Heritage Festival Event – Open Day at Hunter Baillie Memorial Presbyterian Church, Annandale.

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Hunter Baillie Memorial Presbyterian Church“inSPIRE’d at Hunter Baillie Church”

Visit this magnificent 1889 Arthur Blacket Neo-Gothic
church with its landmark spire and splendid William Hill &
Son organ built for Helen Mackie Baillie as a memorial
to her husband, John Hunter Baillie. There will be talks
and an exhibition of historical interest. Devon-shire teas
will be served in the 1886 hall. Wheelchair accessible.

When: Sun 10 April 12noon – 4pm
Where: Cnr Johnston & Collins Street

Cost: Admission free – tax deductible donations
for restoration welcome  Contact: Enquiries: 9969 8071

 WALKING TOUR 

 1890s Annandale an Easy Guided Walk (45mins)

 When: Sun 10 April 3pm

Where: start at Hunter Baillie Church Cnr Johnston & Collins Street  

Cost: Devonshire Tea and walk for $10 

or Tax deductable donation (min $5/person)

 

White Bay Power Station – Open Day Feb 26th

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Well A day to remember as a few thousand Sydneysiders took up the invitation for guided tours through the 1917 White Bay Powers Station. One of the five Sydney Power stations -Ultimo, Pyrmont, Matraville and Balmain which used to power Sydney. The stations main purpose was to provide electricity to the city’s railways and was also used as a backup power source. It was gradually closed down through the 1970s but was fired up during power shortages in the 1980’s. The rustic charm of the station which is situated on 38, 000sq m on the corner of Victoria Road and Mullens Street has been used over the past few years as a hot spot for photographers, artist and film makers alike. The Sydney Foreshore Authority opened the station on February 26th to encourage people to submit ideas for possible future uses. Previous suggestions include turning it into an arts hub or a green energy station.  Other alternatives suggested too take look at other power station conversions such as the Powerhouse Museum, The Brisbane Powerhouse or Canberra Glassworks, which was converted from Kingston Powerhouse. Recently, the plans for Sydney Metro included a station emerging at White Bay Power Station. But these are all speculative. White Bay power station sports some remarkable spaces for future use with rooms that have high ceilings which reach 6 levels,  large open spaces which used to operate as coal handling rooms. A unique and  sweet 1950s mural clad entertainment room with small stage and an old billiard table are also part of the structure.

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For More Heritage information on White Bay Power Station check out: http://www.shfa.nsw.gov.au/sydney-About_us-Our_heritage_role-Heritage_and_Conservation_Register.htm&objectid=4500460

for a good blog entry on White Bay Power station visit Champ De Foin

and http://www.dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/white_bay

for more history on the White’s Bay power station including oral histories come & visit us in the Local History Room at Leichhardt Library.

Opening Hours Monday & Friday   10am-1pm Tuesday & Thursday   2pm-5pm Wednesday 5pm-8pm.


Leichhardt Jubilee 1851-1921 blocks, pressed by Hill End Artists

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Get ready for an exciting up and coming exhibition at Leichhardt Library to celebrate Heritage Festival – Amazing Stories 2011 April 2 – 30

Leichhardt Library in collaboration with  Hill End Press, present the exhibition ” Leichhardt Jubilee Pressed.”

From the barrels of the library archives, the original blocks from the Publication “Leichhardt : its history and progress, with an account of the incorporation of the Municipality and the Celebration of its Jubilee, 1871-1921  have been dusted and brought to life for their 90th birthday by master print press artist Bill and Genevieve Moseley of Hill End Press.

In a day and age of digital imagery, speedy reproduction and dissemination of online publication it is joy to re-visit  the clanking sound of the vintage press, echoing the Industrial revolution.

What lies on these metal printing blocks are multiple amazing stories from an eerie vacant Norton Street  too municipal pride, boners and cutters, school children cultivating experimental grasses, sweet sweepers, new schools and churches which stand today, the large smiling assembly of school children of Leichhardt Public School and more. The blocks also offer us an amazing story of the changing technologies – from metal  and glass plate reproduction to today’s chip-driven electronic media.

Type: Exhibition
Date: Opening Wednesday 6th April 6pm
Time: 6.oopm for 6.30pm start
Venue: Leichhardt Library
Cost: FREE. Light refreshments will be served
Bookings Essential: 9367 9266
Exhibition runs from April 2nd  -30th

 Leichhardt Jubilee Celebrations 1871 -1921 Parramatta Road Photographer JG Park
Master Print Press……Bill Moseley of Hill End Press

Annandale Building Register

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In 1981 The Annandale Association produced a very valuable Building Register of houses in Annandale that were approved by The National Trust of Australia (NSW).

The Trust’s Urban Conservation Committee along with the Annandale Association elected those sites and areas which, in the Trust’s opinion fell under the following definition

“Those places which are components of the natural or the cultural environment of Australia, that have aesthetic, historic, scientific or social significance or other special value

for future generations, as well as the present community”

The Trust does not seek total preservation in a conservation area. It recommends however that any new development should take account of the special qualities that the area possesses.

This valuable building register  is available for viewing in the Local History Collection in hard print and is now part of our  special online Images Project Which has  3500 images added

to the Leichhardt Library Online catalogue to provide easy access for the public and the local community.

NB The Catalogue shows a thumbnail image  – which when clicked on expands

to a JPeg – which is printable. For most of the images, we all hold a TIFF for high

quality reprints.  The TIFFs are available on application and payment at the library.

To View the Annandale Building Register just type in “Annandale Association Register of Buildings” under Title or Anywhere.

Library Catalogue


Greetings from Balmain 2 : David Wilsher and Birchgrove moonlight, c 1910..

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12 Balmain locals were asked to choose a photograph from our collection and invited to tell us what the image said to them. This time, David Wilsher and a pretty charming postcard c 1910 of Birchgrove/Balmain West and Drummoyne at night.

This image fascinates me in several ways.

It’s obviously a postcard and the original source material looks to have been a black and white photo which was then skilfully hand coloured and reproduced as a colour postcard.

Was it done before colour photography was possible?

But colour reproduction was possible.

The result is a cross between photography and painting and is a precursor of how many contemporary images are created using Photoshop and special effects in cinema and television.

I am an artist and have produced images of Balmain, so for me the connection is even stronger.

David Wilsher

Greetings from Balmain 1 : Hannah Parkes and the White Bay paperseller..

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Beatrice Bush, White Bay c1980. Photographer Barry Flakelar.

12 Balmain locals were asked to choose a photograph from our collection and invited to tell us what the image said to them. This week, Hannah Parkes on Beatrice Bush, the White Bay paperseller.

I must have been quite young, around seven years old I imagine, but I still very clearly remember sitting in the back seat while my mum and dad would buy their daily paper from ‘the paper lady’ ( I now know her name was Beatrice) on Victoria Road.

Mum and dad were insistent the paper had to come from her, so gaining access to the daily news relied on traffic light changes, traffic conditions and whether she was available for a sale. It could be quite a stress, but much more interesting for a kid than heading to the shop.

My Dad Roger said ‘the paper lady’ stood for the ‘dying of an era in Balmain’.

“What she stood for was a working class suburb. She was a character doing what she could to make it,” he said.

“She always wore Dunlop’s, she never looked angry, everyone tried their hardest to get their paper from her, even if it caused much consternation with the traffic. That would never happen now,” he said.

Hannah Parkes

Garry Owen House, Rozelle

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Callan Park was initially a combination of purchases by Crown Solicitor and Police Magistrate John Ryan Brenan. In 1839 he bought what he then named the Garry Owen Estate.
Brenan’s residence, Garry Owen House, built c1840 and possibly designed by Colonial Architect Mortimer Lewis, was on an elevation overlooking the Parramatta River, with a tree lined avenue (part of which survives) from wrought iron gates on Balmain Road through spacious gardens.
For many years the house was the Nurses Training School for Callan Park (later Rozelle) Hospital. Today the Greek Revival style house is the home of the NSW Writers’ Centre.

Australian newspapers online – log on and discover!. .

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Since 2007 the National Library – in partnership with State and Territory libraries – has been digitising out of copyright newspapers. It’s now possible to search through the project’s Australian Newspapers site newspapers published in each state and territory from the 1800s until the mid-1950s.

Newspapers of particular interest to those of us  researching Sydney include:

Sydney Chronicle (1846-1848)

Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (1803-1842)

Sydney Herald (1831-1842)

Sydney Monitor (1828-1838)

Sydney Monitor and Commercial Advertiser (1838-1841)

Sydney Morning Herald (1842-1954)

Sun-Herald (1953-1954)

Sunday Herald (1949-1953)

In October the project scanned its 30 millionth article! You can log-on to this tremendous resource at www.nla.gov.au/ndp/

Leichhardt Park Aquatic Centre turns 50 years.

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Leichhardt Park Aquatic Centre’s 50th Anniversary from Localnotes on Vimeo.

Leichhardt Park Aquatic Centre turns 50 this November.


Public pool swimming at this site commenced around 1907 when it was a sea bath and in 1960 the current pool was established.

Do you have any stories, memoirs, photos, documents or memorabilia of Leichhardt  Park Aquatic Centre if you do please. email: history@innerwest.nsw.gov.au

LPAC diving boards 1960s

The Pool  By Julie Millard

I have spent many great hours at the Leichhardt Pool over the past 50 years. When I was just 4 years old my parents, my 3 year old sister Terry and I lived in the corner shop just down the hill from the pool. When the wind blew from the north we would sit in the small backyard, fence garnered with the choko vine and shed full of soft drink bottles, and enviously listen to the sounds of laughter and shrieks coming from the pool.

Life was too busy for leisurely hours swimming, until the day my Aunty Pam came to visit. Tall and worldly she seemed like a goddess to us. Our excited and at times sulky begging eventually wore down my parents. The instructions for good behaviour and sun hats having been dispensed we set off for an afternoon of pleasure.

And it was. Pools of blue water, with diving boards so high it hurt to crane your neck. We swam and splashed and laughed.

Nearing our time to leave my Aunty Pam told us two blond nymphs to sit on the side of the deep diving pool and wait while she did some diving and chatted with the boys.

Minutes passed and we became bored. So imagine my horror when my sister jumped in, to see how deep it was. Panic burst my chest as I watched her head just bobbing above the surface with no steps or ledge for her to stand on. I reached out my hand trying to grab her. Her frantic dog-paddling pushing her further away from me. I flattened myself on the pools edge and stretched so far out and grabbed her. She then pulled me into the pool.

How long we two young kids were frantically trying to get out of the pool I don’t know. But a male swimmer saw us struggling, initially thinking it was a mother and child.

Terry and I woke up in the First Aid room a little oblivious to all the fuss, with my Aunty berating us. Of course we then had to face our parents with Aunty Pam consumed with guilt – she was only 14.

http://swimmingpoolstories.blogspot.com.au/2011_09_01_archive.html