held at theLeichhardt Library, have been digiti s e d . T h e l a u n c h o f t h e i n t e r n e t s i t ewas held during Heritage Week, at thelibrary on Wednesday 24 April.2002. Congratulations to MargaretPenson and staff for this exciting ongoing project. Some people and sitesh a v e n o t b e e n i d e n t i fi e d s o t o a s s i s tin the detect ive work on names andp l a c e s l o g o n :w w w . s i w v l . n s w . q o v . a u / l e i c h h a r d t . h tm l .

I t ' s T i m e t o P l a n tL i l l i e s

Though dozens o( unrelated planlsare called lillies. there is no mistakingtrue lillies. oi lillium. to give them theiro f fi c i a l n a m e .

T hese majestic plants produce someo f t h e m o s t b e a u t i l u land impressive flowersand given a dimate tiiatis not too hoi they arenot very difficult to grow, ,

T h e s c a l y b u l b s a r e >planted about now andyou can get them atm o s t n u r s e r i e s . I h echoice will be limited to alew varieties but if youhave not grown lilliesbefore, they aie the bestones to t ry.

A lew giound rules to follow. Soil. Alllillies demand extra well-groomed soil.

but whether it should be comparativelyrich or poor depends on the species.Site. As a rule, giow them where theirroots will be shaded but their upperparts will enjoy the full sun. The plantscan grow to 2 metres high so shelterfrom strong winds is important.

Watering. Lillies. though they dieback, are never completely dormantand must not be allowed to dry out.

Just moist. Feeding.It is hard to generalise as some speciesgrow in poor soilw h i l e o t h e r s n e e dr i c h e r a n d m o r e f e rt i l e c o n d i t i o n s . Av e rage. good gardensoil will usually doand heavy feedingshou ld no t be neces

s a r y .

Bonny Daoklson

W h a t ' s O nW a t c h H o u s e E x h i b i t i o n s

Water Co lo t i rs & S i lk .s1-2 JunePassage: constructionsthrough memory, lime & placeA n i t a l i k h o l m 7 - 1 0 J u n eTradi t ional 22-2.T June

Sandra lillioti. Openetl byB i l l D o n o v a nT h e S u m m e r S e t 2 K - 2 I ) J u n e

Oils & pastels - Noeline DyerI {tellings 6-14 JulyJ a n V I e l v i i l ePaintings I S-2.T JulyRowan T'otheringhamStudent Art Clroup PaintingsA n n e t t e D o r a l n 2 7 - 2 K J u l \C eramics - sexeral pottersJudy Padtlison .T-4 .August

Printed by Snap Print, Balmain. © Not to be reproduced witliout permission.

If undelivered return to:The Balmain Association IncPO Box 57Balmain 2041

T i l e I ' e i i i i i s i i l . i

S U R FA C EMAIL

POSTAGEP A I D

AUSTRALIA

Dr Peter Reynolds9 T h e A v e n u e

Balmain East NSW 20412 0 0 0 / 1 2

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

Representing Balmain, Birchgrove & Rozelle,Our aims are to:

Improve the living, worthing and recreationalamenities of our area; maintain all features having natural, architectural and or historical value ofthe area and keep a permanent collection of historical interest; seek the cooperation of everyoneconcerned in the realisation of the above.

The Balmain Association meets on the firstWednesday of each month at 7.30pm in theWatch House 179 Darting Street Balmain. TheWatch House is open every Saturday from 12 to3pm. Our editorial phone/fax is 02 98184954.Email :hamey@netpro.net,au.Our Web site::www.balmainassociation.homestead.com

llnterested artists, potters, sculptors, etc whowould like to organise an exhibition are urged tocontact John Suliivan on 95551026 or fax 98106774.

Annual subscriptions:Household $20, Concession $10Organisations $30.