the balmainassociationincorporatednews sheet

X H e P e n i n s u l a

Vol 46 No 1 Issue 318President's Report 2010

_ Balmain Association has completed.. 1 IL/another very busy year of wide-

ranging activities, beginning with the annual,and always enjoyable. Back To BalmainFestival in Elkington Park. A highlight wasthe musical performance in the Rotundaby the Birchgrove School Band, valiantlycoping with a torrential rain storm, alongwith their enthusiastic audience who clappedvigorously out in the downpwur. June andI were drenched and thought the eventwas a cheerful washout, but the stalwartsmoved up into the Balmain Town Halland continued with the rest of the highlysuccessful program.This year at the Watch House, twooutstanding photography exhibitionsfeatured the diversity of local residents,workers and artists, past and present. JohnDoyle delighted everyone with his richlydetailed and fascinating observations of lifeand people in Balmain since he arrived herein 1982 (see March 2010 Observer). Manythanks to Fergus, David and Roger for theirhard work in setting up these exhibitions.On Sunday 8'" April our cruise ofindustrial sites in Balmain was also a

great success. The route was carefullyplanned, the commentaries excellent andthe lunch delicious. Compliments wereflowing. Particular thanks go to June,Kathleen, Diana and Julie.The maintenance of the Watch House itself isan on-going and time-consuming responsibilityof the committee, whose efforts are constantlyrewarded by praise from visitors and members.June does an excellent Job of hiring out thepremises for exhibitions.Coach tour visitors greatly appreciatebeing shown around by Kathleen whotries to retire from guiding but is soknowledgeable and helpful that she isin high demand. June and others aregradually becoming apprentices.On Saturdays, a htu-d core of memebrs isrostered to open up the History room andprovide information for visitors, many ofwhom become members of the Association.

As President, I encourage people to Join theAssociation and am pleased by the high levelof membership renewal. Diana, June and Iparticipated at Gladstone Park in the Chamberof Commerce's first Christmas in July. Ourstall drew a lot of interest, and the whole event

F o u n d e d N o v e m b e r 1 9 6 5

was very popular, assisted greatly it must besaid by the glorious, fine weather!Jane with Local Member Verity Firth and PlanningMinister, Tony Kelly at the announcement of thelisting of Mart Bay Park on the Slate HeritageRegister (more about this in the June Obserx'er)The UTS students re-designing ourwebsite are finalizing their work. Ournew treasurer, John, has set up an online

Bulletin to be accessible between issuesof the Observer. John, assisted by Val andTim, is doing a great Job and has broughtwelcome new ideas and energy.After concerns were raised at a committee

meeting about possible financialvulnerability of the Association, we arereviewing our constitution.Heritage and planning issues continueto be high priorities for the BalmainAssociation. A surprise but welcomevictory and precedent is the saving ofNewtown's Leamington Street, butHeritage still lacks adequate statutoryprotection. On planning matters, we aredisappointed that little good has comeout of the recent spate of task forces,committees, enquiries and consultations.Instead there are political re-shuffles,costly back flips and ad hoc decisions.The Part 3A powers of the Minister ofPlanning are still entrenched and nowthe Premier is talking about taking directcontrol of Barangaroo.We note the overwhelming support from theBays Precinct Community Reference Groupfor a headland park at Wharf 6 While Bay.The Balmain Associat ion has donated

$500 to the Barangaroo Action Groupcampaign. We also totally oppose ther e - c l a s s i fi c a t i o n o f W e s t o n S t r e e t E a s t

Balmain from Community Land toOperational whereby it can be excessivelycommercialized or sold, also setting adangerous precedent for other communityland in Leichhardt Municipality.

M a r c h 2 0 11

The Balmain Association has a valuablerole as an umbrella organization that canbring other groups together and speakon broader issues consistent with ourstated aims. In line with that, I attendprecinct meetings and speak publiclywhen appropriate. 1 was proud to draw"thunderous applause" for the BalmainAssociation at the JRPP hearing on theTigers site. Speakers at that hearingspoke superbly. They were wonderful.The decision of the panel was unanimous- to reject the current DA application bythe developers. The hall erupted withunprecedented joy. Disbelief. Hugging.Tears. Sheer amazement to win anyvictory, but awareness of being part of anexcellent and compelling presentation.I thank again all the office bearers andcommittee members for their supportand hard work. The Balmain Associat ionis an organisation of great value to thecommunity and one that also enablespeople to enjoy the company of otherswhile being constructive and creative.Jane Ward, President.

I N T H I S I S S U E

1. President's Report/new committee2. Balmain Telephone Exchange3. A Tea Exposition4. What's on at the Watch House

Enclosure Sydney Harbour National ParkD r a f t P O M i n f o r m a t i o n .

Management Committee 2010 - 2011Pres ident : Jane WardVice Pres iden t : D iana Garder

Secretary: position vacantTreasurer: John SymondsC o m m i t t e e M e m b e r s :Kathleen Harney, Carolyn Allen, PennyAlexander, Christina Ritchie, JuneLunsmann, Ann Bastock. Leo White,R o s s M a c K e n z i e

W e w e l c o m e n e w c o m m i t t e e m e m b e r s L e o

White and Ross McKenzie.Our thanks to Roger Parkes and FergusFricke for their time on the committee and a

very very big thank you to Val Hamey whofor heaven only knows how many years wastreasurer as well as, with help of Kathleen,produced the Observer.Auditor: Tim Potter has again offered tobe auditor. Our thanks to Tim for all hehas done for the association.Pub l i c O ffice r : Bob E l l i s .

Balmain Telephone ExchangeIn any survey of which is the ugliestbuilding in Balmain or the mostinappropriate juxtaposition of twobuildings or the most prominent site inBalmain, the Telephone Exchange wouldhave to get top rating and be the subjectof the most vitriolic ranting as well. Itseems that architectural merit is not aconsideration in the design of Telstraexchanges but heavy metal-shutteredwindows and brutal functionality are.The following is a brief history of theBalmain exchange and an account of themost recent discussions with Telstra about

reducing its visual impact and to give abet ter v iewof the sideof the iconic1886 JamesB a m e t

Post Officet o w e r .

Before 1914 the site on which the

telephone exchange is located was openspace. In July 1914 the first automatictelephone exchange in NSW was openedon the site. Prior to the present buildinga smaller exchange was set back fromDarling Street. The lower part of theexisting exchange (the Darling Street end)was opened in 1957 and the taller rearextension was added in 1971. Telstra (orthe Postmaster-General's Department,PMG, as it then was before becomingTelecom Australia and then Telstra) strucka deal with Leichhardt Council to buildthe 1971 extension of the exchange. Inexchange for permission to extend theexchange the PMG agreed to replacethe spire on the Post Office tower whichhad been removed for safety reasons. Sowhile the Post Office was improved thetelephone exchange was made more ugly.The best one can say about the exchange

is that it might make some people moreaware of the beauty and grandeur of thePost Office and Court House.

There have been a number of attempts,over many years, to encourage Telstrato "modify" the exchange. The mostpromising of these was in 1999 as parto f Le i chha rd t

Council's plan toimprove DarlingStreet. After ini t ialinterest Telstrabacked awayfrom a planneddemol i t ion o f the

Darling Streetfront of the building that contained anentrance, stairway, office, recreation roomand toi lets but no telecommunicat ions

equipment above ground level.Last year, having received no response

ftxDm two Telstra divisions, David Thodey,CEO of Telstra, was approached directly.Despite a less than enthusiastic response anumber of subsequent phone calls, emailexchanges and a meeting in Melbournewith Telstra staff established that somethingmight be done to the exchange but that itwas definitely staying where it was, cumhell or high water or the National BroadbandNetwork. The interpretation of these contactsand discussions was that Telstra was opento suggestions and prepared to negotiatesomething even though the official line wasthat no demolition could be considered becauseof the effect of dust on telecommunications

equipment in the basement of the exchangeand that the "community" would have to payfor any such modification, which might costa million dollars. Nothing however would beruled out until a proposal was put forward.

So far the only proposal has comefrom Telstra. At the Melbourne meeting inNovember 2010 Telstra made an offer to

paint a mural on the Montague Street side ofthe building at their expense. The proposedmural however (see below) was consideredinappropriate, for what are fairly obviousreasons. It is thought however that a vertical

garden on that wall would be appropriate,together with, not instead of, the demolitionof the front of the exchange. So currentlysupport for action from the Federal, Stateand Local Governments and the communityis being sought to encourage Telstra to dothe right thing with or without help.

Fergus Fricke

A suggestion for a verticl garden at theTelephone Exchange - sketch by Ruth Downes.A local example of a vertical garden can beseen in the housing development at the oldCamperdown Children's Hospital site.

Changes to membership subscriptionTo simplify the accounting and tocomply with our revised constitution thefollowing has been decided that:

• the membership year will run (forone or two years) from 1st July to 30thJune rather than current practice of duedate being the date that membershipapplication was made;• current members whose renewal fal ls

due between 1 July and 30 December2010 will now renew on 1 July 2011,this is the majority of members;• current members whose renewal fal ls

due between I Jan and 30 June 2011will be taken as renewing on 1 July2 0 11 ;

• the same applies to 2 year sub.scriptionsie those between 1 July and 30December 2010 will renew on 1 July2 0 1 2 .

Future members: it was decided that a 6month rate would apply to new membersjoining between I Jan and 30 June of anyyear. Those joining between 1 July and 31December would pay full membership rate.Annual subscription be increased by $5:$25/year, concession/student $ 15. This is tocover increased costs of postage and printing.For more information or any enquiriescontact Ross MacKenzie, Membershipofficer email rosssmack@gmail.com orphone 9810 8592.

A Tea ExpositionOur December exhibition was notonly a display of tea cosies and teaparaphernalia but a celebration of friendshipwith our community and for those seekingrefuge here.

The call to creative instincts

produced crocheted, felted, knitted,painted, potted & stitched items fromthe modest to wildly extravagant andfrom vintage to contemporary.

The exhibition was opened on Fridayevening by Liz Gemmel, a wonderfullytalented local fabric artist, who not

only made the contemporary tea cosyCosy cocoon on a Bush Fire (picturedbelow) but gave a very poignant speechas she reflected on her own family'sarrival on the first migrant ship to berthin Newcastle with refugees from warin Europe. Liz talked of the welcominggenerosity and friendship of Australianstowards her young parents and how

today we too can show the compassionfor those seeking asylum.

The display of tea items was verydiverse - Blinky Bills, numerousDolly Vardens, chickens, flower andvegie gardens, sea scapes and the justcolourful and zany - and sales werebrisk. Lynden White's Tea Gardenwas simply gorgeous as was Virginia

exhibited several feltedbeauties, including DFsGarden. Jenny's Burge'sAnenome and a painting oftea in the garden by BarbaraHamilton were our raffle

prizes. We also had a varietyof tea inspired paintings «fephotographs and aprons.

Upstairs in the parlour wasa display of some precious

Walkers vintage cosy I'm a little older(pictured above) and Hilary Seymour

tea items - family heirlooms andcollector's tea pots for all tastes. Patriciaand Gerry O'Brien displayed a mostexquisite Butterfly cup and saucer, 1914Ansley, England (seeabove).A se lec t i on o f

photographs fromt h e F r e e d o m F r o m

F e a r E x h i b i t i o n *

celebrating refugeeswho have found a

sense of belongingin NSW and who are

helping to shape theirc o m m u n i t i e s h e r e w a s

a l s o s h o w n .

On Saturday andSunday we offeredvisitors lea tastings inthe delightful gardensetting. Elmstock Teain Darling St kindlydonated a range ofd e l i c i o u s t e a s f o r

tasting which weo f f e r e d w i t h c o l dtea punch and minicupcakes purchasedat cos t f rom the

cupcake factory.Tali , Rozelle's

con tempora ryindigenous artgallery also joinedin the even t .

3

The event was both successful and funthanks to all who made items and joined inover the weekend, but especially to Di andRobert Osmond and June Lunsmann whomade sure it happened.

We are very pleased that the fundsraised, just over $3000, from sales,the raffle and donations will assist The

Bridge for Asylum Seekers in theirsupport and advocacy for those seekingasylum today.Carolyn Allen.*NSW Dept Education & TAPE, AMES, TheSmith Family, Lady Gowrie, SGSCC UNSW

January 2012Balmain AssociationDear Members,lam writing on behalf of the Management Committee ofBridge for Asylum Seekers Foundation (BASF) to thank you

fhose who helped to raisefunds for'w //jeand tea cosy display and sales at thewatch House on the weekend of 10'' to 12" December.Not only teas it a very happy iveekendforDebbyNichollsml H very profitable one for BASF We were

^ r imagination and expertisetihich had gone into the making of the tea cosies, as,eel! asfor the work put into mounting it by members of the BalmainAssociation, including, of course. Di Osmond. And whata serdipitous speaker you chose to open the exposition:Liz GemmeVspersonal experience as a refugee not only

faZf C in the footsteps of herZ m Z Z Z 7 U a l s ocontnted to the number of tea cosies and tea pots whichueught as well as the sizeable donations to BASF.

"""""h 'med when I forwarded tohem the information that almost $3,000 had been raised' I Z f Z Z ~ l y , i v e i n J f Z a , 'them to work, oblam Centrelink or Medicare benefits or""ysovernment allowances the sum of $110per week Sothis mi mean that one of our recipients can beprofdedWith money for approximately 6 months while he/sheawaitsfinahsation of his/her claim for asylum.Again, I would like to thank you for your generosity andthe inspiration for the event V "r generosity andSincerely

honorary Chairpersonasylum seekers foundation

I l l

What's on at the Watch HouseI I www.balmainassociation.org.au

M A R C HSat 5,9am - 5pm and Sun 6, 9 to 4' In our v iew '

Judy Karikios and Robyn HammondFigurative and abstract landscapes inacrylics and mixed mediaSaturday 12The History Room open 11.30 to 3pmSaturday 19 and Sunday 20, 10am-5pm"Paintings and Prints of the Piihara "After a visit to the Pilbara in 2008 JanetCarter has been painting and etching theinspiring and colourful landscape.Opening Friday 18, 6pm to 8pmAs well as the art, come enjoy music by astring quartet, Norman Carter.A l l we l come .

Saturday 26 and Sunday 27,10am - 4pmB R A N D L I N G P A I N T E R SA vibrant exhibition of fine art by ourmembers...figure studies in excitingcolours ...includes nudes in both oilpaintings and drawing in various media..Opening Friday 25. 6-9pm All welcome

M A YSat 30 April and Sun 1 May, 10am- 4pmSydney Art School - Exhibition ofEmerging ArtistsOpening Friday 6 May 6pm to 9pmSaturday 7 and Sunday 8,10am to 4pmRoss Manwaring, watercolour artist.The latest of his many exhibitionsat galleries around capital cities, thepaintings are watercolour in his wet-on-wet and sgraffito style, deserts, seascapesand bushland, some small contemporarydrawings all gleaned from wide-rangingtravel al l over Austral ia.

Opening Friday 6,6 to 9 pm, all welcomeSat 14,10 am - 5pm and Sun 15,10 - 4" P h o t o W o r l d "

Photographer Stephen Curran exhibitsfour photographic themes ftom around theworld. "Canvassing the World": photos oncanvas with a painting-like quality. "Thiswas the Modem World": the colorful decayof "modem" industrial buildings, motels,and neon signs, including Las Vegas and

Cockatoo Island. "Formerly of this World":black & white photos from cemeteries in NorthAmerica and Australia. "Our Natural World":landscapes and a planned Afncan safari exhibitfrom local photographer Cait Dugan.Opening Friday 6 to 8 pm. All welcome.Thurs 26, Fri 27, Sat 28 10.30 - 5 andSunday 29 10.30 - 4.30"breathing the rhythms and patterns of theland and sea "Denise Barry and Deanna Doyle jointogether again with their new work- gifts from the sea and tracks throughthe landscape - a series of mixed mediapaintings, drawings, art furniture andsculptural surprises.Opening Friday 20 6 - 9, all welcome

J U N E

Sat 4 and Sun 5 June, 10am to 4.30pm" U n t i t l e d "

An exhibition of prints by Graduating andThird Year Printmaking students fromSydney Gallery School.Opening Friday 3, 6 - 8pm. All welcome.

APRIL - National IVust Heritage Festival 2011The theme this year is Amazing Storieswith a water-based theme.The Trust is working to preserve thestories and places, collections and siteswhere they are told in order to tell ournation's history.A River of Stories, Trusts across Australia willfocus on the use and conservation of water

and Australia's relationship to this amazingresource and plans a national conference inMe lbou rne on t h i s t heme .

The festival wil l be celebrated with eventsacross metropolitan and regional NSWfrom Saturday 2 April to Saturday 23April with National Trust Day falling onSunday 17 April.The Balmain Association has participatedin each festival, now in its 3L' year andwill present its

Amazing Photographic Exhibition.Water, water, surrounds Balmain but

not a drop to drink. The Amazing storyof the Balmain Water Reservoir and theintroduction of reticulated drinking water onthe peninsula. Other amazing stories includethe search for refrigeration by Thomas Mortof Mort's dock and the Balmain Coal mineunder the Sydney Harbour.Contact: 9818 4954,9810 6885.

Newsletter help needed!We need articles for our newsletter - maybeyou have an interesting neighbour you couldinterview or have researched your house ors t r e e t .

Volunteers are also needed to help compileand/or layout the newssheet. It is presentedto the printer in pdf format so there are anumber of applications that could be used.If you can help contact June 98106885speal@zip.com.au, Carolyn 9810 3185ca I len@anmm.gov.au

The Balmain Association Inc Representing Balmain, Birchgrove and RozelleOur aims are to:•Improve the living, working and

recreational amenities of our area;•maintain all features having natural,

architectural and or historical value of thearea and keep a permanent collection ofhistor ica l in terest ;•seek the cooperation of everyone

concerned in the realization of the above.

The Balmain Association meets on the first

Wednesday of each month at 6:00pm in theWatch House, 179 Darling Street Balmain.M E M B E R S A R E I N V I T E D T O AT T E N D .The History Room at the Watch House isopen every Saturday from 11:30-3Postal: PC Box 57 Balmain 2041Material from this newsletter is not to be

reproduced without acknowledgement4

Sydney Harbour National Park DraftPlan of Management

Included is a card announcing theexhibition of the draft POM. Of particularinterest to our community is the proposalfor Goat Is land. The Associat ion submittedto the draft Conservation Management Planfor Goat Island last year. Our major concernis the preservation of the layers of historyon the island as maritime sites aroundthe harbour are rapidly disappearing. Weconsider that the preservation of Goat Islandas a working site, as well as recreational, isnecessary and could offer the opportunityfor wider community use. These concernshave been totally ignored in this draft POMand it is recommended that a large numberof post 1914 structures and buildings beremoved. Go to the website on the card todownload the POM, Goat Island is Precinct11. If you would like further informationor are unable to download the documentcontact June Lunsmann 9810 6885 email

speal@zip.com.au or Carolyn Allencallen@anmm.gov.au

S T O P P R E S SRowntree Family Reunion

Sunday 3rd April11.30am to 4pm

B a l m a i n To w n H a l l .

Contact Bill Rowntree 0407 893 373