By Localnotes, on May 4th, 2012  Oybin built 1880-1881  Norma Perry has published a thorough and informative research on the often over looked architect C.H.E Blackmann, Architect of Oybin, 270 Johnston Street, Annandale which was his own residence. Some of the buildings he co- designed with Varney Parkes include Goulbourn Post Office (1880) St Andrews, Summer Hill, (1880) Stanmore Public School (1883), Erskinville Public School (1882) Glenmore Road Public School, (1882) and St Andrews Hall (1880) By 1885 Blackmann and Parkes had designed more than 110 buildings.
Despite a career of 20 years in Australia as a leading Sydney architect and member of the council of the Institute of Architects Charles Henry Edmund Blackmann has been erased and his contribution to Australian Architecture reduced to a racy tale of fraud and exile from society due to illicit sex. During his lifetime his contemporaries lauded his skills in mining engineering, drawing, design, project management and architecture. Now Blackmann has no, entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography, he is a side note, mentioned only as a partner in biographical notes of Varney Parkes (Blackman and Parkes) and Sir John Sulman (Blackman and Sulman).
This book records his substantial contribution to architecture in Australia, as well as a fascinating story of German migration. mining, family life in Victorian times adn the consequences of his desertion and flight to California. The Book also covers the origins and design of Oybin (part of the Abbey group, including the witches houses)
Heritage Inventory for Oybin on the Heritage State Register Oybin
To Purchase the book clicke here or you can borrow a copy from Leichhardt Library.
By Localnotes, on May 3rd, 2012   Fergus Fricke The 32nd Heritage Festival – Innovation and Invention was the perfect opportunity to commemorate the long and hard efforts of the local resident activist groups who fought a 15 year battle to save Ballast Point from development and the clutches of the Walker corporation. On April 26th a lively crowd gathered at Balmain Town Hall to hear Fergus Fricke, Helen Styles and Roger Parkes talk about their role in the battle which began in 1989 when the 5 sites in Balmain, Unilever, Caltex, Ampol, Monsanto, Balmain Power Station, were up for rezoning and development. They were an innovative group of resident/ community activist starting with the Snails Bay Action Group then the Ballast Point Action Group, White Bay Action Group, Mort Bay Action Group and the Balmain Association. They all united to create BURST (Balmain United, Residents, Strategic Taskforce). They were innovative in their tactics, and strategies, raising money with Harbour cruises and evening dinners at Taronga Zoo, getting the media onside and taking it to the Land and Environment Courts.The Battle was won in 2002 when the Bob Carr Government purchased the land for Public open Space for $24 million. (Alot of the leg work had been carried out by BURST) Mcgregor and Coxall won the contract to design and landscape the site. They responded to the history of the site and incorporated the industrial features of the old caltex site into their design along with leaving the skeleton of the oil tanks and clanking iron stairs. Echoing further the history of the site, is the display of crockery from the original house that stood on the land “Menevia” The park’s design is loaded with symbolism and meaning with references to the Balmain Tigers, Caltex, when it was used as a Ballast, it also features a three teared environmentally sound draining system.Jan Woods of Woodland productions created footage of the key events of the Local Community activists, on the victory harbour cruise, sausage sizzle and opening if the new Ballast Point Park in 2009. Larry Hand, June Lunsmann, Jan Wood, Helen Styles, Fergus Fricke, Kathleen Hamey, Susan Callaghan.
The audience included ex mayor of Leichhardt Larry Hand, Tom Uren, Trevor Snape, June Lunsmann, Kath and Val Hamey, Diana Garder and Malcolm Garder, Balmain photographer David Liddle.
 Local Resident activists
By Localnotes, on April 14th, 2012 Don’t forget to write in your calendars a night to remember an Evening Talk “Saving Ballast Point” refreshments served. 6:30pm- 8:30pm – Balmain Town Hall. bookings essential 9367 9215
By Localnotes, on March 29th, 2012
Jan Wood of Woodland Productions Interviews Amie Zar Local History Librarian
about events coming up for Heritage Festival 2012- Saving Ballast Point and
A Patchwork of Memories Exhibition of Balmain in the 60s 70s. 80s and 90s held at
Leichhardt Library April 2nd – 30th 2012
By Localnotes, on March 20th, 2012 “A Patchwork of Memories of Balmain in the 50′s, 60′s , 70′s and 80′s”
An exhibition of retrospective art work by Jan Wood.
Jan Wood will exhibit her work as part of the Heritage Festival Events for 2012.
Her work includes images of the older Balmain including Ballast Point when it was Caltex,
Mort’s Dock and Darling Street.
Opens Monday 2nd April – 30th April
Leichhardt Library
Opening Hours of the Library Enquiries – 9367 9266
By Localnotes, on March 12th, 2012
By Localnotes, on March 8th, 2012 
Last Night Paul ‘ O Keefe delivered a powerful and compelling unique family history to a packed crowd at the Balmain Town Hall. Paul grew up in Balmain and his family have lived there for three generations. Paul has uncovered their family ties to Ettie Hart, Paul’s Great Great Grandmother who was Ned Kelly’s secret love and longtime sweetheart. This is a historical gem of a story, Paul’s presentation takes you on a journey packed with facts, documents and compelling ties to the famous Australian legend of Ned Kelly.
Paul will be Re- Neducating again at Randwick Library
History Group Series, Randwick Library
Thursday April 12, 10.30-11.30am
Where: Randwick Branch Library, Level one, Royal Randwick Shopping Centre, Belmore Road, Randwick
Free event, bookings essential. Call: 9314 4888
Don’t miss out
http://www.neducate.com.au/neducate/The_Girl_Who_Loved_Ned_Kelly.html
By Localnotes, on February 23rd, 2012 
The National Library of Australia digitises 50 years of The Australian Women’s Weekly with DatacomIT
Since 1994, the National Library of Australia has financially supported the preservation of nationally significant material through the use of its Community Heritage Grant programme. However, it was not until 2009 that the Library initiated its first large scale project to digitise the entire available collection of the first 50 years of The Australian Women’s Weekly (The AWW).
Check out Trove
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/title/112
By Localnotes, on February 21st, 2012 The proposed new extension of the light rail line follows the old Goods Line. In 1910 it was suggested taking a new railway route alongside the new Long Cove Canal (now Hawthorne Canal) through Leichhardt. Their plan was to install a new intersection at Dulwich Hill on the Bankstown line and linking this to Rozelle, Glebe Island and eventually Darling Harbour. On June 30 1916 the goods line on this route, opened for traffic.
Now the light rail runs along the same line from Catherine Street, Lilyfield to Central Station. The light rail extension will run from Lilyfield to Dulwich Hill along the historic goods line.
Total length from Lilyfield to the Dulwich Hill Railway Station is 5.6km. Approximately nine stations will be built along the 5.6km extension at:
- • Leichhardt North
- • Hawthorne
- • Marion
- • Taverners Hill
- • Lewisham West
- • Waratah Mills
- • Arlington
- • Dulwich Grove
- • Dulwich Hill Interchange
By Localnotes, on February 16th, 2012 For Family History enthusiasts check out some software that could assist your organisation and research with
Family Tree Maker – Free Update for Version 2012 brought to you by Gould Genealogy.
We also have a subscription to Ancestory.com which can be accessed at both Leichhardt and Balmain Library.
Sydney Sands Directory on microfieche
Sydney Directory 1865 (Sands). 1865. Directories are a great resource for genealogists, social and local historians … no they don’t give you BDM details, but they can give you all the interesting information about a person and the place they lived in.
The Sands’ directories are among the most comprehensive and best known of Australian directories. 1865 was the fifth year of release for the “”"”Sand’s Sydney Directory”"”". Similar in style to earlier years, this one contains 13 directories in one.
You will find the following included:
- Street Directory (lists houses/businesses street-by-street, together with the head of the household and occupation)
- Suburban Directory (lists persons in the suburbs alphabetically by surname, together with their address, and sometimes occupation)
- Alphabetical Directory (lists persons in Sydney alphabetically by surname, together with their address, and sometimes occupation)
- Trade and Professional Directory (occupations are listed alphabetically, with a listing of each person, and address – similar to current day yellow pages)
- Banks, Insurance and Other Companies
- Artistic, Literary, Scientific, and Benevolent Institutions
- Masonic Institutions
- Government and Official Directory
- Ecclesiastical Directory
- Legal Directory
- Medical Directory
- Municipal Directory
- Colonial Directory (contains details on heads of parliament and governmental positions for each Australian state, and New Zealand)
- hundred of adverts are also included, which make for interested reading in themselves!
Covering both Sydney and its suburbs, this will be a useful reference for all with connections to the region at this time. Also included is a small Almanac section which lists ‘Remarkable Events’ for every day of the year.
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