I s s u e N o , 6 5

February, 1970

the balmain association

UUHO HEEDS HeOHL LOHDER ? ?

1

president's reportRECONSTITUTTON OF A BALMATN COUNCIL

Taking the opportunity afforded by allparliaments being In recess, we wereable to get coverage on page 2 of theSydney Morning Herald on Tuesday 17thJanuary, Channel Ten "Eye-Witness News-Hour", 2JJ, the "Lelchhardt Inner Western"a n d t h e " G u a r d i a n " , w i t h g o o d e f f e c t .

A l d e r m a n N i c k O r l g l a s s , w i t h h i su s u a l c o m m a n d o f f a c t s , a b l y h a n d l e d'talk-back' enquir ies on 2BL's "City Extra"o n We d n e s d a y 1 8 t h J a n u a r y.

The movement to rega in our ownMunicipal Council Is "alive and well"!

N E W Z O N I N G P L A N F O R R O S E L L E - B A L M A I N

By the time this Newsletter reachesyou, the new Lelchhardt Plan will be onexhibition, or about to be. Our InformationIs that (apart from sites already zonedotherwise), the whole pen. .Insula will bez o n e d R e s i d e n t i a l , w i t h a m a x i m u m h e i g h tof 10.2 metres (I.e. two stories - no flats!)

We have been mos t hear tened by theway In which Paul Landa, the Minister forPlanning and the Environment, Jiils-.staff,and the P lann ing and Env i ronmen tC o m m i s s i o n h a v e b e e n r e s p o n s i v e t o o u rrepresentations on behalf of residents oft h e a r e a .

T H E H E R I TA G E A C T ( N . S . W. )

This far-sighted and progressive Actwas finally passed by the Upper Housewhen the Opposition woke up to the factthat some of their proposed amendmentsran counter to the provisions of a previousBill of their own (when they were In power).

It has been suggested to us that theM in i s t e r I s keen t o ensu re t ha t t he p roposed Heritage Council represents all sectionsof the community, and to that end theB a l m a l n A s s o c i a t i o n I s t a k i n g t h e I n i t i a t i v eIn calling a meeting of representatives ofa l l c o n s e r v a t i o n i s t a n d e n v i r o n m e n t a lgroups late In February.

R E F E R E N D A A N D R E F O R MBecause of the cost, we have been

loth to suggest a referendum on the Issueof Local Autonomy for Balmaln. However,s i n c e t h e S t a t e G o v e r n m e n t I s c o m m i t t e dto a re fe rendum fo r re fo rm o f t he Leg i s la t i veCouncil , the addit ional cost of having a

s imu l taneous re fe rendum on the I ssue o f ar e - f o r m e d B a l m a l n C o u n c i l w o u l d b e v e r yl i t t l e I n d e e d .

We a re t he re fo re app roach ing S ta teCab ine t t o t h i s end : I n bo th cases t he I ssuecan be presented as bringing the electionof responsible government closer to thepeople - "grass-roots democracy."

L O C A L G O V E R N M E N T E C O N O M I C S

I n m a n y p u b l i c u t i l i t i e s - w a t e r ,sewerage, l ibraries, etc - economies ofscale can be achieved by running theenterprises concerned on regional. Stateo r e v e n N a t i o n a l l e v e l .

It Is quite arguable that buildingInspect ions, heal th Inspect ions, po l lu t ioncontrol and many other areas which localcouncils police with the assistance ofstatutory authorities could also be moreeconomically and efficiently managed b'-larger regional , or State, Instrumental i t ies.

My personal opinion, and th?. of atl e a s t 4 5 0 0 o t h e r p e t i t i o n s i g n a t o r i e s I nB a l m a l n a n d R o z e l l e , I s t h a t a n y e c o n o m i e sachieved by amalgamation of Councilswould be offset by many diseconomies ofscale, and by making aldermen even morer e m o t e a n d I n a c c e s s i b l e t o t h o s e w h o mt h e y p u r p o r t t o r e p r e s e n t .

B A L M A I N - R O Z E L L E

Air, noise and water pollution, oil andchemical s torage " tank- farms", conta inert e r m i n a l s , t h e c o a l l o a d e r , a n d t h e t r a f fi co f c o n t a i n e r t r u c k s I n o u r n a r r o w, c o n g e s te d s t r e e t s p r o v i d e e n o u g h w o r k f o r t w e l v eo r fi f t e e n d e d i c a t e d p a r t - t i m e a l d e r m e n I nour peninsula making local decs Ions onl o c a l I s s u e s , w i t h o u t h a v i n g t o b e c o n c e r n e dw i t h m a t t e r s e l s e w h e r e - p r o v i d i n g t h e y a r en o t I n t e r f e r e d w i t h b y a p r e d o m i n a n c e o fa l d e r m e n r e p r e s e n t i n g " e l s e w h e r e " .

As a lways , we wan t t o hea r f r om youand t o keep I n c l ose con tac t w i t h you rv i e w s a n d c r i t i c i s m s .

y o u r s t r u l y .

2

EAST BALHAIN FORESHORES PRESERl/ATION

Late last year we wrote to the Hon, PaulLanda, ninister for Planning and theE n v i r o n m e n t s e e k i n g h i s i n t e r v e n t i o n t o s a v ethe virgin foreshores at Duke Street (on WortBay), Uleston Street (adjacent to Peacock Pt,)and Hosking Street (on Johnston's Bay) fromfl a t " d e v e l o p e r s " ,

bJe a re de l igh ted to adv ise tha t the N .S . l i J ,Government has bought the Weston Streetproperty for poster i ty, and the let ter wer e c e i v e d f r o m n r L a n d a l e a v e s l i t t l e d o u b tt h a t o u r v i e w s a r e b e i n g g i v e n w e i g h t yc o n s i d e r a t i o n .

YEEND STREET (BIRCHGROVE) FERRY SERVICE

R e s i d e n t s i n t h e H o r t s B a y a r e a w i l l b e p l e a s e dt o l e a r n t h a t f e r r i e s a r e n o w c a l l i n g a t Ye e n dStreet during the peak hour morning and afternoons e r v i c e s ,

S t a n n a r d B r o s r u n f e r r i e s l e a v i n g Ye e n d S t r e e ta t 7 ,53 a ,m, and B ,33 a ,m, and Hegar t y ' s runa ferry at 5,35 p,m, franNo,6 Wharf, CircularQ u a y ,

I t h a s t a k e n a l o n g t i m e t o g e t t h i s s e r v i c er u n n i n g a g a i n a n d i t i s i n c o m m u t e r ' s i n t e r e s t st o m a k e i t a p e r m a n e n t b e n e fi t .

PROPOSED SQUASH COURTS

The Association recently wrote to LeichhardtCounc i l abou t f u tu re ma in tenance o f t he SquashC o u r t s i t e i n B a l m a i n a n d r e c e i v e d t h e f o l l o w i n gr e p l y t

"Property Known as Nos,338-340 Darling Street,Balmain,

R e f e r e n c e i s m a d e t o y o u r l e t t e r d a t e d 3 0 t hNovember 1977, in respect of Council'sdevelopment approval to erect on the above-mentioned property seven (7) squash courts anda s s o c i a t e d a m e n i t i e s a n d i n p a r t i c u l a r c o n d i t i o nNo,11 of the approval requiring the developer and/or owner to en te r i n to a Deed secured by a banker ' sbond i n a pena l sum o f S i ,000 to ensu re tha t t helandscaping is maintained for a period of three (3)y e a r s .

Your concern that at the end of the three (3) yearperiod referred to the developer and/or owner wouldb e f r e e t o a b a n d o n o r d i s c o n t i n u e m a i n t e n a n c e o ft he l andscaped a rea i s sha red by Counc i l , Howevero n l e g a l a d v i c e C o u n c i l c a n n o t e n f o r c e a p e r i o dof more than three(3) years for maintenance.

Experience has shown , however, that if landscapingo f d e v e l o p m e n t i s p r o p e r l y c a r r i e d o u t a n d m a i ntained for three (3)years it becomes reasonablywell established and is usually maintained fol lowing the expiration of the control period,"

PLANTS LIKE COMPANY

It has been found that plants grow more happilyin a group than alone. Even house plantstogether, on a stand or table,do better thanplants in solitude, each one in a room on itso w n .

In the garden, plants grow better planted fairlythickly, provided the soil is well nourished.It appears now, that there is a chemical affinitybetween certain plants, and antagonism betweenothers. Some seem to provide mutual assistanceand grow better in one anothers company.

Much investigation in these matters has beendone in Germany and America in regard bovegetables. Some of the findings are as follows:

Potatoes grow well near broad beans or sweetcorn, but do not get on well near pumpkins, orcabbages. Cabbage and its near relatives, areaided by nearby sage, rosemary or camomile andcelery will assist in keeping away the white moth,Tomatoes also grow well near celery. Beans arehappy near carrots, cauliflower and cabbage, butonions, leeks, or garlic are considered to inhibittheir growth. Sweet corn does well near beans,o r p e a s .

Peas like neighbours such as radishes, sweetcorn, cucumbers and carrots. Cucumbers arehappy to have sunflowers nearby. Chives alsohelp cucumbers to combat mildew,

French marigolds (Tagates Patula )are consideredeffective in combating soil nematolles, and aregood to plant between rows of tomatoes,potatoesa n d b e a n s i f n e m a t o l l e s a r e s u s p e c t e d .

N a s t u r t i u m s a r e a l s o h e l p f u l b e t w e e n v e g e t a b l e sparticularly against mealy bug, or aphis oncabbages. Also naturtiums are said to improvet h e fl a v o u r o f r a d i s h e s .

P a r s l e y i s b e n e fi c i a l t o t o m a t o e s a n d r o s e s .O n i o n s a n d c e l e r y l i k e e a c h o t h e r. U s e b o r a g en e a r s t r a w b e r r i e s . P i n e n e e d l e s m a k e a g o o da c i d m u l c h t o k e e p s t r a w b e r r i e s h e a l t h y a n dc l e a n .

It is said rats and mice keep away if catmintis planted near doorways, and that rabbits hateon ions , so i f t hey a re bad down you r end o ft o w n , j u s t p l a n t o n i o n s n e a r t h a t h o l e i n t h ef e n c e ,

3. MURRAYBALMAIN GARDEN CLUB,

3

BALHAIX -niHATRli C.W^IP PCALuCK POINT HE^EIPJE.

The BTG Dimmer Board has finally given up theghost and must be replaced. Our next fundraising activity for the Dimmer Board will be:-

A F A S fl l O N P A R A D E

Clothes designed by Yvonne Harvey of Darling St.Balmain and made in PENANG. The range of 60 outfits includes three piece tailored suits, longgowns , ba t i k sundresses and o the r casua l wear.Prices range from S7 - S30 - extremelyreasonable. Larger s izes wi l l be avai lableby order.

SUNDAY 5th FEB. AT 2.30 p.m. IN H-IE ILALL.AEMISSICN OF $2 INCLUDES DEVONSHIRE AFTERNOCNTEA. SEND YOUR DEQUE TO BOX 37 ROZELLE ORRING ANNETTE BUTTERFIELD ON 82:1487 FORRESERl'ATIONS. TICKETS MAY BE COLLECTED ATT H E D O O R .

For catering purposes we must know thenumber of people coming.

PLEASE BRING YOUR FRIENDS, AUNTS. MtJMS, etc.

N E X T P R O D U C T I O N

Balmain Theatre Group's next productionis Noel Coward's hilarious comedy"Bl i the Spir i t " . Per formance dates areMarch 3rd, 4th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 16th, 17th,IStli at 8p.m. Advance bookings areavailable at S3.25 per adult, $1-50 childrenby writing to Box 37, ROZELLE and enclosingyour cheque. Tickets wi l l be mai led i frequested or may be collected at the dooron the night of the performance.

next general meetingWEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 8, B.QOp.m.

GIATCH HOUSE, 179 DARLING ST.,8ALnAIN,

The Illoura Heseruc at Peacock Point, Balmaindes igned by landscape arch i tec t Bruce MacKenz iehas won the 1977 Civic Design Award fromthe NSW Chapter of the Royal Australian Instituteo f A r c h i t e c t s ,

In i ts c i ta t ion for the I l loura Reserve, the jurys a i d : " T h i s c o n v e r s i o n o f l a n d f r o m d e K l i c t m i s u s eto rehabil i tated park is achieved by thoughtfuls i t e p l a n n i n g a n d d e s i g n ,

"The park, which improves with every year as theplanting matures, reveals the designer's originalintent for zones of activity integrated by av a r i e t y o f a t t r a c t i v e s p a c e s ,

"The practical man-made structures are sensitivelydes igned and robus t enough to have w i ths tood theheavy use they rece i ved ,

" T h e p a r k , w h i c h r e p r e s e n t s a s i g n i fi c a n t c o ntribution to usable greenspace on the Balmainp e n i n s u l a , b l e n d s w e l l w i t h i t s h a r b o u r s i d ee n v i r o n s ,

" I t s i n t e n s i v e u s e r e fl e c t s i t w i d e c o m m u n a la c c e p t a n c e , "

C R I C K E TThe Balmain Association v, the Glebe Societycricket match to have been played on the AustraliaDay weekend was cancelled because of the badweather. The match will now be played on Sunday,19 February 1978 at Five Dock Park, play to starta t 1 0 - 3 0 a , m .Anyone wishing to play please phone Sim Hughes on825111 for instant select ion.The Associat ion Cricket Club is st i l l playing inthe Balmain/Orummoyne Cricket Associationcompet ion and ha l f way throuoh the second roundare coming a very competitive third place,Practiceis still being held each Thursday evening from5-30 to 7 -30 approx .

membership formI wish to open/renew my membership uith theBalmain Association and enclose Ss u b s c r i p t i o n .

N a m e , , , , , , , , , , .

A d d r e s s

T e l e p h o n e , , , ,S e n d t o :T h e H o n , S e c r e t a r y , T h e B a l m a i n A s s o c i a t i o n ,n , 0 . B o x 5 7 , B a l m a i n 2 0 A 1 ,

• ' S u b s c r i p t i o n r a t e s : S i n g l e m e m b e r s h i p S 2 , 0 0F a m i l y S ^ , 0 0P e n s i o n e r / O u n i o r S O , 2 0

Ix

THE BALMAIN ASSOCIATION

M e m b e r s h i p A p p l i c a t i o n F o r m

I/We(Names in Full)

o f(Address)

wish to apply for membership of the Balmain Association.

We accept the fact that the Association does not endorse or supportcandidates for e lec t ion to Loca l Government or Par l iament , that i tis politically non-partisan and endorse its ai' is of making theBalmain-Rozelle peninsula a better place to live and work in.

(Optional) I/We are interested in the following:-

E n v i r o n m e n t a l a n d / o r E c o l o g i c a l Q u e s t i o n s

C l o s e r c o n t a c t w i t h L o c a l G o v e r n m e n t b o d i e s

H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y

Drama Group

H o r t i c u l t u r e a n d G a r d e n W a l k s

A r c h i t e c t u r e

Creation of more open space and Recreational Area

C h i l d - c a r e C e n t r e s

S i g n a t u r e s :

A n n u a l F e e s : S i n g l e m e m b e r s h i pF a m i l yPene ioner /Sun ior

S 2 . 0 0S 4 . 0 0

. 2 0 0