"Rotj

1 1 3the ba lma ina s s o c i a t i o n

V o l 2 4 N o 1 1 I s s u e 1 8 7 F O U N D E D 1 9 6 5 D E C E M B E R 1 9 8 9

P r e c i n c t s ,p l e a s e !

Leichhardt Council is ^currently showing com- 2m e n d a b l e i n i t i a t i v e i n d i s

p lay ing fo r res idents ' comm e n t s t h e d e v e l o p m e n tp l a n s f o r t h e A m p o l ,U n i l e v e r a n d M o n s a n t os i t es .

Information and models havebeen available at the LeichhardtAdministration Centre, the RozellePeninsula Festival and are nowat the Balmain Library for thefirst two weeks of December.Other major developments willsimilarly be put forward forpubhc comment, and Council iskeen to receive residents' submissions on mdividual projects andtheir cumulative effect.

This process of communicationbetween residents and localgovernment would be greatlyimproved by the implementationof a precinct committee systemin the Leichhardt Municipality.Such a system has been anoutstanding success in NorthSydney and it is being adopted ■!£by increasing numbers of ImunicipaUties such as Waverley,Manly, Liverpool, Wollongong and theCity of Melbourne. The Urban Environment Coalition, which represents over400 resident groups including theBalmain Association, advocates the establishment of precinct committees inall local government areas.

Unlike resident action groups andother local associations, precinct committees have a direct, continuing link withCouncil. Precinct committees work closely with local council departments in aformal relationship that channels information and viewpoints between residentsand council. The precinct committeeshave no legal rights in council decisions,but their input is valued by councilwhich, on a very systematic, regularbasis, knows what residents what andthink. This adds weight to council'sdealings with other authorities and withdevelopers, and it defuses the volatility

that can bedevil local governmentproceedings. Residents benefit by knowing that their views are taken intoaccount and by being well informed

North Sydney, it no longer has evena ward system to simplify andstreamline dealings between residentsand their elected representatives. Most

and regularly consulted. CouncU staff residents find it extremely confusingcan plan and administer more effec-

> JOLLY UP THIS CHRISTMAS

J o i n u s f o r C h r i s t n a sD r i n k s a t t h e H a t c h H o u s eo n S a t u r d a y 1 6 t h D e c e m b e r

4pm to ??^ C H E E R S !

1on;^m .

tively and elected representatives canm a k e m o r e i n f o r m e d a n d r a t i o n a ldecisions.

In North Sydney there are now 24precinct committees each representingbetween 400 and 1200 households. Thecommit tees meet once a month anddiscuss issues affecting their areas,ranging firom minor maintenance tomajor planning matters. Two full-timeCouncil staff service the committeesand each committee has an annualcoimdl grant of $300 to pay forphotocopying and leaflets. There are 54not ice boards throughout themunicipality to which precinct committees have keys. Continual communication occurs on all development proposalsand loca l issues.

The Leichhardt Municipality wouldparticularly benefit from the introduction of precinct committees, as, unlike

and overwhelming to deal with Councila n d a l l t h e 1 2 a l d e r m e n o n

3* any specific or general issue.Much of the anger and confusion is brought to organisat i o n s s u c h a s t h e B a l m a i nAssociation which, at present,do not have the resources orthe formal power to do thedetailed work that can only bemanaged through a precinctcommittee system, fiilly sup-ported by residents and Council./ y Given the marked local varia-' / t ions in the Le ichhardt

k i Municipality, the frequency andL / complexity of issues and the

lack of a ward system, theV adoption ofa precinct committeef system is timely and desirable.\ The Ba lma in Assoc ia t ion^ proposes the introduction of thisjSp scheme in 1990 as our projectto mark our 25th year of busy

ex i s tence .Have a happy and safe

Christmas and New Year.Jane Ward

"IS"

A v a i l a b l e for $2.00 plus large s.a,e.at the Watch House.

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

C h i l d r e n o f t h e1920-30S

I have recalled a loto f t he adu l t h i s t o r yo f B a l m a i n s o 1 f e e li t i s w o r t h y o f m e nt ion to how boys andg i r l s spen t t he i r t imea n d e f f o r t . I m a g i n at i o n p l a y e d a v e r y b i g p a r t i ntheir l ives as shortage of moneyp re ve n te d t h e m f r o m b u y i n gt o y s .

Most g^-oceries came in a woodencase and these were always available.With an axle and two wheels and twoshaf ts a barrow could easi ly beassembled to be pulled along forgathering horse-manure which wasplentiful on the roads. The barrow waswidely used for doing the familyshopping or gathering small pieces ofwood for the fuel stove or copper.

A billy-cart could be made with thebox and four wheels on two axles andrope as reins on the front swivellingaxle. It could carry a good load offirewood from various timbcryards.There was always a thrill going downh i l l w i t h a l o a d o n !

The girls mainly had their hop-scotchchalked out on the footpath and manyhours were spent along with theirskipping. In the latter, either a singlerope was used or a double rope witha girl at either end. When the turnswere hotted up, the cry was salt,vinegar and pepper.

The yo-yo came out in the 1930sand was a great hit providing you had

a shilling to buy one. Demonstrationsby American promoters could be seenat lunch time or after school. Anothersimilar item trying to break into them a r k e t w a s t h e d i a b o l o . T h i s w a sshaped like a cotton reel and workedby two sticks with string attached.Unfortunately the children never tookto these like the yo-yo.

Cubby houses were a common sighton a paddock or dead-end street. Builtof scrounged corrugated iron, timberwith potato bags for the blinds andfloor cover, these gave many hours offun. A fire would be lit outside andmany a potato was roasted in the ashes.

School holidays were often spentpicking blackberries in season. Manypaddocks in Balmain afforded theopportunity and a favourite one wasin Palmer Street (opposite WortleyStreet) which still exists today. Twosheets of corrugated iron were all thatwas needed, one to walk on, the otherto throw on the bushes to lean on anddo your picking. A tin billy was usedfor the gain, and the idea was forMum to make a blackberry pie, butmany were eaten before getting to the

History Trail Walk

Because of the downpour ont h e 1 2 t h N o v e m b e r t h eH i s t o r y Tr a i l w a l k h a s b e e nr e s c h e d u l e d f o r A u s t r a l i a D a y,F r i d a y, 2 6 t h J a n u a r y 1 9 9 0 .

The walk will depart from the WatchHouse at 2.30pm and conclude atPeacock Po in t fo r re f reshments . Cos t $7incl booklet and drinks. Come and helpcelebrate the start of our 25th year.

PHOTOGRAPHIC ACQUISITIONS

Mr. C. Ford has donated to theAssociation two photographs of earlyresidents of Balmain: Mr. Frederick Fordand his wife Clarissa nee Jones, thesecond daughter cf David Jones.Frederick Ford's private residence isshown as "Alfred Cottage, NicholsonStreet, Balmain" in Ford's Directory of1851 (refer Leichhardt Historical JournalNo: 12, page 17).

L e t t e r s t o t h e E d i t o rD e a r E d i t o rI wish to thank Ann and David

Ramsay for inviting me to the BalmainAssociation's visit to Goat Island.

I often had occasion, as a younggirl, to visit the Island with my parents.Their very close friends, lima and AlecHarcourt, resided on the Island as Alecwas Harbour Master some 45 years ago.

We were collected from the Quayand landed on the northern side. Thewalk up to the main house was verypretty as the gardens were very wellt e n d e d .

I t i s v e r y s a d t o s e e t h eHarbourmaster's house and the otherdwellings in their present state as theywere always so well kept.

It was very interesting to go throughthe museum and see some history ofthe I s l and .

regardsJudy Jackson

D e a r E d i t o rThe last part of the old Balmain

industrial sites has been sold forresidential use or some say a privategeriatric hospital. Ironically the ColgatePalmolive site was sold to a doctor,Robert Hampshire, (as was the firstland sale made by Dr Balmain to DrJ B Gilchrist). The sale almost closesthe book on the old industrial siteswhich are bound by the same narrowstreets that echoed to the sound of thehorse drawn carts and workingmens'hobnail boots. Balmain streets were laidout to suit the people who owned thefactories with houses around them fortheir employees. It is these houses thatare now owned and not rented. Thecatch is that workingmen had no horsesor carriages and today's motor cars areas long as the houses are wide andthe streets are speed traps if cars arenot parked on the footpath.

The Balmain Association in recognising the problem is attempting to havea m e m b e r o n t h e L e i c h h a r d tMunicipality Traffic Committee. Thereis need for realistic and unique solutionsto keep our streets safe for everyone.

A Merry Christmas to all membersDave Ramsay

Friends of BIrchgrove OvalA meeting of interested people was

held on Monday 4th December touphold the standards of Birchgrove Ovaland the surrounding park. Thecaretaker's cottage is being restored bythe Leichhardt Council largely from theurging of this group.

They are also anxious to encouragethe Council to more effectively managedogs in the grounds.

A P L E A S A N T L I N KW I T H O L D B A L M A I N

On Tuesday, 14th Novemder1914 , some 700 l oca l res id e n t s o f B a l r a a i n m e t i n M o ntague Street, behind the PostO f fi c e i n D a r l i n g S t r e e t a t 3 p mf o r a n i m p o r t a n t c i v i c e v e n t .

The Mayor of Balmain and localdignitaries, were present to witness thelaying of four foundation stones of thenew Hail of the Central MethodistMission by the Rev. F.W. Hynes, Mr.W. Druce (Mission Committee Memberand Manager of the E.S. & A. Bank),Mr. Ebcnezer Vickery (Mission Committee and local Solicitor) and Mr. F.E.Pilcher, Master Baker and leadingbusiness man of the district.

The champion Balmain MunicipalBand was in attendance, there wasmuch hymn singing and recital ofprayers, and no little sermonising as onemight expect.

On Saturday, 18th November 1989,75 years later almost to the day andalso at 3p.m., the History Division ofthe Balmain Association staged a modestcommemoration of the original stonelaying, this time in the presence of fourgenerations of the family of the lateF.E. Pilcher, one of the original group.Present at the commemoration was thesilver and ivory trowel presentedon the first occasion and now a pieceof the Pilcher family memorabilia.Attempts to locate descendants of theother three foundation stone "layers"had been unsuccessful.

The commemorative group comprisedMr. Kenneth Pilcher, sole survivor ofthe original family, of Hunters Hill; hisgrandson, another Frederick Pilcher, withhis wife and great-grand-daughter, Cleo,w h o c a m e f r o m C a n b e r r a f o r t h eoccasion; together with 5 more secondgeneration grandsons and granddaughters, 7 third generation great-greatgrandsons and daughters and 4 fourth

t h e B a l m a i nW a r d , e m -

w a s a m o s t

th is was the

generation members of the familyplus sundry wives and husbands.

The whole party adjourned forafternoon tea at the Watch Housewhere they were joined by theMayor of Leichhardt, Aid. I.Wyner and Mr. Bruce Baudinet,who designed and carried out therestoration and renovation of theCentral Methodist Mission (whichwas officially opened last month).

Introducing Mr. Ken Pilcher,t h e P r e s i d e n t o fAssoc ia t ion, Janephasised that thisunusual event, asfirst time she could recall a "handson" contact with a family groupof this size.

In a brief speech Mr. Pilchercommented that h is fa ther wasnot a Methodist, but at a meeting,had offered to match, pound forpound up to £200, any sum raisedby donation from those present.As this was 1914, every manwore a hat, so it was not difficultto pass a few around and very shortlysome £350 had been given, which withMr. Pilcher's £^0 made a total of £550,or more than 10% of the quoted priceof the building, being £5070.

"To put this in 1989 terms andpersonalities, the original F.E. Pilcher'sgesture would be the equivalent of JohnElliot giving $8000 to the ALP towardsthe cost of new headquarters", said Mr.K . P i l che r.

Also present was Mr. Cam Fordwhose greal-great-uncle Robert Fordbuilt, in 1850, "Heathfield House" [ref.N e w s h e e t N o s 1 8 1 & 1 8 2 a n dLeichhardt Historical Journal No 15]."Heathfield", yet another gracious building long disappeared from Balmain inthe interest of "progress", was thePilcher family home from 1906 to 1913.

Mr. Fred Pilcher, on behalf of thePilcher family, handed to the HistoryDivision of the Balmain Association

Four generations of the Pilcher Family enjoy afternoon tea at the Watch House

Ken & Dorrie Pilcher, grandson Fred andgreat-grand-daughter, Qeo.

excellent copies of half a dozen oldphotographs, taken about 1906 to 1908,of "Heathfield", with tennis on thecourt, some family groups andphotocopies of a brochure issued by theF. Pilcher Baking Company to mark theopening of the new bakery in 1913.

During afternoon tea, Mr. Ken Pilchertold the audience that they were nowtruly in "Pilcher Territory", for just afew metres down Darling Street on thecorner of St Johns Street was a building,now demolished, where his father rana bakery from 1902 until 1906.

On the Pilcher family's return fromEngland early in 1914, they moved tothe Point House at Huntley's Point. Thebakery now in Balmain Road, right atthe gates of Callan Park (where itsupplied 'old' bread) continued the linkwith Balmain until 1926, when FrederickPilcher sold out to Hackshalls Ltd., tobecome ABBCO and more recently amember of the Fielder Group.

Thus the Pi lcher l ink wi th Balmainwas severed after 34 years. Howeverin the past few years a great-grand-son,the well-known Olympic yachtsmanJames Cook has built a waterfront homein Birchgrove, where he lives with hiswife and two little girls, Tessa andEl l ie . Bo th were chr is tened in S t . John 's

Church, as where four of the originalfamily. Tessa started this year atBirchgrove Primary where 2 great-auntsand imcles went in the early 1900s -so history repeats itself.

Finally, Mr. Ken Pilcher expressedthe hope that this event might stimulaterecollections amongst some older localresidents which could embellish theinformation known to the Association.

C o n d o l e n c e s

The Balmain Association regrets the passingof Mrs. Mary Brown and extends our sympathies to George Brown and family on theirrecent bereavement. The Brown family have always been most supportive to the community.

E d i t o r ' s T h a n k s

The Editor would like to thank Tim and Jenny andfamily as well as their team of News Sheetdeliverers for their great efforts over the past year.Please come for Xmas drinks with me at the WatchHouse at 4pm on Saturday I6th December.

Seasona l Greet ings to a l l members .

Va l H a m e y

Some Companion Plants

Back in history, farmers mixed their flowers, herbsand vegetables all together in the one bed because they rightly observed that everything thrivedthat way. The plants helped each other in many ways.Thus nature was well balanced.

Apple trees like chives, nasturtiums and wallflowersgrowing under them. Citrus trees like guava trees nearby.Grapevines like to be near elms, or mulberries or hyssop.Plant an elm tree near a grapevine and let the vine climbup it. This will ensure good quality grapes. Foxgloves arebeneficial to all other nearby plants and trees. Garlic plantedunder rose bushes is beneficial for them. Spinach improvessoi ls .

All herbs, except fennel, planted as a border aroundvegetable plots benefit the vegetables. Parsley aids roses andtomatoes. Primroses and . violets enrich the soil for otherplants. Mix the herbs for best results. Lavender is happyalongside peas and beans. In fact, the whole garden thrivesif there are lots of leguminous plants around. Most bearpods. Lupins enrich soils for other crops.

Shred old branches of tree ferns and add to the pottingmix for all tree cuttings or seedlings.

Margaret FordThe Balmain Garden Club in future will meet in St

Marys hall on the third Saturday of each month.

J u s t t o r e m i n d . . . .

Membership renewals are due nowFor a truly modest sum you get

• membership of the prestijous BalmainA s s o c i a t i o n

• r e g u l a r d e l i v e r y o f t h e N e w s S h e e t• the warm inner glow that comes from

k n o w i n g t h a t y o u r s u b s c r i p t i o nc o n t r i b u t e s t o t h e w e l i - b e i n g o f t h ecommun i t y t h rough the Assoc ia t i on ' sa c t i v i t i e s .

W H A T ' S O N

Saturday 16th December - Christmas Drinks4pm until exhausted. All welcome

Historical Trail Walk • Australia DayFriday 26th January 1990

Departing the Watch House at 2.30pmConcluding at Peacock Point for refreshments

Cost $7.00 inci Booklet & drinksCelebrate our 25th Anniversary

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

1 to 3pm - Call in for coffee

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

House, 179 Darling Street,B a l m a i n .

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

Interested artists, potters, sculptors etc. who wouldlike to organise an exhibition In the Watch House

are urged to contact Steve South on 810 1411. TheWatch House can also be made available as a

meeting place for local organisations.

O u r A i m s A r c To :

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

representingBalmain-Birchgrove &

R o z e l l e

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

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

• compile and record history of the area& k e e p a p e r m a n e n t c o l l e c t i o n o f i t e m so f h i s t o r i c a i i n t e r e s t

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

M E M B E R S H I P F O R MReturn to: Treasurer, PO Box 57, BALMAIN 2041

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

P H O N E . H O M E : B U S :Ar>N-AL SLBSCKIPlION(incl t^cws Sheo ddivciy in Balmain-RazcUc)

H e a s e c i i c l e - . . . M 3 V B H V I E ^ B A / A LSingle/Family/Houschold $10.00O r g a n i s a t i o n $ 1 5 . 0 0I ^ n s i c n e r o r S t u d e n t 5 1 1 X )

Add $500 to lais c have Nsws Sheet postedCheques should be made p̂ abte to The Balmain Asxiaaon