r

ithe balmainassociat ionincorporatednews sheet

V o l 2 9 N o 2 I s s u e 2 2 8 F o u n d e d 1 9 6 5 April 1994

L e i c h h a r d t To w n P l a n

Before 1900 building regulationswere ineffective beyond the SydneyC o u n c i l b o u n d a r i e s . M o v e s t o w a r d s a

building code went on in a desultorym a n n e r b e c a u s e m o s t a l d e r m e n h a ds o m e i n t e r e s t i n p r o p e r t y. B a l m a i nC o u n c i l v o t e d o n 1 5 O c t o b e r 1 8 7 8 t oenforce a five shilling fee for any buildingerected. Ignoring this brought a £2 fine.

A t a C o u n c i l m e e t i n g o n 2 5November 1879, Aid Gow expressedconcern at persons building two andth ree houses on a l l o tmen ts i n tended fo rone house. He was opposed on thegrounds of impracticality - such a restriction would drive people away if theyintended to build; it would interfere withthe liberty of the people; the expense ofc a r r y i n g o u t n e c e s s a r y r e g u l a t i o n s"wou ld be eno rmous" . A id Cow 's mo t ionwas lost. It was not until 2 June 1896 thatCouncil proposed a short building Act"to regulate the erection of buildingsaccording to the locality and street".Strict building regulations did not comeinto effect for suburban counci ls unt i l the1919 Local Government Act was passed.

In 1992, Leichhardt Council initiatedthe process of preparing a new TownPlan which will provide a comprehensivepackage of planning controls andguidelines for the use of land and thedevelopment of buildings. Counciladopted a Vision for Leichhardt; To fosterLeichhardt's distinguishing characteristics, namely; diversity, tolerance,c o m m u n i t y i n v o l v em e n t a n d e n v i r o nm e n t a l c o n s c i o u s n e s s .

Fostering diversity is akey element of the TownPlan. Traditionally, this diversity results from mixing local shops, studios,home offices, workshopsand cultural/ recreationalf a c i l i t i e s w i t h r e s i d e n t i a lu s e s .

Town planning generally aims to reduce

c o n fl i c t s o f u s e b y i s o l a t i n g i ncompatible uses. Leichhardt needs aland use and assessment system that isflexible enough to achieve diversity ofland use, whilst protecting the amenityof existing uses. Performance standardsfor development are necessary to ensurethat this objective is successful. The provisions can be divided into measures and

guidelines. Measures are typical requirements expected to be met by adevelopment proposal. Guidelines areprovisions outlined as useful.

The Council's planners have produced a draf t interface Issue Paper.T h e s e a r e m o s t l y p e r f o r m a n c emeasures or 'deemed-to-comply' provisions. Other measures and guidelinesare to be included in further issue paperscovering built form, density, street-scapes, heritage, transport, traffic, etc.The assessment of development proposals through a performance standardsapproach can enable a more adaptablesystem of control to operate with leaste x p e n s e .

We cannot seriously adopt a zoningsystem which Ignores current trends. Inthis decade there wi l l be more and moreresidents working at home. The publics e r v i c e n o w h a s a n i n d u s t r i a l a w a r d

c o v e r i n g s u c h c o n d i t i o n s o f w o r k .Employment close to home can help toreduce car dependency in urban areas.

Local government's real function isthe regulation of the property industry. Itis this regulatory function which providesplanning bodies with the greatest scope

for creative management of the urbanenvironment. Planning with enterpriseneeds an agreed set of long term objectives; a relatively stable set of attitudesand preferences; and It needs to take anopen and flexible approach to them a n n e r b y w h i c h t h e s e t h i n g s a r eimplemented.

The present controls are contained inL o c a l E n v i r o n m e n t a l P l a n N o 2 0 a n d

Development Control Plan No 1. Thehigh number of amendments to LEP 20are evidence of its inflexibility. Theprecinct descriptions in DCP 1 areconsidered to make an impressive andvaluable document. Currently, Council isconsidering three zoning proposalswh ich p romote flex ib i l i t y and adap tability by broadening the range of usespermitted with development consentwithin a particular zone, while prohibitingothers. The first has three zones - living,working and leisure. The second has fivezones ■ residential, business, industrial,open space and public lands. The lasthas five zones with sub-zones and is them o r e t r a d i t i o n a l a n d l e a s t fl e x i b l e . T h eidea l may be a comb ina t i on o f t hefeatures of the first two.

Heritage Week 17-24 AprQClontarf Cottage (1844), 4 Wallace

Street, Balmain. Clontarf Cottage andit's Environments. Saturday 16, Sunday17, 1 lam-4pm. Entry Free.

Watch House (1854), 179 DarlingStreet, Balmain. History Murals & OpenBite Heritage Collage. Saturday, 16,23,Sunday 17, 24, 1 larrv4pm. Free Entry.

Heritage Walk. Saturday 16 & 23.Depart 2pm, Main gate Balmain Markets,Darling Street comer Curtis Road, Cost$5pp to Watch House restoration.

Balmain Library. Panorama Vieivs ofBalmain. How and Then. Saturday16-Saturday 23. Library hours.

B a l m a i n o n t h e M o v e .

The Balmain Darling Street shopwindows will display a map, photographor painting of early Balmain.

C o n t a c t 8 1 8 4 9 5 4 .

Balmain Volunteer RiflesIn the colony of New South Wales in

the late 1850s, government policy was toencourage the raising of volunteer citizenmilitia for local defence. British armyunits, which had been in the colony sinceits founding, were being withdrawn andat the same time there were fears, real orimagined, about possible military threatsto Australia from the empire buildingactivities in the Pacific of such majorpowers as Russia, France and Germany.Volunteers had already been recruited inAus t ra l i a t o se rve i n t he Maor i Wars i nNew Zea land . I n 1860a public meeting wash e l d a t t h e V i c t o r i a

Theatre to organiset h e f o r m a t i o n o f u n i t sof Volunteers. HenryP a r k e s a n d o t h e r l e a d

ing figures attended.The Balmain CorpV o l u n t e e r R i fl e s w a s

formed as a unit of theN e w S o u t h W a l e s

military forces, one ofa n u m b e r o f r i fl e

compan ies nameda f t e r t h e s u b u r b s o rlocalities where theyw e r e l o c a t e d a n dr e c r u i t e d . ^

Two of the original members took animportant role in the establishment ofthe uni t .The commanding officer,Theodore James Jacques was a lawyerby profession living at Eastcliffe, 11Pearson St, East Balmain, who went ont o b e c o m e C h a i r m a n o f t h e N S W L a n dTitles Commission and also DeputyRegistrar General. His appointment wasin keep ing w i t h t he p rac t i ce o fappointing local professional men andsenior public servants to command thevolunteer companies.

W h e n t h e B a l m a i n R i fl e s w e r e

formed, Theodore Jacques was madeCaptain. A few years later on 4th July1868 he was promoted to Major and in

which rank he cont inued in the volunteerforces until 1885. On the fifth of Februaryin that year he retired and was given thehonary rank of Leutenant Colonel. Inaddi t ion to h is serv ice wi th the volunteer

military forces, Jacques was also, formany years, President of the New SouthWales Rifle Association and Secretary ofthe Ba lma in Mechan i cs Schoo l o f A r t s .

Patrick Killeen was another foundingm e m b e r o f t h e R i fl e s a n d a r e s i d e n t o f

Balmain with considerable prior militaryexperience. Born in Ireland in 1797 heenlisted at Ballinasloe 1 July 1815 in the17th Regiment of Foot. In 1822 he waspromoted to Colour Sergeant. By 1830he had married and was sent to Join hisregiment stationed at Parramatta. Aftersix years in Australia he paid a dischargefee of £10 and retired from the army on29th January 1836 and came to live inBalmain working as a carpenter. Whenhe enlisted in the newly formed BalmainRifles he would have been sixty threeyears of age. He helped the Balmain unitwin the Company Challenge Bugle in

1863 and again in 1864, presumably incompetition with other Sydney suburbanvolunteer companies. Patrick Kileen diedon the 6th November 1879 aged 82years. In the photograph of the BalmainVolunteer Rifles, the unit appears tonumber about twenty {Killeen is standingsecond from the left). Their original uniform was of a Europeon style, probablycoloured light green, with belted militaryfrock coats and high tapered peakedkepis decorated with a pom-pom plumeand a large silver badge. The rifles weremuzzle loaders and there was a unit flag.

It is said that the Balmain Rifles turnedout for local events, probably led by theBalmain Brass Band, on such occasionsas the opening of the Balmain Post Officeand in 1868 the Glebe Island Bridge.Where the un i t d r i l l ed i s no t known bu tthere is some old talk of practice rifleshooting on the old Pigeon Ground.Presumably they would have joined othervolunteer units at annual military camps,usually at Easter, at the the RoyalN a t i o n a l P a r k a n d a t R o o k w o o d .

Following the formation of the BalmainRifles in 1860, it's story becomes one of

mergers and new names. In 1864 it wasmerged with other local units to becomeNumber Two (Balmain) Company of theSuburban Ba t ta l i an , NSW Vo lun tee rRifles. In 1875, it was changed toNumber Two (Balmain) Company,Second Regiment New South WalesVolunteer Rifles. Three years later this inturn became Number Two (Balmain)Company, New South Wales VolunteerInfantry. Finally, on the 1st July 1903,following the takeover of all colonialmilitary forces by the Commonwealthafter Federation, the Balmain Volunteerslost all local identity when they became

part of the SecondA u s t r a l i a n I n f a n t r yRegiment.

Long before theB a l m a i n V o l u n t e e rR i fl e s d i s a p p e a r e di n t o t h e e m e r g i n gt w e n t i e t h c e n t u r yAustralian Army, twoother Balmain organisat ions a lso took then a m e " V o l u n t e e r s " .

One was the Ba lmainFire Brigade, whichoriginally was largelys t a f f e d b y l o c a lvolunteers, to whom,m o s t l y t h e t e r mB a l m a i n V o l u n t e e r s

applies.In 1889 there was a move to form a

Balmain Reserve Rifle Corp with ameeting held at Dicks Hotel. These reserve units were in fact rifle clubs formed

primarily for recreational purposes butsubsidised and supported by the government as a potential source of trainedr i flemen to be rec ru i t ed i n t ime o f wa r.After a period of effective service in sucha reserve unit, members became eligibleto be given a grant of land In the colonyfor a nominal fee. Theodore Jacques, thecommander of the original BalmainR i fl e s a n d t h e n P r e s i d e n t o f t h e N S WRifle Association, possibly had someinterest in this second formation of a unito f B a l m a i n v o l u n t e e r r i fl l e m e n .

As a footnote to this story of theBalmain Rifles, during renovations to theBalmain Watch House some years ago,a small object was found which aftercleaning appears to be a military badgemade to fit a hand carried flag staff. Areasonable possibility is that it was oncepart of the equipment of the BalmainVo lun tee r R i fles .

J o h n S u l l i v a n

B a l m a i n Te a c h e r s

Col lege

A history is being written of teachere d u c a t i o n a t B a l m a i n T e a c h e r s

College which became Kuring-gaiCollege of Advanced Education and nowis part of CJTS. The book will be writtenin 1995 by Professor Cliff Turney andJudy Taylor of the University of Sydney.

Balmain Teachers Col lege wasopened in Smith Street, Balmain in 1946in order to meet the increasing post ward e m a n d f o r t e a c h e r s . Te a c h e r t r a i n e enumbers i n NSW had fa l l en because o fthe low birth rate during the GreatDepression of the thirties. Many teachershad been killed during World War II.Others, who had filled teaching positionsduring the war while the youngmen were away, had retired.The birth rate was expected torise. There was an urgent needto train more teachers. Manyo f t h e fi r s t i n t a k e o f 2 1 0s t u d e n t s w e r e e x - s e r v i c e m e nwho were offered rehabi l i ta t ion

training after the war. Thebuilding was the previouslyc o n d e m n e d S m i t h S t r e e t

Superior Public School whichhad been erected in 1880. In . •some oral history interviewswhich have already been done,early students and staff at thetime remember the "pong" and the sootwhich came from the industrial area inwhich the college was sited. GeorgeCantello, the first Principal, was alwayspleased when the rain overflowed theinadequate gutters because It combined

with the soap flakes from Lever Bros towash the building.

George Cantello met his students onthe first day the college opened and toldthem that it was being renovated. In factthe renovations and scaffolding, laddersand no ise were to cont inue for the next

year or two. Mr Cantello solved the initialproblem of having a student body but nobuildings ready, by sending them out forthe first two weeks making a study ofBalmain. Students were to explore thedistrict, find out about the industries, thehistory, the geography, the housing, theparks, the churches, the shipping, thecommerce and to meet with the people.Each student was to produce a projecton Balmain. Mr Cantello thus capitalisedon the inadequate facilities by turning

them into a posi t ive educat ionalexperience which is still remembered byt h o s e s t u d e n t s .

The college was only supposed to bea temporary one. It was opened for twoyears at first and then for another two and

after six years, it was decided thatBalmain Teachers College should become a permanent institution. Annexeswere opened at Orange Grove in 1957and at North Sydney in 1970, but themain part of the college remained in therefurbished but inadequate Smith Streetbuildings on a cramped site with onecamphor laurel tree. In 1972 it moved toEton Road. L indfie ld as Wi l l iam Ba lmain

College. The name was changed toKur ing-ga i Co l lege o f AdvancedEducation in 1974. On 1 January 1990the college amalgamated with otherinstitutions to form the new University ofTechnology, Sydney or UTS.

The college had close links with theBalmain community during its 25 yearsin Smith Street because of the College's

inadequate facilities. Localswimming baths and sportingf a c i l i t i e s w e r e u s e d a n d t h eannual prize-giving was in theMethodist Hall when the largest room in the College wasproved too small. There was ashop (photo) across the streetwhere students bought drinksand sandwiches at lunch t ime.

Information, photographsand memorabilia are soughtabout l i fe in Ba lma in be tween1 9 4 6 a n d 1 9 7 1 t h a t a f f e c t e dthe Balmain Teachers College.Part iculars of faci l i t ies such as

Birchgrove Oval and Balmain Baths andthe Methodist Hall which were used byt h e s t u d e n t s . S e n d i n f o r m a t i o n o r

enquiries to Mrs Judy Taylor at theFaculty of Education, UTS. Phone 6924683 ext 390 or 692 2625.

Moinstreet Study

In 1989 the Department of Planningcommenced a Mainstreet Program forNSW. Leichhardt Council has been givena grant of $20,000 towards a MainstreetStudy of Balmain and Rozelle. A steeringcommittee was chosen by the CouncilHeritage Committee and comprisesrepresentatives of Barcham, the BalmainAssociation and Heritage. It is chaired byCr Kath Hacking. The study area ofDarling Street lies between ColgateAvenue to Just past Elliott Street and inR o z e l l e f r o m B r o w n s H a r d w a r e t oDen ison S t ree t .

The program will bring together div e r s e g r o u p s w i t h t h e o b j e c t o fpromoting positive changes and imp r o v e m e n t s t h a t w i l l e n h a n c e t h e

elements which convey the suburbsimage, strengthening businesses andcreate new opportunities for growth. Itaims to capital ise on the uniquecharacter and recognise the importanceof heritage as a familiar part of everydayexperiences. Promotion of the suburbsidentity and retail services for visitorsand locals through marketing is anotherobjective.

A consu l tan t has been se lec ted f roma short list and has been passed on toCouncil for approval. They will berequired to consult with shop owners,lessees, steering committee members,res iden ts and Counc i l t o ensure a c lea r

understanding of community views andto create further public interest. Acomprehensive building and streetscapesurvey will be made of the study area

producing a photographic inventory ofthese i tems.

The program will draw from theLeichhardt Heritage Study, the BusinessCentres Study and the draft of theDevelopment Control Plan componentof the new Town Plan. The Barcham civicimprovement scheme for the centres willa lso be cons idered.

Most buildings are In the form ofterraced shops with residential above.They are either Italianate in style fromthe late 19th century, or early 20thcentury Federation. The area is of higharchitectual and heritage significancewith fine, coherent streetscapes. Thed e c l i n e h a s b e e n a r r e s t e d i n r e c e n tdecades by rejuvenation but the centreshave nevertheless suffered from periodsof neglect and ad hoc development.

Dn̂ l̂JxcL ̂LnJmGardening With Bulbs

Once autumn arrives the thoughts ofthe flower gardener turn inevitablyto the spring bulbs display. Most of ushave plans for a few new bulb varietiesthat we would like to grow and now is thetime to put them into effect.

If you're a novice take heart - anyonecan grow bulbs. With a couple of exceptions (notably tulips and hyacinths)they will grow and flowerwith ease in a wide rangeo f s o i l s a n d l o c a t i o n s .Even those p laces lesst h a n i d e a l b u t n e v e r i n

heavy wet clays as thesespell trouble because theconstantly damp situationc o u l d r o t t h e b u l b s .

B u l b s m i x w e l l w i t hother plants and so areideal for spots here andthere in the garden. Plant them betweenshrubs, under trees or in pockets of arockery. They are also suitable for pots,tubs, hanging baskets and window boxesto bring colour to balconies and other

paved areas. Bulbs can be planted ata n y t i m e o v e r t h e a u t u m n m o n t h s .Before planting it's worthwhile to addsome plant food into the soil to providef u t u r e n o u r i s h m e n t a n d h a v e b e t t e r

flowering. Use about two handfuls of anyplant food per square metre. If you forgetjust sprinkle on top of the planting siteafterwards. Once they are planted it's agood idea to mark the spot to ensure youdon't disturb them accidentally.

The first shoots that push through arerather tempting to slugs and snails so

keep an eye out and scatters o m e b a i t a r o u n d . W h e n

flower buds appear in springapply some liquid fertiliserto give the display a boost.

After flowering is finishedr e m o v e fl o w e r h e a d s b u tleave foliage to die naturally.T h i s i s e s s e n t i a l s i n c e t h e

bu lb draws in nut r ien ts f romthe dying foliage which it

I uses to produce next year'sblooms. The foliage may look untidy asit yellows but don't be tempted. Somebulbs are happy to remain in the samesite year after year but check directionson the packet for most bulbs.

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

S e n i o r s A w a r dT ^ h e C o u r i e r ' s S e n i o r o f t h e Ye a r

Award has honoured Kay Trippe ofBalmain with second place shared withVic Vieyra of Ashfteld. Kay, a member oft h e B a l m a i n A s s o c i a t i o n a n d C l o n t a r f

Cottage Committee, was recognised forh e r c o n t r i b u t i o n t o t h e c o m m u n i t ythrough a number of charities, clubs andcommunity groups. These include theRed Cross, Neighbourhood Watch andthe Rozelle Neighbourhood Centre,among others.

Kay was nominated by Cr KathHacking, Ian Scandrett, Barcham, andSuper intendent Peter McLachlan,B a l m a i n P o l i c e .

Prizes were presented on 24 March atan afternoon tea in the Drawing Room ofthe Observatory Hotel, Sydney. Thewinner was Ruby Williams of Five Dockwho made an outstanding fundraisingeffort for the Intensive Centre Ward of the

Royal Alexander Children's Hospital.

P r in ted on recyded paper byS n a p P r i n t , B a l m a i n

® Not to be reproduced w i thou ta u t h o r i s a t i o n

N o w a v a i l a b l e

L e i c h h a r d t H i s t o r i c a l J o u r n a l 1 8

Methodism in Glebe By Max Soiling.L e i c h h a r d t : T h e E x c e l s i o r S u b d i v i s i o nPart 2. By Peter Reynolds. Balmain: FromAdolphus Street to Gladstone Park Part2. By Peter Reynolds. The block boundedby Stephen Street, Gladstone Street,Jane Street, Vincent Street, plusDonnelly Street.

L e i c h h a r d t H i s t o r i c a l J o u r n a l 1was published in 1971 and to conform tothe later format, has been re-designedwi th added i l l us t ra t ions .

The complete set in now available atthe Watch House and at Clontarf Cottage16 & 17 April, or contact 8184954. Costof journals $10 to $15 each. Full SetSpecial Price $175.

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

Open Byte - April 16-24P r i n t m a k e r sSue Cowden - May 14-15N a d o M i l a t - J u n e 4 - 6ink on PaperJulie ChamtMriln - July 30

L e t t e r t o L e i c h h a r d t C o u n c i l

Sir,

Until recently, at the entrance ofLeichhardt Park, there was a t imberstructure not unlike a pergola whichspanned the roadway. This relic, of thesame vintage as the adjacent cottage,lent an air of charm and style to this area.

I believe our pergola dates from themid 1910s to maybe the early 1920s.The council has seen fit to preserve andmaintain it through times of war, materials h o r t a g e s , d e p r e s s i o n s a n d e v e nthrough the slash and burn 50s and 60s.And now in these heritage enlightenedtimes, some philistine has decided todestroy a unique piece of history.

I can't foresee anyone losing byhaving the pergola reinstated. It was onlya simple timber structure - it wouldn'tcost a fortune. Perhaps the originaltimbers are still sitting on a rubbish pilewaiting to be rescued.

regards,Brian Conolly.Ed. Mr Conolly requests a photograph

of the pergola from members.

T h e B a i m a i n A s s o c i a t i o n I n crepresenting Balmain, Birchgrove,

R o z e l l e .

O u r A i m s A r e T o :• improve the living, working and

r e c r e a t i o n a l a m e n i t i e s o f o u ra r e a

• maintain all features havingn a t u r a l a r c h i t e c t u r a l a n d / o rh i s t o r i c a l v a l u e

• compile and record history ofthe area & keep a permanentc o l l e c t i o n o f i t e m s o f h i s t o r i c a li n t e r e s t

• seek the cooperation ofeveryone concerned in ther e a l i s a t i o n o f t h e a b o v e

The Watch House is open everySaturday from 12 to 3pm

The Balmain Association meets on thefirst Wednesday of each month at 7.30pm

i n t h e W a t c h H o u s e

179 Darling Street, Baimain.Mail c/o PO Box 57, BALMAIN. 2041.

Our editorial phone/fax is 818 4954Interested artists, potters, sculptors,etc. v4)o would like to organise ane x h i b i t i o n i n t h e Wa t c h H o u s e a r e

urged to contact Steve South on8 1 0 1 4 1 1

Annual Subscriptions:Household $16, Pensioners &

Students $7, Organisation $21.