Heritagensw Summer 2009 Vol. 17 No. 2

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Contents

Message from the Chair

Editorial

when all roads led to sydney Town

Heritage grants help build Maitland Gaol

Heavy seas reveal shipwreck secrets

Thunder in a Cloudless sky

Anguish of 1902 Mt Kembla mine disaster remains

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NewSlet ter of the heritage CouNCil of NSw aND the heritage Br aNCh, NSw DePartMeNt of Pl aNNiNg

Heritage NSW is the official newsletter of the Heritage Council of nsw and is published on its behalf by the nsw Department of Planning. Articles may be quoted with appropriate attribution.

heritage BranchNSw Department of Planning3 Marist Place, Parramatta, nswLocked Bag 5020, Parramatta nsw 2124Tel: (02) 9873 8500 Fax (02) 9873 8599Home page: www.heritage.nsw.gov.auE-mail: heritageoffice@heritage.nsw.gov.au

heritage NSwEditor: Debra HollandDesign: Harley & Jones Design

Summer 2009 Vol. 17 No. 2

Issn 1321-1099DOP 2008_031Print Post Approval no. PP 255003/01429Published november 2009

© state of nsw through the nsw Department of Planning, 2009. You may copy, distribute, display, download and otherwise freely deal with the work for any purpose, provided that you attribute the Heritage Branch, nsw Department of Planning as the owner. However, you must obtain permission if you wish to (1) charge others for access to the work (other than at cost) (2) include the work in advertising or a product for sale or (3) modify the work.

DiSClaiMerThis document has been prepared by the Heritage Branch, nsw Department of Planning for general information purposes. while every care has been taken in relation to its accuracy, no warranty is given or implied. Recipients should obtain their own independent advice before making any decisions that rely on this information.

Cover: ‘Unveiling the Cenotaph – The Last Post.’

Photo taken 22 February, 1929. Photographer unknown. Image courtesy state Records nsw from series no.: 12685.

Discover nsw heritage tourism online

Archaeology on show at new youth hostel

Heritage protection for Goulburn’s Cathedrals

The 1942 attack on sydney

Celebrating 20th century heritage

Cenotaph is listed on the state Heritage Register

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Message from the Chair

Editorial

gabrielle Kibble ao

Chair of the heritage Council

It has been a busy few months for the Chair with a range of key events and conferences as well as the regular Heritage Council of nsw meetings in the diary. However my own privilege in participating in and addressing these forums is a reminder of the increasing attention on heritage matters as an integral part of the planning process.

welcome to the summer 2009 edition of Heritage NSW. This is a good opportunity to reflect on a year of achievements in heritage conservation and legislation reform.

The Heritage Act Amendment Bill was passed by nsw Parliament last June and proclaimed in October 2009. These revisions simplify the administration of the nsw Heritage Act 1977, ensure transparency of process and will provide more certainty for owners of heritage items and places. The Amendment Act also introduces skills-based representation of the Heritage Council of nsw to increase its efficiencies in handling the great body of work that it services.

some of the changes are directed at the heritage listing process to streamline the system and to allow a range of issues to be considered. The Heritage Council of nsw, with the support of the Heritage Branch, is now working hard to ensure the smooth

The Heritage Council and Department of Planning were joint Gold sponsors of the 2009 ICOMOs (Un)Loved Modern 20th Century Conference at the sydney Masonic Centre. Our support for this venture recognises our interest in the continued identification, assessment and understanding of the values of 20th century heritage places. It is hoped that such conferences and the interest generated within the community will lead to robust nominations of significant 20th century heritage sites for inclusion on the state Heritage Register.

I was also honoured to launch the Breaking the Shackles archaeological exhibition at the Parramatta Visitors Centre in August which captures the range of significant buried heritage of Parramatta – Australia’s second oldest city. Many of the exhibits came from archaeological excavations conducted under Heritage Council development approval conditions including the award winning interpretation of the archaeological remains of the former Convict Hospital that now lay within the new Parramatta

transition of the new legislation into practice which will include developing a range of policy guidelines.

This edition also features the new and diverse listings to the state Heritage Register. Over the past few months we have seen the addition to the Register of another section of the convict built Great north Road, Goulburn’s two landmark Cathedral buildings, a 1970s era factory building in Penrith, post world war II migrant housing at Fairy Meadow, a rural farming property at Mudgee, the Currawong workers’ Holiday Camp at Pittwater, and the Cenotaph at Martin Place, sydney.

In April Premier Kristina Keneally, then Minister for Planning, opened the 2009 national Trust/Energy Australia Heritage Awards. The Energy Award itself was presented to the nsw Heritage Council and nsw Chapter

Justice Precinct. The innovative exhibition successfully links the present day environment to the physical remnants and layers of Parramatta’s colonial landscape.

At the August meeting of the Heritage Council three of our distinguished members were farewelled. My sincere thanks go to Jason Ardler, Tina Jackson and Chris Johnson for their individual significant contributions to the conservation of heritage in nsw.

Jason has served on Council since 2000 representing the Department of Environment, Climate Change and water (nPws). Jason also served as a member of the state Heritage Register Committee and member of the Aboriginal Advisory Panel.

A member of the Council since 2007, Tina first represented the national Trust of Australia (nsw) and later as an individual responsible for the ‘corporate promotion, conservation of environmental heritage and natural heritage’. Tina also served as a member of the state Heritage Register Committee.

of the Australian Institute of Architects for “new Uses for Heritage Places”, a guideline for the adaptive re-use of historic buildings and sites. The Heritage Council was also the winner of an award for its Salt Attack and Rising Damp publication, and for the management of the Japanese midget submarine M24 near sydney.

The Heritage Branch’s work with the midget submarine has recently been recognised internationally with a UnEsCO Asia Pacific Culture Heritage ‘Award of Distinction’ for the protection and promotion of the site. This is an enormous achievement with the work of the Heritage Branch being cited as setting a global benchmark for the management of a sensitive underwater cultural site.

Chris has served on the Heritage Council of nsw since 2005 presenting the nsw Department of Planning and has also served as a member of the Approvals Committee.

From left: Tina Jackson, Chris Johnson, Gabrielle Kibble and Jason Ardler.

Photo courtesy Heritage Branch, August 2009.

Stop preSS:New MinisterDecember 2009 saw the appointment of the Hon Tony Kelly MLC as NSW Minister for Planning. Minister Kelly has a strong background in regional matters having previously served as Minister for Lands and Minister for Rural Affairs. The Autumn 2010 edition of Heritage NSW will feature Minister Kelly’s appointment as Minister for Planning and the heritage portfolio.

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few of the thousands of city

workers and tourists who

pass by Macquarie Place

each day realise that this

small sanctuary with its

collection of monuments

and memorials is a time

capsule from the earliest

days of the colony.

Established in 1810, Macquarie Place is Australia’s oldest planned town square. some historians believe the area has served as a public meeting place and park from as early as 1791.

The most significant of all the monuments that occupy the site is a sandstone Obelisk. It survives as one of the most enduring yet understated legacies of the administration of Governor Lachlan Macquarie between the year of his arrival in the colony in 1810 until his departure in 1821.

But to understand this story, let us first imagine Macquarie Place as it was first designed.

The original park was located on the foreshores of sydney Cove itself (until landfill created the present day Circular Quay) and followed the natural topography to create a triangular shape.

Bridge street – so called because it traversed the Tank stream- bordered one side of the park. The road leading to the

dry stores at the Government wharf and the road between the Government wharf and the First Government House created the other two sides. Acting as a forecourt to the first Government House, Macquarie Place was the visual entrance to the centre of administration and separated the convict settlement west of the Tank stream from the free settlers’ and Governor’s domain to the east.

Only a remnant of this original town centre exists today with a smaller triangular park surrounded on two sides by a low sandstone wall and bounded by the streets of Bridge, Loftus and Macquarie Place.

Built between 1816 and 1818, the Obelisk was the geographical marker from where all public roads in the colony were measured and a ‘symbolic peg’ indicating the furthest extent of the British Empire in the Antipodes.

Yet the Obelisk overcame the official British view that sydney Cove was simply a penal colony representing instead Governor Macquarie’s controversial vision for a planned settlement.

The Obelisk was designed by Francis Greenway and built by the stonemason Edward Cureton in 1818 using convict labour. It

was one of Greenway’s earliest public works and it is believed to be based on the Georgian Obelisk erected by Beau nash in Bath, England, rather than on Egyptian prototypes.

It is the second oldest known European monument in Australia, beaten only by an 1811 obelisk also erected by Macquarie’s regiment at watson’s Bay to commemorate the completion of construction of the road to south Head.

The needle of the Macquarie Obelisk was constructed of ashlar blocks of sandstone which was an unusual choice of material for the era. It is the only surviving structure in sydney built from this particular fine grained white sandstone.

The sandstone was probably quarried locally near sydney Cove however the exact location is unknown. Despite the availability of a convict workforce, colonial era sydney did not have the technology to excavate sandstone in a single block, so it must have been quite a laborious effort in dif ficult conditions.

The Obelisk soon became a colonial landmark and was incorporated into several 19th century paintings including works by artists Conrad Martens,

When all roads led to Sydney Town

Macq

uarie

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‘View in the town of Sydney’ 1853 Watercolour by colonial artist Conrad Martens. Likely from Bridge Street looking out to the Obelisk and a warehouse.

Courtesy national Library of Australia. ID: an2390542.

‘The Obelisk, Macquarie Place, Sydney’. Photographer Frank Hurley from negative collection 1910–1962.

Courtesy national Library of Australia. ID: an23136736.

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the obelisk is perhaps

the most significant of

the Macquarie Place

monuments but there are

many others worthy of a

‘stop and look’.

The oldest of these other monuments are a cannon and an anchor salvaged from HMS Sirius, the armed flagship of the First Fleet, which was wrecked in 1790 on norfolk Island. They were mounted at Macquarie Place in the 1880s and 1907 respectively.

These naval relics are at the northern end of Macquarie Place and link the park to the First Redoubt, the earliest constructed defences of sydney Cove, which operated between 1788-1791.

Later public monuments and structures erected in Macquarie Place illustrate the continued civic importance of the park and each in their own way describe the evolution of the growth, services, design, construction and industries of sydney.

It is hard to ignore the imposing bronze statue c1887 looking out over Bridge street commemorating businessman and horticulturist, wool baron and frozen meat entrepreneur Thomas sutclif fe Mort (1816-78). The dedication reads: “A pioneer of Australian resources, a founder of Australian industries, one who established our wool market”. It was erected on the same site of the 1819-1820 Doric fountain designed by Francis Greenway for Governor and Lady Macquarie.

nearby a former Mayor of sydney left his memorial on the sandstone gate post facing Bridge street marked with the words: ‘Walter Renny, Esq., Mayor 1869’.

Additional 19th century and early 20th century public memorials relocated or erected in the park include an 1857 cast iron drinking fountain.

Another smaller bronze fountain designed by the renowned sculptor, Gerald Lewers, was installed in 1960 in remembrance of the Australian sculptor, Lieutenant John Christie wright, who died in France in 1917.

Joseph Fowles, Thomas watling and Major James Taylor.

The paintings show the Obelisk erected near the carriageway into the First Government House surrounded by a park divided into segments with paths leading up to the structure and the reserve itself protected by a low wall. It was clearly visible from the ridges above sydney Cove, the front of Government House and the north shore.

The Obelisk had a central role in the subsequent surveying, mapping and planned expansion of the colony serving as the “zero point” for measuring road distance from sydney. By 1818 the colony of ‘new south wales’ covered two-thirds of the continent, excluding only the territories now known as western Australia.

Macquarie himself had described the poor state of the colony upon his arrival in 1810, noting that it only penetrated forty miles into the interior. The Obelisk reflected this limitation in its inscriptions which reflect the extent of the road network by 1818, marking the distance only for Bathurst, windsor, Parramatta, Liverpool, south Head and the north Head of Botany Bay.

Interestingly, when the representative of the British Government derided the Obelisk as being too grand for a penal colony, an indignant Governor

Unveiling of HMS Sirius anchor and gun by Hon. J.A. Hogue 1907.

Mitchell Library, state Library of new south wales [GPO 1-10840].

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Macquarie defended both the cost and design stating that the “little unadorned Obelisk...rendered at a trifling expense, somewhat ornamental to the Town” which in his view did not “merit any censure”.

It was this dif ference of opinion that contributed to the resignation of a disillusioned Governor Macquarie, and meant that many of his plans and Greenway’s designs for an elegant Georgian township were never realised.

There are few echoes of the original park landscape today; the Obelisk is dwarfed by the skyscrapers nearby and the park itself reduced to a small pedestrian oasis caught between the ‘fiendish rattle’ of the daily buses and taxis ‘making hurry down the street’.

But for those passers by who do stop to read its inscriptions, Macquarie Place survives as a rare record of the transition of sydney from a rough penal settlement to a planned city under the direction of Governor Macquarie.

with all its charms and collected heritage, Macquarie Place will be an ideal setting to begin the celebrations next January to mark the bicentennary of Macquarie’s arrival onto our shores and into the history books.

The Macquarie Obelisk prior to maintenance and restoration works conducted in 2009.

Photo courtesy Heritage Branch 2005.

nearby are two London plane trees (platanus x acerifolia) planted in 1954 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh during their first visit to Australia.

These trees, now stretching high over Macquarie Place, mark the beginning of the Remembrance Driveway to Canberra and provide welcome shade to the busy office workers passing beneath its branches each day.

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Grants

Heritage grants help build Maitland Gaol into tourist showpiecehidden behind the imposing

sandstone walls of Maitland

gaol are dismal tales of

punishment and retribution

and perhaps the lingering

ghosts of the condemned.

But despite its history, or

because of it, there is no

doubt that the former prison

is one of the hunter Valley’s

most significant heritage

and cultural tourism assets.

For almost a decade Maitland Gaol has served as a popular regional attraction and is recognised as an educational field location for both secondary and tertiary students. now, with the addition of restored facilities, new exhibitions and enhanced interpretation, Maitland Gaol is welcoming a new generation of visitors.

These adaptive re-use conservation works and interpretation projects have been made possible through funding allocations to Maitland City Council under the nsw Heritage Grants program.

A $70,000 grant under the 2008-2009 program matched by large scale funding from Council and some Commonwealth support enabled conservation works to the Auditorium, several wing blocks and the Governor’s Residence.

The successful adaptive re-use of the 1970s era auditorium into an educational and interpretive centre involved removing an internal dividing wall and mezzanine floor that had been added c1980 to house offices.

The new space can now seat up to 200 people for lectures, seminars and other gatherings while the installation of audio, lighting and exhibition facilities has enhanced Maitland Gaol’s interpretation and museum program.

Last May the Gaol marked the opening of the new museum space within the renovated auditorium with an inaugural exhibition opened by Gabrielle Kibble entitled “Hurled into Eternity” which looked back over the 16 executions conducted at the Gaol between 1843 and 1897.

Guests at the launch event welcomed the news of a further $75,000 in funding for conservation and interpretation

works under the 2009–2011 nsw Heritage Grants Program. This latest pro rata allocation to Maitland City Council includes $55,000 to install a lif t in the Chapel and complete the adaptive re-use of the Administration Building as well as $20,000 for archaeological excavation of the site once occupied by the female ‘D’ wing and cookhouse.

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$5.3 million in grants to conserve heritageat a National trust of

australia (NSw) function

in april, Planning Minister,

Kristina Keneally revealed

details of the $5.3 million of

funding for heritage projects

and programs across NSw

for 2009–2011.

Under the program, $3.4 million will provide financial assistance for a range of conservation, interpretation, community, strategic and special works projects and another $1.9 million will go towards funding for local government heritage advisors and small grants through local heritage funding programs.

Ms Keneally said the $3.4 million worth of project grants would greatly benefit 73 dif ferent heritage projects across nsw and generate an estimated $15 million in new heritage works.

“This funding is expected to lead to tourism and employment opportunities particularly in rural and regional communities and will directly enable communities to take a hands-on approach to conserving historic places as an investment for future generations,” Ms Keneally said.

Projects include:

• $25,500torectifythecorrosionof the Memorial Anchor placed at The Gap to commemorate the sinking of the Dunbar in 1857;

• $75,000toassistwithconservation work in the c1799 ‘Old Government House’ in Parramatta Park;

• $75,000toundertakeworksto the 1930 Royal Theatre and adjoining 1913 Open Air Theatre at Quirindi to enable its use as a cinema and other theatrical events;

• $75,000tocarryouturgentstructural repairs to the c1890 showground Grandstand at Lockhart;

• $20,000toproduce Fortress Sydney: a trail guide to Sydney’s fortified coastline – a self guided trail guide for the fixed coastal defences on public land around sydney Harbour; and

• $30,000tocompletetheconservation of the 1890 French Puget Pipe Organ at Kincoppal – Rose Bay school of the sacred Heart, Rose Bay.

The funding initiative is managed by the Heritage Branch, Department of Planning and is designed to provide direct financial assistance to private owners, councils and community based organisations in maintaining and improving their heritage assets.

A full list of projects funded under the 2009–2011 nsw Heritage Grants program can be found at www.heritage.nsw.gov.au.

The Maitland Correctional Centre is the only surviving example of the group of ‘Inspectors Gaols’ designed by the Colonial Architects Mortimer Lewis (1844–1848) and later James Barnet (1851–1875) in nsw.

Locals and prison inmates started building the Gaol in 1844 and it was officially opened four years later. The stones used for the construction came from Thomas Browne’s Ravensfield sandstone Quarry near west Maitland and a quarry near Morpeth.

This first stage included the south-east wing, the gates lodges and the enclosing wall of the original compound.

The second stage, built in 1861–73, included the north-west wing, the watch towers, the warders’ quarters and the Governors residence, and the two storey building that contained a chapel, school room and workshops.

Construction on the eastern extension was completed in 1900. work included the perimeter walls, watch towers, women’s cell range, workshops and female warden’s quarters.

At the time of its closure in 1998, it had become the longest continuously operating Gaol in Australia.

For more information on Maitland Gaol’s visiting hours, tourist programs and venue hire go to www.maitlandgaol.com.au; details on its state heritage significance can be found on the Heritage website www.heritage.nsw.gov.au under ‘Maitland Correctional Centre’. Maitland Gaol is also one of the featured visitor locations on the new nsw Heritage Tourism Online site www.visit.heritage.nsw.gov.au

The on site interpretation and self guided audio tours have been made possible through a $20,000 project grant under the 2006–2008 Heritage Incentives Program.

Photos by Paul Foley; lightmoods.com.au (auditorium), Dan Johnston (cell door bolt). All imagery courtesy Maitland Gaol, Maitland City Council.

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Heavy seas reveal shipwreck secrets

Heritag

e

woolgoolga Beach

reserve at Coffs harbour

had an unexpected tourist

attraction last april when

heavy seas exposed

substantial remains of

the hull of the 1893

shipwreck Buster.

This is the third time this decade that Buster has been uncovered, but this is the largest reported extent. not surprisingly, crowds of interested holidaymakers and local enthusiasts joined Heritage Branch Maritime Archaeologists to inspect the remains of the timber built barquentine.

“This was the first time that the entire hull and framing were exposed so it was important that it be recorded as quickly as possible,” said Maritime Archaeologist and Heritage Branch Deputy Director, Tim smith.

“The Heritage Branch worked very closely with Solitary Islands Marine Park (DECCW) staff and Coffs Harbour City Council in the urgent task of recording the wreck.

“We were particularly grateful of the support we received from several members of the local community – including professional photographers – who contributed to the survey work.

“This latest survey will increase both our knowledge of Buster and late 19th century ship construction and trans-Tasman trade of the period,” Tim said.

It may be months before Buster disappears again under the moving sands. In the meantime warning notices have been established to discourage potential souvenir hunters from disturbing the wreck.

The heavy seas continued along the mid north coast throughout May and June with six other shipwrecks re-emerging from their sandy graves. A large timber section of a ship’s bow was thrown out of the sea near Grassy Head, south west Rocks, with the remainder of the hull lying partly exposed in the surf zone. Another wreck sighted nearby is likely the remains of a fishing vessel lost in more recent times.

Two other shipwreck sightings occurred north of Evans Head, near the salty Lakes. One is believed to be the timber schooner Pilot which ran ashore in 1874.

A further timber steamship thought to be the Otis, has been reported by divers underwater off Forster on the nsw coast near Great Lakes and another unknown wreck was located near Bellingen Heads.

For more information see http://maritime.heritage.nsw.gov.au/public/documents/solitary_island_report.pdf.

the night Buster foundered

The 39 metre, 310-ton three masted sailing ship Buster was built in nova scotia, Canada, in 1884.

Departing sydney, the vessel arrived at woolgoolga in February 1893 to load timber destined for Port Chalmers, new Zealand.

safely arriving at woolgoolga, the Buster put down two anchors and ran a hawser (a thick cable or rope used in mooring or towing a ship) to the Government ‘outer buoy’ mooring near to the jetty, which was still under construction.

In the increasing south east wind and heavy seas, Buster rode about ‘like a cork’ until the port anchor cable snapped. A second hawser was paid out to the buoy, until at around 10am the starboard anchor chain failed.

For the next nine hours the vessel managed to ride the waves at the single buoy until another huge sea struck around 6.00p.m. appearing like ‘a wall’.

On 17 February 1893 the vessel drove through the breakers stern first onto the beach. The crew of 10 remained in the rigging overnight fearing they could be drowned if they were driven ashore. However to their amazement, the early morning light revealed that Buster was lying almost dry at low tide, a mere 200 yards north of the jetty. salvage attempts to refloat the vessel failed.

Buster is one of 18 known shipwrecks in the immediate vicinity of solitary Islands Marine Park, and represents one of nsw’s 1,800 historic shipwreck losses.

Wreck of Buster revealed.

Photograph by Markspencer.com.au

Artist’s sketch showing Buster aground.

Image by solitary Islands Marine Park.

gabrielle Kibble ao, Chair of the heritage Council of NSw

Bound for Port Macquarie

In a first event of its kind for a Heritage Council regional meeting, members were delighted to meet with the children of St Joseph’s Primary School, Laurieton. The students have illustrated a new children’s book featuring traditional local Birpai stories. This project was funded through the NSW Heritage Grants program and supported by the Birpai Land Council.

Gabrielle Kibble is pictured with the young artists from Stage 2 Classes and from top left Di Rutherford, Acting CEO Birpai Land Council, Project Co-ordinator Sarah Jane and Buddy Moylan – Indigenous Education Worker at St Josephs and teacher Michael Connolly (far right).

Photo courtesy Heritage Branch, 2009.

know that much of its heritage will be conserved beneath our feet for future generations to enjoy.

A key part of our visit was a tour of the new arts, entertainment & cultural centre (also known as the Glass House) which was modified through the approvals process to incorporate the display of archaeological finds discovered during the development works. These finds include the footings of the ‘Overseer’s cottages’ dating to the 1820s and an extensive intact brick barrel drain.

Our short visit to the region was filled with heritage and cultural highlights. The Birpai Aboriginal people are the original custodians of this region and it was a privilege to undertake a tour of the sea Acres Rainforest Centre and Birpai Coastal Interpretive walkway project with respected Aboriginal Elder, Uncle Bill O’Brien.

we also could not come to Port Macquarie without touring the 1827 convict-built st Thomas Anglican Church. Listed on the state Heritage Register in 2002, this church is one of Port Macquarie’s most historic buildings and the fif th oldest Church in Australia still in use. Its 1857 walker Pipe Barrel organ is the only one of its kind in the southern hemisphere.

A visit to the managed ruins of Lake Innes House as guests of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and water was another memorable experience. This former magnificent private

Every year the Heritage Council of nsw meets in a regional centre. These meetings provide an opportunity to spend time with staff of the local council as well as with heritage practitioners and community representatives. These visits provide insight into local achievements in heritage conservation and to better understand the particular heritage issues and challenges facing rural and regional communities.

Port Macquarie’s rich heritage drawing on the Aboriginal, Convict, and Governor Macquarie themes made it an ideal location for the the latest regional visit held Thursday 3 – Friday 4 september 2009.

The fourth Thematic Listings category – world war I and world war II heritage – was not overlooked. near Port Macquarie lies the still undiscovered wreck of the merchant ship Wollongbar which sank with the loss of 32 men following a Japanese submarine attack in 1943.

However, it was the convict antecedents of the ex-secondary convict punishment settlement that pre-dates norfolk Island and Port Arthur that particularly drew the attention of the Heritage Council.

In fact it is this hidden history – the archaeology beneath the city’s streets – that makes Port Macquarie the nsw equivalent of an underground Port Arthur.

It is distinctly rewarding to be able to walk around this city with its outstanding public archaeological interpretation and

hall and community centre, laundry facilities and a staff accommodation.

Established in 1950, Balgownie was one of several migrant hostels established around the country as part of Australia’s post-world war II immigration program.

The post war immigration program had wide ranging effects on the development and growth of wollongong and formed the foundation of the significant Italian community in the area. wollongong was the first place in Australia to set up a committee to help migrants settle into their new country.

the last three surviving

prefabricated huts of

the former Balgownie

migrant workers’ hostel

in wollongong have been

listed on the State heritage

register.

The two nissen and one Quonset huts are now part of the University of wollongong’s Innovation Campus at Fairy Meadow.

The listed huts, originally among 200 buildings on site, operated as the large dining

The Balgownie Migrant Hostel continued operating until 1982. Five years later it was bought by the University of wollongong to house student services and the dining hall was converted into a science centre. since then the three buildings have undergone extensive conservation and refurbishment for use as a childcare facility and for other university services.

The history of the nissen style huts dates back to world war I. Originally designed for ease of transport and erection by Canadian Lieutenant Colonel Peter norman nissen in 1916, the design underwent modifications for military use in

Balgownie Migrants Huts protected

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Reg

ional

estate for Port Macquarie’s police magistrate, pastoralist and former soldier Major Archibald Clunes Innes was built with convict labour in 1831. This tour coupled with an inspection of the second Burying Ground back in the city itself, showcased the scope of the region’s convict heritage.

The visit to the 1859 Douglas Vale winery was a chance to see first hand the successful marriage between heritage conservation and tourism. This historical winery, cottage and outbuildings have been lovingly restored and operated

by the volunteer Douglas Vale Conservation Group who have successfully demonstrated how a heritage site can have a viable economic future, through its commercial vineyard, while retaining solid links to its past.

It has been a privilege to visit Port Macquarie and to enjoy the hospitality and deep heritage of this vibrant region. On behalf of the Heritage Council of nsw and the Heritage Branch, Department of Planning, I would like to thank our hosts, Port Macquarie-Hastings Council for its generous support and warm welcome.

world war II. America’s version, the Quonset hut, was developed during world war II.

Three migrant workers’ hostels were established in the Illawarra region however the Unanderra and Berkeley sites have not survived.

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Mining

Phil Donaldson, great grandson of one of the miners trapped by the 1902 Mt Kembla

Mine explosion and a volunteer with the Mt Kembla heritage Centre, describes how the

wounds of that day are still being felt by the Mt Kembla community.

strapped on that morning. He had felt the early effects of the afterdamp and was preparing to die.

Fortunately for our family, and many others, the Day Deputy David Evans, was able to gather 70 men together and lead most of them, including my great grandfather, out of the mine by the old, abandoned, long wall workings. They crawled through collapsed goafs and narrow passages that were only used,

On Thursday 31 July 1902 George Bertram Adams, 23 finished breakfast around 5.30am. Then strapping on his miners belt, with tucker tin attached, he kissed his pregnant wife of just eight months, 18 year old Jane goodbye. He clumped down the wooden steps at the front of his company owned miner’s cottage, in soldiers Road, Kembla Heights; walked the half mile up the road to Mount Kembla Mine and stepped into history.

At 2.03 pm the mine exploded; propelling the tiny village onto the national and world stage. Reverberations of the explosion echoed around the world. Messages of support and some aid were received from America, Russia, Europe and the old country, Great Britain. Closer to home the blast was heard (halting proceedings) at an arbitration hearing into mine safety in wollongong, eight miles away. some people headed to Mt Kembla to help while others had more sinister intentions. In the absence of their occupants, every house in Mt Kembla was looted.

while all this was being enacted, my great grandmother ran to the mine. I cannot begin to imagine her anguish. some pregnant women miscarried with shock.

while she agonised at the pit top her husband was sitting against a pit prop miles underground beneath her scratching a farewell note to his young wife, with a nail onto the tucker tin he had

Thunder in a Cloudless Sky

George and Jane Adams (nee Peterson), (Wedding photo) 27th November 1901.

Photo courtesy Phil Donaldson.

Residents of Mt Kembla gather to remember the victims of the 1902 disaster at the opening of the ‘Mine Memorial Pathway’, 31 July 2009.

Photo courtesy Mt Kembla Heritage Centre.

George and Jane Adams (nee Peterson) October 1951 just short of their golden anniversary November 27 1951. Taken on the front steps of 69 Soldiers Road (now Harry Graham Dr) Kembla Heights.

Photo courtesy Phil Donaldson.

Anguish of 1902 Mt Kembla mine disaster remainsross fitzgerald, heritage Council of NSw

Before the tragic Victorian bushfires in February 2009, the worst peacetime tragedy on Australia’s soil occurred at Mount Kembla, then and now, a close knit township on the southwest outskirts of wollongong.

In 1902 a gas explosion in the underground Mount Kembla Colliery killed 96 and injured 52 miners, men and boys. In a single catastrophic event 33 women were made widows and 120 children became fatherless.

while the nature of the incident dif fered from the Victorian inferno, the fire that engulfed the miners deep underground created similar injuries and shock.

Trouble began when gas emitted from the coal seam ignited from the naked flame of miner’s lamps. The local community heard the explosion and witnessed searing flames erupting from the mine heads. All topside structures were obliterated by the blast. Mining safety equipment was primitive at the time and the only way to reach those killed and injured was by walking into the rabbit-warren mine tunnels. Around 250 miners were believed to be caught in the tunnels at the time.

Two rescuers upon entering the catacombs soon succumbed from the toxic air. Animals were not immune either with pit ponies used to haul the coal skips becoming trapped and dying.

Few families were left untouched. One survivor, 17 year old Eric Hunt, lost his father, brother and an uncle to the disaster. He became the last living survivor; dying in 1980 aged 95 years.

The 31 July 1902 Mount Kembla event, like these other catastrophes, attracted significant outpourings of grief. The 100th anniversary of the explosion was recognised by the nsw Parliament in 2002 with a motion to support ongoing commemorative events and to recognise the dangers of the mining industry generally. Each year since July 1903 a memorial service, using the same original liturgy, has been held in the tiny village of Mount Kembla to remember those lost. It is the longest continually observed service of remembrance in Australia’s history.

Today a permanent museum display has been established as the Mount Kembla Heritage Centre (www.mtkembla.org.au). A Mount Kembla Mining Heritage Festival runs each year on the weekend closest to the 31st July anniverary.

The local community team behind the commemorations is The Mount Kembla Mine Disaster Centenary Committee (Mt Kembla Mining Heritage Inc.) Their valuable work was singled out last november when they were presented with a 2008 nsw Government Heritage Volunteer Award by the nsw Minister for Planning, Kristina Keneally.

Chairman of the Mount Kembla Heritage Centre, Phil Donaldson, said “the recognition was warmly received and would help those involved to continue their work and enhance the ‘Thunder in a Cloudless sky’ exhibition”.

The impact of the event was not lost on the Chair of the nsw Heritage Council Gabrielle Kibble AO, when she visited the Mount Kembla Heritage Centre during the height of the recent Victorian fire tragedy. “I was struck by the similar impact the 1902 disaster had on the local community and the nation,” Mrs Kibble said.

“I was particularly moved by the tireless work of the Museum staff and community members who strive to keep the Mount Kembla incident in the minds of us all.

“It is important and their work is recognised by relevant bodies such as the NSW Heritage Council”.

Time will see the 2009 Victorian bushfire tragedy remembered by similar commemorative events and the physical reminders of the disaster and rescue operations will enter the national narrative. This is how we have traditionally honoured those lost in such tragic circumstances. Australian history has been dotted with awful examples of the brute force of nature, human suffering, and plain bad luck. But we as a community must endeavour to honour those affected, so that these rights of passage are not relegated to the pages of history, but become part of our community’s sense of place.

Carrying bodies from the mine to the Dead Chamber. ‘Town and Country Journal’ 9 August 1902.

P08/PO8220 wollongong City Library Image collection.

at that stage, for ventilation eventually emerging at what was called the Managers Day Adit well to the south of the main entrance.

I have no knowledge of the emotion of their reunion or the words scratched on the tucker tin. The disaster was rarely spoken of in our family.

... a combination of greed, neglect and mistakes led to Mount Kembla’s 33 widows and the 120 fatherless children (those classed under the age of 14 years) being largely dependant for their existence on those in the village who were more fortunate. This led to great internal social pressure. not surprisingly, with

stoic resolution, the community turned inward; looking after its own and treating with hostile suspicion any interference from outsiders.

This stoic resolution was evident to me some 50 years later as I sat on the wooden steps in front of the same company owned miner’s cottage my great grandfather had left for work from on that fateful day.

Both he and my great grandmother were alive for the first decade of my life. I remember him being a warm and humorous man, not averse to spinning a yarn, on almost any subject, without letting the truth interfere with a good

story. However I remember the unnerving feeling of coolness if I blundered onto the subject of the disaster.

The still raw wounds from the neglect and abandonment of people in need would lead to a vitriolic comment about the “Bastards” and stifle any further discussion on the subject. The suspicious hostility is evident in the community to this day … it has seeped down the years as insidious as the afterdamp that was partly responsible for it. ...

Mickey Brennan, a young wheeler in the Mt Kembla Mine.. has the dubious distinction of being the only body never recovered from the disaster. His father is said to

have had a coffin waiting in the machine shed while he searched every recess of the mine for two years. After which he walked into the Ocean in wollongong, some say committing suicide.

Folklore tells of Mickey Brennan’s ghost haunting the mine, making strange noises, up until its closure in 1970. After this, several publicans of the Mt Kembla Hotel report having seen or heard Mickey’s ghost in the cellar of the hotel.

For the unabridged account of Phil’s story as well as information about the annual Mt Kembla Mining Heritage Festival and other commemorative events, go to www.mtkembla.org.au.

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working in conjunction with Tourism nsw, the Heritage Branch has released an easy- to- use website NSW Heritage tourism online that details around 500 state Heritage Register listed places and items worth a visit.

These items range from national parks to fire engines, cinemas to steam locos, lighthouses to graveyard tours, classic country pubs and heritage walking tours.

whether you are looking for a romantic weekend retreat, or the Rocks oldest pub, an Aboriginal site or a gold rush ghost town or even an unusual place for a picnic, nsw Heritage Online is an ideal resource for locals, interstate and overseas visitors.

The website is a valuable tool in raising the profile of both the state Heritage Register itself and the individual heritage items as potential tourism assets. It will also help generate interest and commercial activity particularly in rural nsw and will capitalise on the current trend to find locally

based tourism destinations.

The site features details of the tourism attraction, its history, location, accommodation options and links to its entry on the Tourism nsw site and other owner operators.

Links to the Heritage Tourism website can be found on the homepage of www.heritage.nsw.gov.au or typing in www.visit.heritage.nsw.gov.au or via your favourite search engine.

Some possible heritage destinations:

• North Head Quarantine Station & reserve located on north Head scenic Drive at Manly – A great outing for the family – discover the sometimes tragic stories of early immigrants to Australia who had to pass through the Quarantine station – where see they were segregated according to their passenger ticket, the dif ferent types of accommodation, food and

freedom they were given. For those who like their history with a spirit – join one of the very popular Ghost Tours.

• Explorethedramaanddangerof fire and fire fighting at the Museum of Fire located at 1 Museum Drive, Penrith. Home of the 1929 Ahrens Fox Ps2 Fire Engine, the 1939 Dennis Big 6 Fire Engine 1891 shand Mason Fire Engine, and the Museum is the largest of its type in Australia. The Museum is also the leading fire safety education facility in the country which makes it a great place to learn what to do if there is a fire or you catch fire.

• Onthiswindsweptpeninsulaof weathering sandstone at watson’s Bay sydney, stands Macquarie Lighthouse, Australia’s first and longest operating navigational light station. The grounds are open to the public daily and light house tours are run every second month. There are magnificent views of the City

and Harbour from the top of the Lighthouse and activities are also provided for children.

• The19thcenturyvillageofHartley has 17 historical buildings scattered among native vegetation and remants of 19th and 20the century cottage gardens. now a national Park protected historic site, Hartley provides a journey back in time to one of the first rural settlements west of the Blue Mountains.

• Builtaroundthe1880s,theWing Hing Long & Co. Store in the former tin mining town of Tingha, northern nsw is a long way from Chinatown. step inside this restored museum to see the range of groceries, clothes and other goods that were available in a typical general store, managed by generations of Chinese-Australians.

• Gopicnicking,fishing,swimming, casual camping and fossick for gold at the Hill end Historic site near Bathurst

Discover some of NSW heritage treasures for your next holiday

Tourism

Macquarie Lighthouse, Watson’s Bay.Photo courtesy Heritage Branch, 2009.

the NSw heritage Council with the heritage Branch, Department of Planning, may have a solution for frazzled

NSw parents seeking somewhere new to take the kids for the next school holidays.

13

which is managed by national Parks and wildlife service. The village itself has virtually unchanged since the gold rush boom years around 1872. There is a general store, hotel, post office, police station, pub, and a range of accommodation available.

• VisitFort Scratchley at nobby’s Head, newcastle, the only coastal fort to have fired at an enemy, the surprise Japanese submarine attack on newcastle in June 1942. with tunnels, cannons, a shop and museum and spectacular harbour and beach views, this is a must for anyone interested in Australia’s wartime heritage.

• TheGreat Zig Zag railway and reserves located at

Clarence 10km east of Lithgow is a must for railway fans. Built in the 1860s it has attracted visitors from around the world ever since to marvel at the engineering masterpiece. The full size, narrow gauge Railway features an extraordinary collection of viaducts, tunnels and escarpments. There are several train tours along the line with commentary and plenty of photo opportunity stops.

• Braidwood is the first nsw town and its setting to be listed on the state Heritage Register. set amongst rolling hills and noted for its Georgian town layout Braidwood is a heritage icon of nsw. There are several art galleries, craft shops, historical buildings as well as a museum and surrounding state

forests to explore. The range of accommodation options will suit all budgets.

• the North Beach precinct on Clif f Road, wollongong is an ideal spot to take the family – there are rock pools, wading areas, good surf, grass, shade, BBQ, picnic booths and free parking. The beach is located close to a children’s playground, shops and cafes. The lifeguards are housed in the heritage listed bathing pavilion as is the kiosk next door.

• the Grave of Yuranigh sir Thomas Mitchell’s loyal Aboriginal tracker Yuranigh was buried just out of Molong on the Mitchell Highway towards Orange in 1852.

Stop preSS:Heritage tourism online wins pIA commendationThe Heritage Branch, Department of Planning has won a commendation from the NSW Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) at its NSW awards ceremony announced at its State Conference Gala Dinner on Thursday 15 October. The Department’s NSW Tourism Heritage website, which helps visitors explore 500 items on the State Heritage Register, won a commendation in the ‘media project’ category. The NSW Heritage Tourism website is designed to motivate and inspire users to visit heritage destinations. The site draws on over 500 items and places from the NSW State Heritage Register, and it is the first state government heritage tourism focussed website in Australia. The website was a joint initiative of the Heritage Council of New South Wales.

the latest archaeology exhibition at the Parramatta heritage Centre “Breaking the Shackles” was launched on friday 5 august by Chair of the heritage Council of NSw, gabrielle Kibble ao, and revealed the buried secrets of one of the oldest convict settlements in australia. the exhibition ran until 8 November 2009 and was visited by over 5000 people.

Beneath the ever-changing streetscapes of Parramatta lies a rich archaeological tapestry that offers a glimpse into the lives of the city’s former residents.

Around 200 relics which were unearthed during archaeological excavations from around Parramatta were on display in the recent exhibition, “Breaking the Shackles”, held at the Parramatta Heritage and Visitor Centre.

some artefacts are a direct link to Aboriginal occupation of the area before 1788, while others come from the mix of later cultures that arrived post 1788. They include a Chinese Ming bowl, a late 1790s piece of glass and even a section of 1820s convict-built brick barrel drain. such diversity of archaeology forever ties the modern city environment to its pre and post colonial origins.

Underscoring the management and retention of this fragile resource is the Parramatta Historical Archaeological Landscape Management study (PHALMs). Completed in 2001, it provides a framework to support the day to day management of development proposals within the local government area, especially where those may encounter significant historical archaeological sites or ‘relics’.

Because of this, it is now possible to walk around the Parramatta CBD along George, Charles, smith, Macquarie and Marsden streets and view this archaeological history through interpretative displays – sometimes erected as part of the conserved in situ remains and footings and incorporated into many of the buildings themselves. some of the best examples are found in the Commonwealth Bank building foyer and the Meriton westport Apartments both located at the intersection of George and Charles street, while the interpretation and footings associated with the former Convict Hospital are a central design feature within the new Parramatta Justice Precinct.

The remains being kept at these sites are a rare and well-preserved element of the early colonial landscape of Parramatta. Archaeology is ongoing in Parramatta. In the last year there have been five archaeological excavations, some of which

have held open days to give local people the opportunity to come and view evidence of Parramatta’s past which they walk on every day. These open day events have in some cases drawn up to 3,000 visitors eager to take advantage of these ‘one off’ opportunities to view the excavations in progress and discover the site’s individual history and archaeology.

The most recent public day was held at 15 Macquarie street in June, where despite the cold weather and periodic rain, 86 people came to look at evidence of the site’s history, some of which hadn’t been seen for over 150 years.

However, if you visit Parramatta, remember to look up from the archaeology so you can connect with other historic elements of the urban landscape. when you walk along the Parramatta River you can still see the remnants of Governor Macquarie’s town plan including the layout of main streets, Government House and Domain (Parramatta Park) and the Lancer Barracks at the eastern end of the town.

Beneath the endless tramp of feet – Parramatta’s buried world

Aboriginal scarred trees mark the grave. Visitors are able to enter and view the site – but please remember to shut the gate behind you.

• Saumarez Homestead near Armidale was once owned by the white family and is now managed by the national Trust. Established in the 1830s the ten-hectare grazing property consists of 20 buildings including the 30 room Edwardian era mansion complete with its original furnishings. Explore the farm area with the Thomas House and its interpretative display, the stables, the poultry yard, the slaughter house and other old timber buildings. Guided tours available daily.

The archaeological excavation site in Macquarie Street, Parramatta revealed evidence of Aboriginal and colonial occupation including structural remains of buildings built more than 200 years ago. Relics uncovered at the site included these two Toothpaste Lids c. 1850-1914. Multicoloured transfer printed fine earthenware. Britain.

Photo courtesy Heritage Branch, 2009.

the largest archaeological

urban development ever

undertaken in australia

is nearing completion in

the rocks.

Youth Hostels Australia is constructing a 106 bedroom youth hostel, sydney Harbour YHA and The Big Dig Archaeology Education Centre on the corner of Cumberland and Gloucester streets near the susannah Place Museum.

The site was previously excavated in 1994 and again in 2008 revealing more than a million artefacts and the remains of at least 40 buildings including the foundations of a house built by a member of the First Fleet.

Innovative building techniques have been used to help preserve what lies beneath. The new buildings are suspended over the excavations on an intricate steel frame directly contacting the site in about 50 places. Two laneways dating back nearly 200 years have been uncovered and will be reinstated.

All the hostel bedrooms lead to an open corridor that allows guests to look down onto archaeological remains.

The education programs offered through the Big Dig Archaeology Education Centre will cater for primary school through to tertiary students. These experiential programs will be delivered by sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority’s (sHFA) education unit, sydney Learning Adventures, and will include a simulated dig and artefact handling.

Dr wayne Johnson, Archaeologist for the sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (sHFA) which manages The Rocks precinct, described the development as a first.

“This is the only time that we have been able to excavate such a densely populated, archaeologically rich site and preserve so many relics in situ,” Dr Johnson said.

“It is an extremely sensitive development which incorporates the old soul of the site with development. It is not removing the past; it is incorporating the heritage into future development. Eighty percent of the excavated site will be visible to visitors.

“People will be able to stand in a laneway that existed 150 years ago and look at real objects that were used in the daily life of their predecessors. To stand where things actually happened and imagine, while looking at physical links to colonial settlement in Australia, is a rare opportunity,” Dr Johnson said.

Lives of early Sydneysiders revealed at new Youth Hostel in The Rocks

Students from Fort Street Primary School added their own goodwill letters and drawings to the official documents, archaeology relics and YHA memorabilia included in the YHA time capsule. The time capsule, which will be installed within the Big Dig Archaeology Centre, will be opened on 26 August 2059 – the 150th anniversary of the founding of the first youth hostel in Germany.

Photo courtesy Youth Hostels Australia, 2009.

Farm building, ‘Binnawee’ homestead, Mudgee.

Photo courtesy Heritage Branch, 2006.

when Mudgee’s oldest

surviving homestead

Binnawee was listed on

State heritage register in

June, its gazettal marked a

first for the region.

Occupied since it was built in 1853, the two storey homestead and associated farm buildings have survived well maintained and relatively intact. Included in the collection are stables, shearing shed and a working man’s cottage. To the visitor’s eye, the pastoral collection suggests almost a nostalgic return to a long lost rural lifestyle.

The buildings have been constructed from brick, clay rubble, slab and reinforced concrete, revealing in turn valuable information about the era’s building materials and techniques. There has been minimal alteration to the buildings offering considerable potential for future archaeological research.

The history of Binnawee Homestead reflects the wealth and aspirations of mid-nineteenth century graziers in the Mudgee area. several prominent local families have owned and occupied the property including william Lewis, the Blackman Brothers and the Lester and Cox families, all of whom have made substantial contributions to the history and development of nsw.

Among the most noteworthy owners of Binnawee was pastoralist and sheep breeder George Henry Cox MLA and MLC, grandson of william Cox, who established the first road over the Blue Mountains.

Other original homesteads in the area include Burrandulla (1864), Havilah (1872) and the locally listed Bleak House in Lawson street Mudgee built during the early 1860s.

Mudgee’s Georgian homestead is a rare glimpse into a rural past

14

Urb

an

Obituary

Minister for Planning

Kristina Keneally travelled

to goulburn on 16 april

to announce the listing of

the city’s two landmark

cathedral buildings,

St Saviour’s anglican

Cathedral and the former

Saints Peter and Paul’s

Cathedral to the State

heritage register.

Both cathedral buildings represent outstanding examples of 19th century religious architecture in nsw and their strong presence within Goulburn underscore their contribution to its urban character and historical development.

Their combined collection of highly significant moveable heritage reflects the importance of Goulburn as a major commercial and religious hub in the latter half of the 19th century, a role that was enhanced by the arrival of the railway in 1869.

St Saviour’s Cathedral

Begun in 1874 and finally dedicated in 1884, st saviour’s Cathedral is one of the finest ecclesiastical works of the colonial architect, Edmund Blacket.

Photo courtesy st saviour’s Cathedral.

It was one of his last projects as well as a personal favourite thanks to the lack of financial restrictions and a sympathetic client.

Blacket also designed the Parish Hall next to the Cathedral which was used as a place of workship before the new Cathedral was finished.

The masterly use of materials, design and detail gives st saviour’s the characteristics of a grand scale Victorian Gothic style church. The exterior is of Bundanoon sandstone and the interior is noted for its elaborate stone tracery and east window.

Its collection of 12 bells gives it the distinction of having the only regional belltower in the southern hemisphere with such a peal while the 13th bell allows for special ringing effects.

The centre of the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn, st saviour’s Cathedral building holds social and spiritual significance for both Anglicans and the broader community as a place of worship.

Saints Peter and Paul’s old Cathedral

The former saints Peter and Paul’s Old Cathedral highlights the development of Catholicism in southern nsw during the 19th century. It is noted for its association with Bishops Polding and Lanigan and Cardinal Moran, three men of significance in the development of the Catholic Church in Australia.

Photo courtesy saints Peter and Paul’s Old Cathedral.

Consecrated in 1898, saints Peter and Paul’s Old Cathedral is a very important example of late Victorian Gothic ecclesiastical design and craftsmanship.

Built in two stages around the original 1843 church, the former Cathedral is a fine example of the work of architect Andrea stombuco.

stombuco had been appointed Diocesan architect in 1869 and the building’s design deeply reflected his personal knowledge of European architecture.

The rare green porphyrite stone is used in a scale not seen in any other building in nsw.

The Hill and sons organ donated to the Cathedral in 1890 is intact and is one of the finest-sounding and best conserved Hill organs in Australia.

In 1969 the Diocesan centre was transferred to Canberra resulting in saints Peter and Paul’s becoming a Parish Church.

Heritage protection for Goulburn’s Cathedrals

Listings

the heritage and

conservation world has lost

one of its most stalwart

supporters with the passing

of former heritage Council

of NSw member Sheila

Swain in february 2009.

After joining the Hunters Hill Trust in 1968 and serving as secretary of the save the Lane Cove Valley group, sheila successfully ran for the Hunters Hill Municipal Council elections in 1971. she also played a big part in the campaign to save Kellys Bush, the last area of native bushland on the shores of Parramatta River.

sheila served on Hunter’s Hill Council until 1991, elected its first female mayor in 1980-1982 and was re-elected five years later for a second term. An advocate for the involvement of women in local government, sheila was active in the Australian Local Government women’s Association becoming president of the nsw branch and later national president.

sheila was deputy chairwoman of the nsw Commuter Council, deputy chairwoman of the Lane Cove River Recreation Area Board and founding Chair of Ryde Regional Radio.

Her interests embraced community services, library and kindergarten, town planning,

public transport and parks and trees, but her special interest was heritage. she was a driving force behind the purchase and conservation of Vienna Cottage, a workman’s house at Hunters Hill now held by the national Trust, where she continued to organise monthly heritage talks until the final year of her life.

An economics graduate from sydney University, sheila had an extensive teaching career retiring in 1980 as senior head teacher of English and economics at Meadowbank TAFE. In 1981, while still serving as Mayor, sheila was appointed to the Council of Mitchell College of Advanced Education, a predecessor institution of

Charles sturt University. she became Deputy Chair in 1984 and Chair from 1986 to 1988 and funded four scholarships for female students suffering financial hardship. The building housing the school of nursing and Midwifery on the University’s Bathurst Campus is named in her honour.

In 1986 swain was named Outstanding woman of the Year by the Australian Federation of Business and Professional women, and in 1987 was appointed a member of the Order of Australia.

she is survived by Geoff, sons Justin and Doric, and two granddaughters.

Vale Sheila Swain AM 1920–2009

15

16

Reco

llections

The attack on Sydney – a personal accountwhen a call went out for personal accounts of the 1942 attack on Sydney harbour, the heritage Branch received letters and phone calls from around australia. Several of the people who responded were just children at the time and yet their memories of the night world war ii came to Sydney, remain vivid to this day.

Here is one account by Mr Kevin J. Loughry, West Albury, NSW: My story took place on the last sunday night in May 1942. I was nearly 16 years old. I was travelling home to Manly on a late ferry. There were only about 70 passengers on the ferry at that time of night.

The weather was cool and calm with very little moonlight, as our ferry was approaching Bradley’s Head. we passed the American heavy cruiser Uss Chicago; it was at anchor in Athol Bay. A few minutes later, we rounded Bradley’s Head, only to be confronted with the display of searchlight activity, down at water level, something I had never witnessed before.

It soon became obvious that some kind emergency was taking place in this part of the harbour. As we got closer to the boom gate at the eastern end of the net, the searchlight beams were concentrating on that part of the net.

The Manly Ferry timetables had recently been adjusted, to allow the ferry from Circular Quay to arrive at the boom gate about the same time as the ferry from Manly. This was to reduce the number of times the boom gate had to be opened. The opening was sufficiently wide enough to let only one ferry to pass through the boom gate at a time.

Another precaution that had to be observed by all shipping that had to pass inside of the Heads was to extinguish all visible lights, so as not to give the enemy any indication of the harbour entrance – but so much for the details about the net and the boom gates ...

... when the boom gate opened our ferry from Circular Quay moved through the gate. The ferry from Manly was slowly starting towards the gate to pass through. As soon as our ferry cleared the opening, both ferries were in darkness. The beams of the searchlights were scanning both ferries and the boom gate area.

One of the beams concentrated on the ferry from Manly and as the beam panned just behind the stern, I got a definite glimpse of what I believed to be a periscope, closely following the ferry from Manly through the gate.

It was only then I realised sydney Harbour was being threatened by what I believed to be a submarine.

I do not know how many passengers on our ferry had seen what I had seen, but the thought went through my mind, I had never been so close to an enemy before.

As we left the searchlights beams behind us, our ferry in total darkness, all of a sudden the waters of the harbour started to look very black and ominous.

I can tell you, I was pretty scared. It seemed forever, before we arrived at Manly. when my feet were safely on the wharf, I was very relieved, believe me.

This is one journey to Manly I will never forget.

I had a fif teen-minute walk home from the wharf. I was only about half way home, when all hell broke loose. The noise of explosions – what I believed to be heavy gunfire – was coming from the direction of Bradley’s Head. The commotion and noise lasted for nearly an hour. It was not until the next morning, we heard the news on the radio.

Lieutenant Matsuo’s midget submarine Ha-21, recovered from Taylors Bay.

AwM305088.

Lieutenant Chuman’s midget submarine Ha-14, recovered from the boom net.

AwM042974.

A unique 1970s Penrith factory gains SHR listing

Known as the former Torin Building, the factory was designed by the late master architect Marcel Lajos Breuer (21 May 1902 Pécs, Hungary – 1 July 1981 new York City).

The building, located in Coombes Drive Penrith, was the former Australian headquarters for the Torin Corporation, an international manufacturer of air conditioning components. Completed in 1976 under the local supervision of Harry seidler’s office, it was the

final of a suite of buildings Breuer designed for the Torin Corporation throughout Europe, Canada and the United states and is the only building in Australia known to be designed by the master architect.

The Torin Building at Penrith contains architectural elements and techniques refined over the 14 years the master architect completed commisions for the corporation. It is constructed from rough textured concrete block and precast concrete and

Listings

A celebration of the unloved and unlovely the community debate

over the heritage value of

20th century items and

the best way to conserve,

manage and interpret them

provided the backdrop

to the (Un)loved Modern

australia iCoMoS annual

Conference held in

Sydney 7-10 July.

Chair of the Heritage Council of nsw, Mrs Gabrielle Kibble AO officially opened the four day conference which was held at the sydney Masonic Centre, regarded as one of sydney’s most architecturally significant 20th century buildings in the Brutalistic style. The Masonic Centre was designed by Joseland Gilling and completed in 1974.

Embracing the dynamic range of 20th century influences and schools of design, the conference covered six themes from Re-engaging with the original designer; the War in the Pacific (World War II); Vulnerable periods & styles; Managing 20th century obsolescence; Re-thinking colonial heritage and The single house under threat.

The tone of the conference was set in the first of two keynote addresses when Dr Phillip Goad, Director of the Melbourne school of Design, at The University of Melbourne observed that 20th century architecture, especially that produced after World War II, has engendered its own very special oxymoron – a love-hate relationship that bedevils its very existence, or at the very least often complicates easy judgment, sensible management and faithful retention.

This public ambivalence towards the post modern was reflected in some of the other papers which looked at the conservation of the Harold Holt Memorial swimming Pool in Melbourne; the seidler

designed homes as house museums; the growth of the walk up block of units in sydney and Melbourne and Australian Air Traffic Control Towers.

The conference was presented in association with the ICOMOs 20th Century International scientific Committee, Association for Preservation Technology (Australia), DOCOMOMO Australia (documentation and conservation of buildings, sites and neighbourhoods of the modern movement), Royal Australian Institute of Architects and International Union of Architects.

17

features three basic components: a high rise storage unit containing the handling system, a two floor structure where the manufacturing, assembly and office areas are located and laboratory and service cores.

Designed in the late 20th Century International style and featuring stark Egyptian-design motifs, the Penrith building is regarded as a fine example of Breuer’s Torin Corporation architecture and clearly illustrates the principles of his modernist design work. It is noted for its strong expression of the powerful sculptural mode developed in Breuer’s later career.

A furniture designer as well as architect, Breuer was renowned as a master of modernism and for his creation of modular construction and simple forms. He studied at the world famous Bauhaus design school in Germany under walter Gropius, and came into contact with other significant figures in design and architecture such as Le Corbusier.

The listing of the former Torin Building on the state Heritage Register on 15 May 2009 makes it the ‘youngest’ state Heritage Register item – superceding the sydney Opera House itself which was completed three years earlier in 1973.

a factory in Penrith’s outskirts can lay claim to sharing a

characteristic with the Sydney opera house – it is one of

australia’s few twentieth century buildings designed by an

internationally renowned master architect.

Torin Building photographer Max Dupain, September 1976.

Copyright Max Dupain & Associates.

WW

I & W

WII

Cenotaph memorial receives its own honour

for more than 80 years the

Cenotaph in Martin Place,

Sydney, has been the focus

of the aNZaC Day Dawn

Service as New South wales

stops to remember and

honour the men and women

who have died while in the

service of our country.

now its permanent protection as a memorial has been strengthened with its listing on the state Heritage Register on Remembrance Day 2009.

The creation of the sydney Cenotaph is intrinsically linked to the holding of a commemorative service at the very hour the major battles of the Great war commenced.

Early on AnZAC Day 1927 five returned men saw an elderly woman laying a wreath at the still incomplete Cenotaph. The veterans resolved to hold the first Dawn service at this sacred site the following year.

From the inaugural commemorative service held on 25 April 1928 the numbers have steadily grown till now tens of thousands of people gather in darkness, and sometimes rain to pay their respects.

Unlike other war memorials which venerate the members of a town or community or a section of the Australian Defence Force or a particular battle or event, the Cenotaph is a rare example of a universal memorial. It was erected specifically as a place of commemoration for the people of sydney.

The Cenotaph (or empty tomb) embodied the contribution of the people of nsw to the war effort and their collective loss. Finally completed in 1929, it would become the sacrosanct symbol of remembrance and mourning.

Unusually for the period, the erection of a Cenotaph was organised by the Government rather than by a voluntary organisation.

As grief reverberated around nsw, senior officers with the Returned services League recognised a need for a central focus for commemoration and mourning, especially with the delay in completing the AnZAC Memorial in Hyde Park.

Martin Place had been the site of many wartime appeals, recruiting rallies and commemorative events so with the support of a newspaper proprietor, the then Premier of nsw Jack Lang was lobbied in 1925 to set aside £10,000 to erect a Cenotaph.

Although he had opposed conscription during the war and was an avowed supporter of anti-imperialist movements, Lang recognised an opportunity to promote a new image for himself as a friend of returned servicemen due to the growing strength of veterans’ groups.

The restrained symbolism embodied in the simple granite altar and the bronze figures of two servicemen guarding the monument is a tribute to the work of Bertram Mackennal. A highly regarded sculptor of his era, Mackennal also designed war memorials in Britain and elsewhere in Australia.

The Cenotaph’s base is comprised of 23 pieces of Moruya granite; the same stone as used for the sydney Harbour Bridge pylon facings. The important rectangular altar-stone 3.05m x 1.6m, and 1.22m high, with a weight of around 20 tonnes, was put in place on

the 1 August 1927 under the supervision of Dr John Bradfield, Engineer for the sydney Harbour Bridge.

It lies in an east to west line following the street alignment of Martin Place and is positioned directly over the Tank stream which flows in an underground channel beneath it.

The stone structure was dedicated and presented to the City of sydney, on the 8th August 1927 with Lieutenant General sir Harry Chauvel (of the Light Horse Charge at Beersheba fame) among the many noted official guests.

On 21 February 1929, the anniversary of the entry of the Australian Light Horse into Jericho Palestine in 1918, a large crowd gathered for the official unveiling.

The images of two servicemen cast in bronze now stood on either side of the altar-stone. They were modelled on two actual returned servicemen. The figure on the eastern flank is of an intrantryman from the AnZAC day landing at Gallipoli, Corporal william Pigott Darby who served with the 15th Infantry Battalion and 4th Field Ambulance AIF while the western figure is that of a RAn Leading signalman John william Varcoe who earned a Distinguished service Medal in november 1917 while serving on board the destroyer HMAs Parramatta in the Mediterranean.

Both are depicted realistically, wearing their uniforms, packs and carrying weapons. As representatives of their 300,000 Australian comrades who served overseas, the soldier does not wear a colour unit patch. Both are in the ‘at ease’ stance and each faces a flagpole situated approximately three metres from the monument.

As the greatest living Australian of his generation and representative of all the returned world war I servicemen, the retired Lieutenant General sir John Monash provided the key address.

The sombre mood of the occasion was reflected in the understated bronze wreath that draped the top of the altar together with the inscriptions “To our glorious dead” and “Lest we forget” on the northern and southern faces respectively.

with the world war I generation long gone, and the ranks of world war II veterans now thinning with each passing year, is befalls the younger Australian service men and women to lay a wreath in the pre dawn darkness in memory of their own fallen comrades overseas.

Moruya Quarry – Preparation of Altar Stone for Martin Place Cenotaph, 9 July 1927.

Photographer unknown. Image courtesy state Records nsw from series no.: 12685.

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the labour reform movement that took place in australia in the late 1940’s saw the

introduction of affordable holiday places for lower income families.

One of these last surviving workers’ holiday camps, Currawong, on the western shores of Pittwater adjoining Ku-ring-gai Chase national Park, has now been listed on the state Heritage Register.

The listing encompasses the whole of the property including the collection of prefabricated holiday beach cabins built during the 1950’s, the manager’s cottage and games room, the locally heritage listed Midholme

farmhouse cottage and tennis courts in their bushland setting.

Currawong was one of several similar camps designed for workers to get away from crowded industrial areas and enjoy the same coastal and scenic amenities as wealthier holiday makers.

The holiday camps were a direct response to the social and work place reforms in nsw including the introduction of annual leave in 1944 and the 40-hour week in 1947.

The site was bought by The Labor Council of nsw in 1949 to meet the growing demand for workers’ holiday accommodation brought on by an increase in leisure time due to the new legislation.

Currawong workers’ holiday camp wins heritage protection

‘Midholme’ Currawong Beach NSW.

© Michael Mannington 2008, Cottage at Currawong.

Built between 1826 and 1836 by convict chain gangs, the great North road is now widely regarded as a masterpiece of colonial engineering.

A 30km section of the Great north Road between Mount Manning and wollombi has been added to the state Heritage Register in the first listing under the the Thematic Listings Program initiative highlighted in the Autumn edition of the Heritage nsw.

The latest listing brings a total of almost 65km of the convict-built road now under state heritage protection.

The newly listed section features several unique structures including the Ramsey’s Leap culvert and stone wall, st Alban’s Road ramp and the timber built Thompson’s Bridge.

The structures are the surviving legacy of the several thousand convict labourers, most of whom were repeat offenders, who were employed over the decade under the supervision of the surveyor-General, sir Thomas Mitchell.

shackled together in leg irons, the men toiled from summer to winter using only hand tools and assisted by a few bullocks. The convicts had little protection from the elements and survived on monotonous rations of meat, flour and corn meal.

when completed, the road extended for almost 240km connecting sydney to newcastle. It opened up the Hunter region to settlement and led to the growth and prosperity of the townships along its route. several sections along the original road still carry traffic today.

The community based advocacy group Convict Trail Project Inc. has received grants totalling $135,000 under the 2009-2011 nsw Heritage Grants Program for conservation and interpretation works along the newly listed section of the road.

Funding includes a $75,000 grant to carry out urgent repairs to the Ramsay’s Leap culvert stone wall and clear invasive vegetation to make the site more accessible.

The Convict Trail Project Inc. has also received a further $60,000 to manage and promote the entire length of the road from sydney to newcastle as an open museum.

Convict road between Mount Manning and Wollombi listed

Ramsey’s Leap. Great North Road.

Photo courtesy Heritage Branch 2007.

A 34km section of the Great north Road running north from wiseman’s Ferry through Devine’s Hill to Mount Manning was listed on the state Heritage Register in 1999.

A 7.5km section, known as the Old Great north Road and including Devine’s Hill, is one of the 11 sites included in the serial nomination of Australian Convict sites for world Heritage listing which is currently under assessment by UnEsCO.

Today Currawong survives as the most intact of all remaining camps identified in nsw. The only other comparable site is Camp Eureka at Yarra Junction, which is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.

The sHR listing, which was gazetted on 12 May 2009, followed a decision by the nsw Planning Minister Kristina Keneally to refuse to rezone the Currawong site that would have enabled development applications for a 25 lot residential subdivision.

The Minister said the sHR listing will ensure minimum maintenance standards for the buildings on the site and future development application for the site will be referred to the nsw Heritage Council.

Future zoning issues will also be resolved through Pittwater Council’s local environmental plan process.

20www.heritage.nsw.gov.au

Heritage NewsM24 wreck site wins plaudits The Heritage Branch has won an international prestigious Award of Distinction, in the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Culture Heritage Awards 2009, for its management of the Japanese midget submarine M24. The nomination was submitted in partnership with the Commonwealth Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage & the Arts.

The project was cited as an exemplary model for in-situ conservation of underwater cultural heritage in the Asia-Pacific region and set a ‘global benchmark’ in the application of heritage law and conservation practice to protect a shipwreck site as well as demonstrating best practice in applying UNESCO’s guidelines for the protection of underwater cultural heritage.

Meanwhile a new on line exhibition developed by the Heritage Branch and dedicated to the 1942 submarine attack on Sydney Harbour is also attracting international attention.

Managing the Missing Midget Submarine M24 showcases the history of the attack and the discovery of the wreck of the M24 in 2006. Features include an innovative 3D animation of the Japanese midget submarine, photos, witness accounts of the attack, underwater footage of the wreck as well as media coverage of the period and archaeological reports. The website can be accessed via the front page www.heritage.nsw.gov.au

Queens Birthday gongsDr Siobhan Lavelle, Senior Heritage Officer (Archaeologist) was awarded Order of Australia Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours this year. Siobhan’s award was for ‘her service to historic archaeology and heritage conservation, particularly the preservation of colonial roads and cemeteries’.

Siobhan advises the Branch and Heritage Council on historical archaeology and is our representative on the Rockwood Necropolis Trust. Outside the workplace, Siobhan has also assisted the National Trust as a volunteer over many years with regard to the conservation of cemeteries. She is regarded as an expert in her field.

Congratulations also goes to The History Council of NSW’s representative on the History Advisory Panel, Associate Professor (Dr) Bruce Pennay who was honoured with an Order of Australia Medal. Dr Pennay is Adjunct Associate Professor, Charles Sturt University, Albury.

Dr Pennay was honoured for ‘his service to the community of the Albury Wodonga region, particularly through the establishment of the Bonegilla Migrant Reception Centre Heritage Park’.

studying Stone Conservation in VeniceThe Heritage Branch’s technical specialist Elisha Long has returned home after taking part in the intensive 12 week International Course on Stone Conservation in Venice, Italy earlier this year.

Elisha was the sole Australian representative among 20 international participants at the course which was conducted by the International Centre for the Restoration and Preservation of Cultural Property.

With Venice’s spectacular Piazza San Marco as their backdrop, the students took part in a range of practical studies covering conservation principles, stone mineralogy, deterioration mechanisms, diagnostic techniques, conservation methods and treatments.

The unique insights and skills Elisha gained from the course will enhance the capability of both the Heritage Council’s Technical Advisory Group and the Heritage Branch in responding to community enquiries on technical matters and in dealing with development approvals.

ryde wins sustainable Cities heritage award for Brush FarmThe City of Ryde received the Heritage Branch Heritage Award at the Keep Australia Beautiful NSW Sustainable Cities Awards Dinner on 13 August for its restoration and conservation of Brush Farm House at Eastwood.

The $5.5 million project was described as having ‘transformed this elegant 19th century mansion into an arts, cultural and heritage centre will have significant long term benefits for the community.’

Runner up was Canada Bay City Council for its Heritage Management Program while the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society received a Highly Commended for its Aviation Heritage Complex.

EnergyAustralia/national Trust of Australia (nsw) 2009 Heritage AwardsThe Heritage Council of NSW and the Heritage Branch, Department of Planning were standouts at the 16th EnergyAustralia/National Trust 2009 Heritage Awards held in Sydney last April, picking up three plaques:

Category: Energy Australia Award Conservation – Energy Management “New Uses for Heritage Places – Guidelines for Adaptation” Heritage Council of NSW & The Australian Institute of Architects (NSW)

Category: Conservation Maritime Heritage – Corporate/Government “Managing the Missing Midget Submarine” Heritage Branch, NSW Department of Planning

Category: Education – Corporate/Government “Salt Attack and Rising Damp: A Guide to Salt Damp in Historic and Older Buildings” David Young OAM, and the Heritage Council of NSW, Heritage Victoria, South Australian Department for Environment and Heritage, Adelaide City Council

heritage advisors annual seminar and workshopThe annual Heritage Advisors Seminar organised by the Heritage Branch has become a ‘must do’ fixture on the calendar of heritage professionals across NSW with the latest Seminar on Friday 21 August attracting around 140 participants. The morning program included updates on the Heritage Act amendments; approvals processes under the Heritage Act; 2009-2010 Thematic nominations program; NSW Heritage Grants; local government update; standard instruments for heritage provisions within LEPs; archaeological management and maritime heritage.

Two afternoon streams featured presentations on Maitland Gaol works and interpretation projects; public heritage projects as Eveleigh Carriage Workshops and Paddington Reservoir Gardens; traditional roofing materials; Newcastle heritage web information and the Penrith LEP process.

Leadership and best practice in local government heritage management was the theme of the annual Heritage Advisors Training and Refresher Workshop held at the Heritage Branch offices the day before.