m m m s i

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

incorporated NEWS SHEETVol 26 No 11 Issue 209 F O U N D E D 1 9 6 5 DECEMBER 1991

Extend Public ParticipationThe Rezoning Workshops conductedby Leichhardt Council have beenconcluded and there is agreement thatthey generally presented a consensus ofres iden ts* v iews and concerns . TheCouncil is now expected to determine theLoca l Env i ronmen t P lans be fo re t he endof the year.

As we forecast last month, the Department of Planning is still formulating theirRegional Environmental Plan which theyhad proposed to exhibit on 18 Novemberand is now due "before the end of the year".There is, however, a possibility of a legalchallenge to this process from the Counciland the Local Government Associat ion.

Some of the developers have discussedthe rezonings with the workshops andagreement had been achieved on generalprinciples. The most developed conceptswere from Leda on the White Bay site andthe ske t ch i l l u s t ra tes some o f t he i deas

promoted by members of the workshopcommittee. The main principle agreed towas the linkage of open space through thesite from Punch Park to \S ite Bay Park.

Var ia t ions to access roads and t ra ffic

arrangements are imperative and therecommendations include: (a) Improvements to access Victoria Road and keepheavy vehicles out of narrow suburbanstreets, (b) Extension of Booth Street toRoberts Street, (c) Extension of ReynoldsStreet to Roberts Street, (d) Closing offB u c h a n a n S t r e e t t o f o r m a c u l - d e - s a c

serving only the commercial premises of theAmpol and Unilever sites.

!DEX€> t=aL-.

No detailed concept has been revealedby Chemplex but general agreement wasreached for waterfront open space with thepossibility of enlarging the Balmain HighSchool playing field. The widening of TerryStreet between Victoria Road and Margaret

Street as well as a reservation for extra laneson Victoria Rd from Iron Cove Bridge toTerry Street was well supported. The streetnetwork as portrayed on the sketch is notdesirable and does not follow the site levels.

Chemplex representative, Mr John Boyd,stated that they had not tendered forCockatoo Island as it does not appear to bea viable development

The Caltex workshop wants Council torequest the State Government to purchase'Vs of Ballast Point for a park and to allowdevelopment on the remainder. If this request was unsuccessful a minority reporthad two schemes which approximated theCommiss ione rs ' recommenda t ions . Ca l texadvocated the adoption of the "umpire's"dec i s ion .

The next step in the public participationoperation is to produce measures to controlthe effects of the development on these fivesites and others such as the MSB buoy siteand the White Bay Power Station which isabout to be demolished. The Council is ex

pected to form the precinct committees thatwe have been advocating. However, thetraffic control measures and improvementsto infrastructure and amenities need to beconsidered over the whole Peninsula andthe precincts need to work in conjunction.A f u t u r e r e s i d e n t c o m m i t t e e s h o u l d e xamine the traffic calming measures requiredespecially for the Darling Street shoppingarea. Contributions should be obtained fromthe developers as well as the StateGovernment to finance this work.

' AMerryXmasand a

Happy New Year to All

President Jane Ward for theManagement Committee wishes you all

the best for the Festive Season.

Please join us at 3-6pm on SaturdayDecember 21 at the Watch House for

C h r i s t m a s d r i n k s

Gour i i es ComerP i c t u r e T h e a t r e s

Picture sho operated in Balmainaround the 1930s by the NationalTheatre (the "Old Nash") in RowntreeStreet and Kings on the corner ofBirchgrove Road and Darling Street.Screenings were on six nights a weekwith a children's matinee on Saturdayafternoon. Two others were the Rozel le

Hoyts at 730 Darling Street and theAmusu on the corner of Darling andTho rn ton S t ree t s . The o l d Amusu wasknown to the children as the "BugHouse". One of the buildings, Kings,has been demol ished.

Emerging from its shroud now is therefurbished Bijou (Hoyts) Theatre inRowntree Street adjacent to Darling St.This building has retained its 1930sremode l led Ar t Deco facade and w i l lbe recycled as ofFxce space and shops.Being in a prominent position its colourscheme compliments the 1887 PostOffice opposite.

The Nat iona l P ic tu re Theat re wasb u i l t i n 1 9 1 3 . T h e e n t r a n c e w a s i n

Darling St where the foyer held theticket office and later the milk bar. It isnow a gift store at 371A Darling Stteetand when the proprietor renovated theshop she discovered, under layers oflino, the foyer's original tiles which arenow on view. Another entrance led tothe National Billiards rooms above (theLoft) and there was also the VaudevilleTheatre entrance in Rowntree St whichhas been retained.

Wednesday evening was vaudevillenight with entertainers such as HarryC l a y ' s R e v u e C o m p a n y, t h eManchurians (Chinese jugglers),S lav in and Thompson (smar tpattcrists), the Saldines (specialty act)and the comedian, Roy Rene. Silentmovies shown on other nights starring

Snowy Baker, Olga Petrove, Ruby DeRemer and Charlie Chaplin.

One of Australia's silent movie starswas Lottie Lyell who was born inBalmain in 1890 and grew up here withher two sisters. Her father, Joseph Cox,was a local real estate agent and hermother, Charlotte Louise Hancock.Beginning in 1907, Lottie's work as afilm director and actor appears today asa significant departure from the acceptednorm. The bohemian life of an actor, inthose early years, still attached aconsiderable social st igma. Herassociation with Raymond Longfordproduced many well loved filmsincluding 'The Mutiny of the Bounty",1916, and those adapted from C JD e n n i s ' p o p u l a r p o e m s " T h eSentimental Bloke", 1919, and "GingerMick", 1920. Lottie Lyell died at theearly age of 34 years.

B e f o r e t h e t a l k i e s a r r i v e d i n t h e193Ds a pianist or a small group ofmusicians would synchronise sound tothe mood required by the screen action.The Powerhouse Museum's KingsTheatre has a Photoplayer toaccompany silent movies. It is a pianowhich has buttons to operate soundeffects such as pistol shots, bells,whistles, etc.

From 1947 to 1964 the building wasknown as the Balmain Hoyts, afterwhich it had a variety of uses. Liveperformances came again in the 1970swhen Reg Livermore opened the renamed Bijou with Betty BlockbusterRevues. I t was las t used as a ro l le r

skating rink. Let us all wish thephantom of the theatre a renewed life inthe Bijou complex. "Peanuts andlollies!" sez a boy upstairs.

Source: "Brilliant Careers" byAndrea Wright. The Association History Committee requests furtherinformation on the picture theatres ofBalmain and Rozel le.

C o c k a t o o I s l a n d

For most of this year, the AustralianArchives has been Involved in aproject aimed at the preservation of therecords of Cockatoo Island Dockyard.Work on the dock began in 1851 and theDockyard was used for shipbuilding andrefitting until this year.

It was operated by the NSW Governmentuntil 1913, when it was transferred to theCommonwealth. From 1933 it was leased tothe Cockatoo Docks & Engineering Co(now called Cockatoo Dockyard Pty Ltd).During its long history a wide variety of

naval and merchant vessels were bui l t or

refitted, including the Tribal classdestroyers during World War II, thepassenger ship Empress of Australia and thereplenishment ship HMAS Success.

The project, undertaken with extensiveassistance from the company and theDepartment of Defence, has resulted in theidentification and transfer to the Archives'custody of some 580 series of records. Theserepresent a most important resource for thestudy of maritime, industrial and socialhistory.

The Australian Archives NSW RegionalOffice is located at 24 Market St Sydney.

Annuat Subscriptionsare now due.

Please send yourcontributions as early as

possible.

Turn to back page forimportant details.

V J

Wee Georgie Robinson

One of the outstanding displays at theA u s t r a l i a n N a t i o n a l M a r i t i m eMuseum in Darling Harbour, is theBritanniOy an 18 footer built in 1919 andsailed by noted Balmain shipwright,*Wee" Georgie Robinson. With a crew of11 he raced Britannia on Sydney Harbourand interstate for 26 years. Cheered byferry loads of spectators and punters, thecrew of up to 16 sailed, bailed andb r a w l e d t h e i r t i m b e r b o a t s a r o u n d t h eh a r b o u r .

George's father started the Sydney Flying Squadron in 1890 and George sailed the6 flEdna, 8 footers, 10 footers, 12 footers,16 footers and finally 18 footers, winning arace in every class. George took a year offfrom his work at Cockatoo Island to buildh i s f a m o u s I n 1 9 4 5 h e t o o k d o w nthe rig, installed an engine and added acabin. Britannia became the Squadron'sstarter boat. Robinson cherished his famousboat all of his life.

The Museum acquired the Britannia in1986 and reconst ructed the vessel to i ts1940s design. The late Arthur Griffiths ofBirchgrove painstakingly removed themany layers of paint which masked the finecedar hul l beneath. The conservat ion wascontinued by Richard Wood and NigelS h a n n o n w i t h s a i l m a k e r D e n n i s

McGoogan. The lightweight hollow sparswere fashioned from oregon pine byMichael Staples.

Britannia is now suspended majesticallyas a fully rigged sailing vessel from thecentre of the Museum's main gallery (seepicture below) alongside another favourite,Australia II with its revolutionary wingedkeel. A video made by the late GeorgeRobinson and a display cabinet of

memorabilia should be a mecca for anyonewith a few drops of salt water in their veins.

The Maritime Museum opened to thepublic on 30 November 1991 and I wasticket holder No 1. Admission costs $7 foradults, concession $4.50, children $3.50and families $17. Open 7 days 10am to5pm. Congratulations to the AustralianNa t i ona l Mar i t ime Museum.

Kath Harney

F r e d e r i c k Va l e

A prominent hotelier in the earlyyears in Balmain was FrederickVa l e . F r e d e r i c k m a r r i e d S a r a h C r a n e a tSt James Church, Sydney on 2 January1855 when he was licensee of the BalmainHotel in Darling Street (opposite theWatch House now demolished,).

Frederick and Sarah went on to have 12

children, all except one were baptised in StMarys Church, Balmain — Alice 1855,Frederick 1857,Emest 1859,Thomas 1860,Charles 1862, Walter 1864, Florence 1866,Valetta 1870, Edith 1872, Emma 1874.

Fred Vale had built the Warwick Castleon the comer of Mort and Darling Streets,Balmain in 1860 to the design of the wellk n o w n B a l m a i n a r c h i t e c t , J a m e sMcDonald. When he sold it about 1867 hemoved his family to The Australian Hoteland Cafe in George St, Sydney whereValetta was baptised. He returned toBalmain in 1870 when he bought ThomasW a k f e r ' s D o c k I n n o n t h e c o r n e r o fCameron and College Streets.

At the time of the death of his daughter,Valetta, at the age of 13 months, he calledthe hotel The Clarendon, but next year herenamed it the Dry Dock Hotel as it is called

today. His daughter Emma died aged 10months in 1875. In 1875 Vale sold the DryDock and Sarah died two years later ofconsumption aged 44 years and was buriedin the Balmain Cemetery. He went to live atBoat Harbour on the Bellinger River in1881 where he died aged 59 years and wasburied there. In his early years in Balmainhe was very politically minded as weremany publicans in those days.

H e o w n e d l a n d i n C o v e S t r e e t ,Birchgrove, which he had purchased from

the Gilchrist Estate in 1866. His son CharlesVale was a very well known resident ofBellinger River and the Association washonoured to have had his grandson, Mr JohnVale of Grafton with some of his family asguests at our launch of "Called to the Bar"at Clontarf. We hope to receive from him aphoto of Frederick and Sarah Vale whichshal l be treasured. "Cal led to the Bar" isavailable for $15 postage paid from theB a l m a i n A s s o c i a t i o n I n c P O B o x 5 7Balmain 2041.

Warwick Castle Hotel 1930

I n You r Ga rden

Hydrangea—Summer's super shade lover

Perfect for partly shaded parts of well watered gardens,Hydrangea produce their posies of bloom from aroundNovember to well into February. You can cut flowers forChristmas arrangements or for an even longer indoor display

you can grow them in pots.T h e m o s t c o m m o n a n d m o s t

beautiful species is macrophylla,s o m e t i m e s k n o w n a s a h o r t e n s i a .

These now come in a big range ofco lou rs and ma tu re sh rubs can be

anything between 50cm to 2m tall.Greenthumb groundrules.Climate. Best is cool and moist although

Hydrangea do well in most gardens where watercan be assured. Frequent hot dry winds are nothelpful.Site. Hydrangea like a few hours of morning sun

'but prefer to spend the rest of the day in bright dappledshade. The hotter your garden the more shade they will accepL Theeastern or southern side of the house is good.

Soil. Must be well drained yet reasonably water retentive. Watergenerously during the warmer half of the year, less in winter. Feedwith annual ai^lication of complete plant food in early spring.

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

Subscription RenewalYour 1992 Subscription is now due and your Committeewelcomes your early contribution before the Christmasholidays. The rates are the same as the previous year as we havekept our printing costs under tight control. However, thesubscriptions wiU now include postage.

Although our deliverers have been reliable and are willing tocontinue there are advantages in distributing the News Sheet entirely by post. Most importantly membership records would be moreaccurate because the News Sheet would be returned if a memberhad moved without notification. Distribution would be simplifiedto a bulk postage and you would receive your copy earlier and moresafely as it would not be like junk mail. The bulk mail cost wouldbe only a little more than that of the present third of copies postedin envelopes.

Please note that subscriptions are $16.00 for Households and$7.00 for Students/Pensioners. Both include postage. Thosemembers who have paid in advance have received a Xmas bonus.

Season's Greetings from your Committee.

B o o k s F o r X m a s G i f t sH a l f T h o u s a n d A c r e sT h e B a l m a i n B o o kC h r i s t i a n B r o t h e r s & B a l m a i nL e i c h h a r d t H i s t o r i c a l J o u r n a l sAround Balmain (special)Cal led to the Bar

History Trail $2 L e a fl e t s

$20$20$25

$10,$15$7

$13$1

Stop Press. Balmain Post Office to be auctioned.Printed on recycled paper

© Not to be reproduced without authorisation

W H AT ' S O N

Christmas Drinks—3-6pm December 21a t t h e W a t c h H o u s e

Carmen Hagen—Paintings.February 22 • March 1

A n n S h e r i d a n — M a r c h 6 - 1 5

Margaret Margeson—March 21 - 22

Renata Fisher—March 28 - April 5

O U R H O U S E WAT C HThe Watch House Is open every

Saturday from12 to 3pm • Call in for coffee

T h e B a l m a i n A s s o c i a t i o n m e e t s o n t h e fi r s tWednesday of each month at 7.30pm in theWatch House, 179 Dariing Street, Baimain.Send maii c/o PO Box 57, BALMAIN. 2041

Our editorial phone is 818 4954Interested artists, potters, sculptors etc. who would like toorganise an exhibition in the Watch House are urged to

contact Steve South on 8101411. The Watch House can a lsobe made available as a meeting place for local organisations.

^ ^ ^ 1^ A the balmain association increpresenting

r U r Li 11 Balmain, Birchgrove, RozelleOur Ainu Are To:

• improve the living, working and recreationala m e n i t i e s o f o u r a r e a

• maintain ail features having natural architecturala n d / o r h i s t o r i c a l v a l u e

• compile and record history of the area & keep apermanent collection of Items of historical interest• seek the cooperation of everyone concerned in ther e a l i s a t i o n o f t h e a b o v e

the balmain association incorporatedM E M B E R S H i P F O R M

Return to Treasurer, PO Box 57, BALMAIN 2041

N A M E :

A D D R E S S :

P O S T C O D E H O M E P H O N E :A N N U A L S U B S C R I P T I O NP l e a s e c i r c l e - . . . . N E W M E M B E R / R E N E WA L

Single/Family/Household. S16.00Organisation$21.00Pensioner or Studeni$7.00Above rates include postageQieques should be made payable to Hie Balmain Association Inc