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t h e b a l m a i na s s o c i a t i o n NEWS SHEFT

V o l 2 4 N o 7 I s s u e 1 8 3 F O U N D E D 1 9 6 5 A U G U S T 1 9 8 9

' D o w n t h e D r a i n "

On Sunday 23rd July Sydneyhad i t s co ldes t spe l l f o r 3years and where were some 40m e m b e r s a n d f r i e n d s o f t h e B a lm a i n A s s o c i a t i o n ? ' D o w n t h edrain' so to speak, well, inspectingt h e r e m a i n s o f t h e T a n k S t r e a m . I twas actually warmer down there.

O f l a t e t h e W a t e r B o a r d h a v e h a dbuckets sent their way, but a littleknown public relations exercise is theirTank Stream Inspection. An excellentvideo introduction precedes the donningof hard hats and wellies (see picture)and down we went. Just a few stepsinto history. Only a short section isaccessible but it is interesting to seeconvict initials in the original sandstone.

When the First Fleet arrived, thes t r e a m m u s t h a v e b e e n b e a u t i f u l a s aseries of small waterfalls through heavyt imber was a fea tu re in i t s course f roma swampy area that is now Hyde Parkto Bridge Street where it met saltw a t e r .

The sandstone was excavated in anumber of places to create storage tanks,hence the name. One was dug nearwhere Pitt and Spring Streets intersect.In 1828 all attempts to save the TankStream for drinking water were abandoned and it degenerated into an opensewer. In 1858 a stone culver t wasbuilt over it from the Circular Quayend. Today it is no longer a fouls e w e r .

Interested? Contact the Water BoardPublic Relations 269 5163.

Balmain Co-op Store as it is today

G O U R L I E ' S C O R N E R

Balmain Co-op StoreThe Co-op Store was a shareholders' business in which

the public were eligible to buy shares. Profits were putback into the business to reduce prices. This store wassituated in Montague Street (the building still stands tothis day). A bakery was owned by the Co-op and producedbread for the local household and shop deliveries. Thebakery and horses were housed at the foot of TheodoreStreet. The store sold almost anything and closed in thelate 1930s.

The Ba lma in Assoc iaUon i nv i t es members and t he i r

THE LAST OF THEM E R TO N E S TAT EHOMES FOR THE PEOPLE!

The above heads a pamphlet (acopy of which has been recently acquired by the Association) thatwas produced by Alfred Hancock,Merton Estate Agency of Beattleand Elliott Streets, Baimain, undated with the exception of areceipt showing the dat^1894.

Mr. Hancock heads his pamphlet witht h e w o r d s :

"To my Friends and the Public:Nearly a quarter of a century ago Iinaugurated a system whereby struggling people could secure their ownfreeholds by small gradual paymentsextending over a long period. There aremany hundred of worthy people inBaimain to-day freeholders, and manyI N D E P E N D E N T w h o o w e t h e i r r i s ein life SOLELY to the fact that theyseized the opportunity then offered,every one of whom can testify to theconsiderate and liberal spirit in whichI treated them during the currency oft h e i r c r e d i t .

Having purchased at a cheap ratethe whole of the residue of Mr. Paling'sEstates at a very cheap rate, Mr.H a n c o c k o f f e r s a S A C R I F I C EPRICE of £2 Deposit and £1 Monthlyeach Lot at only SIX PER CENTI N T E R E S T

There is a Special Memo that says" the Vendors o f fe r a Bonus o f OnePound to all Purchasers on this Estatewho shall introduce a Customer purchasing one or more Lots, providedNotice of such Introduction givenat the time. By means of a little energyin this direction holders of Lots maygreatly reduce their payments, andconfer the benefit of an immenselyprofitable investment upon theirf r i ends . "

"Now is your time to buy: the priceswill never again be so low as thosequoted herein.

How the children of those thoughtful,frugal parents who purchase now willb l e s s t h e m h e r e a f t e r.

One price Only and No Deviat i o n

No advantage taken, but fair,sU"aightforward, honorable dealing, aspractised by A.H. towards his Customerssince the commencement of his business.

PURCHASERS CAN BE SUPPLIEDWITH TIMBER, &C.. FOR BUILDING,P A Y A B L E B Y T E N S H I L L I N G SW E E K L Y . "

Comments of interest associated withmany of the Lots that were for sale:a) Starling /Hartley /Brent Streets willhave the Great At t rac t ion o f Double

Frontage, and will largely participate inthe important advantages of the NewReclamation at White Bay and thecoming Trams; b) Denison/Albion Streets.. are really good Residential Sites forWorking Men; c) Longview Street ..the Water Frontage Lots will some daybe a fortune to the Owners; d)Foucart/Albert/Alice Streets .. highlydesirable, close to and overlooking EastonPark and almost Adjoining Tramwayproposed.

Finally Mr. Hancock writes:R E M E M B E R

Nothing can prevent long andshamefully-neglected Baimain coming tothe front in the immediate future.

* * * * * * * * * *

Tramway via Forest Lodge - Peggedout. Railway, Petersham to Field ofMars - Pegged out. Reclamation ofWhite Bay - Now proceeding.

Levelling of Glebe Island and Establishment of Large Works - Certain tob e d o n e .

T H E R E I S N O C L A P T R A P I NTHIS: The above Improvements

A R E C E R T A I N .* * * * * * * * * *

Ask yourself seriously. What effectwill they have on the value of land,and who will profit by it?"

T h e S a c r i fi c e L i s t o f P r i c e s s h o w sthe price and lot numbers in thefollowing streets: Albion, Manning,

Denison, Evans, Callan & Springside,Park, Oxford, Moodie, Western Road,Bridgewater, Denison, Cook, Foucart,Denison, Emily and Catherine.

One area for sale was Section 44,Lot 2 o f "The Gi lchr is t Set t lement -A Basic Search Plan" bought in 1874by Mr. Paling. The drawing shows thesubdivision of Section 44. What makesthis Section interesting that it is nowabout to totally change for the fourtht ime .

Lost somewhere in the time appeart o b e t w o s t r e e t s : M i l l R o a d a n dBridgewater Street, now the site of theB a i m a i n P o w e r S t a t i o n .

Bridgewater Street appears in theSands Directories in 1884, Mill Roadin 1888. Early occupants of BridgewaterStreet (south) were T. Addison and G.Forster who subsequently joined forcesto become Addison & Forster, Builders.In later years the N.S.W. Joinery Woricsw a s l o c a t e d o n t h e s a m e s i d e o f t h estreet. Other occupants were AdolfWidmar (musician) and R. Cruickshank(compositor). Bridgewater Street in the1930s showed some 14 occupants. MillRoad had but few occupants.

The fu'st entry entitled "ELECTRICLIGHT", via Margaret Street, appearsi n 1 9 1 0 .

F R O M V A C A N T L A N D T OHOMES; HOMES TO INDUSTRYA N D N O W B A C K T O P R O P O S E DH O M E S .

C O R V E T T E

The ship building industry holds a lot of history for Babnainand was particularly important during World War n asmany corvettes were built by Poole & Steel, Mori's Dock andCockatoo Island dockyards.

Only two RAN vessels were ever launched by a male and thishonour went to the Rev. A.G. Rix from St. Jrrfin's Church,Balmain.(l) Rev. Rix was an honorary naval chaplain and waspresent for the launching of 61 ships. Committee member, Bonnie Davidson, has fond memories of 'Gappy', as he was affectionately known, because he christened her, married her tohusband Ray, and also christened their two children, Janice andWayne. Rev. Arthur George Rix was minister of St. John'sChurch from 1928 until 2nd April 1953, when he passed away inBalmain Hospital. He was dearly loved by his parish.

One of the corvettes built in the area was I IAS "Kapunda",launched by Balmain MP, Mrs. M. Quiik from Poole & Steel,Stephen St. yards on 23rd June 1942. The South Australian townthat gave its name to the ship was settled by pastoralists Bogotand Duiton in 1839 but really owes its development to the discovery of copper in 1842 and is said to be Australia's oldestmining town.

Kapunda Museum The Rev. A. G. Rix

This information came via the office of local MP, DawnEraser, from Jack Hutchison, an ex-crew member. Jack's painting of the ship will be presented to the City of Kapunda and crewmembers will be coming from all over Australia for the commemoration of the date of her commission.

HMAS "Kapunda" took the Japanese surrender at Kuching,Borneo on 11th September 1945. There were fifteen surrendersin all, ranging from the deck of USS "Missouri", on 2nd Septemberto Ambon, 22nd September and including Government House,Hong Kong and the corvette "Kapunda's" When warended she assisted in the evacuation of Allied POW's fromKuching. She returned to Sydney 17ih November 1945, was paidoff into Reserve 14th January 1946, listed for disposal fourteenyears later and finally left Port Jackson 21st May 1962 for breaking up. (2)

he RAN Corvette Association of NSW will be holding a1. National Reunion Dinner on Saturday 20th October 1990. Ifyou are an interested ex-corvette crew member please phoneSecretary Ern Pask on 8881191.

Last issue omitted to credit the article about Cockatoo Islandto Bob Nicholls. Our, apologies Bob.

Below is a list of some of the corvettes that were built inBalmain dockyards (3):Poole & SteelKaloomba launched 16/4/41 by Mrs. H. Lloyd; Geraldton,

16/8/41 by Mrs. W. McKeU; Kapunda, 23/6/42 by Mrs. M. Quirk;Wallaroo; 18/2/42 by Mrs. A. Poole; Cootamundra, 3/12/42 byLady Davidson; Cowra, 27/5/43 by Mrs'. P. Spender; Junee,16/11/43 by Mrs. J. Rosevear.

HMAS Kapunda al Kuching, Sqjiember 1945

M o r t ' s D o c k

Lismore, 10/8/40 by Mrs. G. Mourhead-Gould; Burnie,25/10/40 by Lady King; Lithgow, 21/12/40 by Mrs. W. Bennett;Mildura, 15/3/41 byMrs. J.Durnford; Delomine,16niA\byDameMary Hughes; Warnambool. 8/5/41 by Mrs. E. Simpson; Colac,30/8/41 by Miss M. Heady, Dubbo, 7/3/42 by Mrs. E. Serisier;Armidale, IZIHAl by Rev. A. Rix; Inverell, WIAl by Mrs. T.Punch; Latrobe, 19/6/42 by Rev. A. Rix; Wagga, ISPIAl n/a.

Cockatoo IslandBathurst, l/8/40by Mrs. A. Doyle; Goulbum, 16/11/40 by Mrs.

J. Grace; 1/3/41 byDame Mary Hughes; Wollongong,5/7/41 by Mrs. J. Beasley; Cessnock, 17/10/41 by Lady Gordon;Glenelg, 25/9/42 by Mrs. H. Evalt.

Map showing where Poole & Steel's Works were situated

Sources:(1). St. John's Balmain Centenary Book.(2), (3). 'The Corvettes' by Iris Nesdale.

B A L M A i N-

M A G N O L I AThere are both deciduous and evergreen types of Magnolia.

Some have exotic perfume. Magnolias should be protectedfrom strong winds. They like sandy loam with plenty ofwater in summer. Use a thick mulch of leaf mould. Takehardwood cuttings of both ev^gieen and deciduous typesin summer.

L A S I A N D R ALasiandra (Tibouchina) is a sun loving plam which prefars

a warm climate. After a hot day give Lasiandras a lightsprinkle, but keep the soil as dry as possible on cold winterdays to avoid chilling. Although they are evo'green, firostswill bum the leaves. Lasiandra have a great abund ce offlowers which can be pale mauve through to a deep purple.They look good when planted amongst Hibiscus. Use compostand animal manure in the soil. During early spring removegrowing tips to keep the plant dense. If it shows a tendencyto send out long, thin branches the plant is probably gettingtoo much shade so prone back hard in Sq)tember. Insummer strike side shoots in rich s^y loam in pots kqrtin a greenhouse.

P O I N S E T T I APoinsettia Euphorbia Pulch^ma) can be grown in a

well lit and well ventilated room, but do best in a gj nhouse.If you wish to grow Poinsettia outdoors rememb^^ t theyare frost tender and wil l lose their leaves in late winter.When taking cuttings for striking, allow the cut end to dryfor several hours before potting. Keq) pots in a greenhouse.Always use gloves when picking or pruning Poinsettiabecause, like all Euphorbia, they have a poisonous milkylooking sap. Be careful not to splash any sap into youreyes while pruning as it will cause pain and even temporaryb l i ndness .

J A C A R A N D AJacaranda is one of the most beautiful flowering trees ii)

the world. They must have room to spread. Use a thickcarpet of mulch for a few metres around the trunk, becausethe roots are shallow. They do best in warm coastal districtsas cold winds can spoil the pe of the tree. Jacarandais grown from seed.

Margaret Ford

A n e x c e l l e n t c o m m u n i t y i n f o r m a t i o n d i r e c t o r yof local services facilities and activities fOT 1989 in theLeichhardt Municipality was recently launched by the Mayor,Aid. D. Spedding and Aid. I. Wyner. David Sampson andfellow workers at the Leichhardt Central Library producedthe book which is available firee. We have some copies atthe Watch House for distribution.

m m i n C o m b i n e d 'every pimftfon.T i m s f l b V « s m MThwwtoy. fTiw^ teConthct Mr$. Borbim

Vtmrna ComibMd^meetings everyand bingo h UUt m theSingalong is IteW army Iwnth V Saiwrdoy from1.30pitt. All ncBvIti^ are U the HarryHannaford Centre, Parifhg

W H A T ' S O N

2piii Saturday 19th AugustA f t e r n o o n Te a w i t h S i s t e r J o h n s

to celebrate tier recently received medalfor nomination for the Women 88 award

Next Association OutingSeptemt)er 17 - Spring Heritage Walk

Woolwich - Kelly's BushBring hamper lunch. Adult $5 Children free

Ferry departs Darling St Wharf 10amBBQ facil i t ies at Clarke Park

O U R H O U S E W A T C HThe Watch House is open every Saturday

from 1 to 3pm • Call in for coffee

T h e B a i m a i n A s s o c i a t i o n m e e t son the first Wednesday of eachmonth at 7.30pm in the Watch

House, 179 Dariing Street,B a i m a i n .

Send mail c/o PO Box 57, BALMAIN. 2041Our editorial phone is 818 4954

interested artists, potters, sculptors etc. who wouldlike to organise an exhibition in the Watch House

are urged to contact Steve South on 810 1411. TheWa t c h H o u s e c a n a l s o b e m a d e a v a i l a b l e a s a

meeting place for local organisations.

t h e b a i m a i n a s s o c i a t i o n

^ ^1 representingB a i m a i n - B i r c h g r o v e &

R o z e i i eO U R A I M S A R E T O :

• i m p r o v e t h e l i v i n g , w o r k i n g a n dr e c r e a t i o n a l a m e n i t i e s o f o u r a r e a

• m a i n t f l i n a i l f e a t u r e s h a v i n g n a t u r a la r c h i t e c t u r a l a n d / o r h i s t o r i c a l v a l u e

• compi le and record history of the area& keep a permanent collection of itemso f h i s t o r i c a l i n t e r e s t

• seek the cooperation of everyone concernedi n t h e r e a l i s a t i o n o f t h e a b o v e

MEMBERSHiP* FORMRetum to: Treasurer, PO Box 57, BALMAIN 2041

N A M E :A D D R E S S :

P H O N E . H O M E : B U S :ANNUAL SUBSCRIPII(»4Cmd Nws Sieel ddivery in Bahnam-Roadle)

cinfc-...NEW MEMBER/RENEWALSingle^amily/Household $8.00O r g a n i s a l i c m $ 1 2 . 0 0f t i m o n e r o r S t u d e n t S l l X )

Add SSjOO to above rates to have News Sheet postedOiwpiPig dxiuld be made payable to Ihe Bdmain Association