More on Dee Why Neighbourhood Media is always looking for those in the local community who are challenging norms and making a difference. For this issue, we caught up with Brookvale Nissan’s Service Manager, Samantha Lamb and their Service Provider, Skye Evans, to talk about their roles and experiences as women working in the automotive industry. Women in the automotive industry is unusual. What prompted you to take on a job in cars? Have you always had an interest in them? Samantha: “My father ignited my passion for the motor trade. I watched him climb the ranks (in sales) as a child. He used to bring home fast/ fun cars. Since then, I have always had an interest in cars. It wasn’t until I started in the motor trade that my passion really grew. Selling cars didn’t satisfy my interest, I understood that service is where the real fun begins.” Skye: “Similar to Samantha, my father was in body repair. I watched him work in a garage most of my life. It sparked a passion and interest in cars. I have always been interested in cars and saw the perfect opportunity to grow my knowledge in something I was passionate about.” It’s no secret that the car industry has, since its foundation, been overwhelmingly male. What do you make of it as women in the workforce? Samantha: “Both Skye and I agree. I have been in and out of the trade for nine years; it has always been dominated by men. It is more progressive, which is fantastic. Just because the industry has previously been a male-dominated area doesn’t mean that you should feel incapable or inadequate to start a career in something you're passionate about. I can confidently say both Skye and I are headstrong women who aren’t intimated by the environment, nor should anyone feel it creates limitations.” How long have you been in the industry? Have you noticed any changes since you’ve started? Samantha: “Roughly 9 years. I originally started selling cars when I was 17. I was in a team with 13 men. Since then, a lot has changed; I’ve worked with several really fantastic women, I hope that trend continues.” Skye: “I have now been in the motor trade for four months. Originally in sales, then relocated to service. I’m new to the industry, so can’t make a fair assumption.” Do you believe that there are more obstacles in the automotive industry for women than men? Samantha: “I think it's more a personal limitation that you can create for yourself. If you believe that the motor trade is difficult for women, you will become a product of that way of thinking. There are disadvantages at times, but nothing substantial has put me off working in this type of environment.” Skye: “I personally do not feel that there were any obstacles, but there are certain disadvantages in certain positions where you may be undermined, but nothing major.” In what ways do you hope the industry will continue to change to be more accessible to women? Samantha: “It's important to have both genders in any type of work environment. Being defined by a certain sex to do a particular role seems unnecessary, you create the opportunities that you want. I truly believe that the industry is more inclusive, and Skye and I are a perfect example of that.” Skye: “The motor trade is becoming progressive; having a female service manager gives me the ambition to continue to develop my skill set in the industry and strive to do the same.” Do you find that working at Nissan Brookvale has helped develop your skills and support you in your careers? Samantha: “I have worked here for several years now. It has helped shape me into the person I am in a professional and personal manner. No one wants to spend any money on their car; Brookvale Nissan has helped give me the skill to communicate something that isn’t always an easy conversation.” Skye: “As someone who has recently started at Brookvale Nissan, it is helping me develop the necessary skills to progress in my career.” Any additional items or pieces of information that you’d like to share with our readers? Both: “The motor trade is a weird and wonderful place to work. Regardless of gender, people should strive for the career they want to achieve. If you want to see us wonderful women in action, please come and visit us at Brookvale Nissan.” To learn more about the team at Brookvale Nissan head to www.brookvalenissan.com.au or call in to their dealership at 583 Pittwater Road, Brookvale, NSW 2100. By Isabella Edwards

By ALEC SMART Screen shot from Soul Movers "Fool I Am" video. Murray 'Muzz' Cook and the Soul Movers Murray ‘Muzz’ Cook, co-founder of internationally successful children’s TV program, musical band and entertainment spectacle The Wiggles, is still writing music and playing concerts, a decade after retiring from performing live with the popular phenomenon. As well as participating in the occasional reunion event with the original quartet – affectionately called the OG Wiggles – in 2015 Cook joined R&B band The Soul Movers, founded by Radio Birdman legend Deniz Tek and singer Lizzie Mack. The Soul Movers have released four albums, three with Cook’s involvement: Testify! (2017), Bona Fide (2019) and Evolution (2021), which are musically diverse, embracing a range of styles from blues to soul, via rock and disco. Known for wearing iconic red polo-neck skivvies in the four-coloured quartet with whom he played guitar for 21 years (1991-2012, alongside Anthony Field in blue, Greg Page in yellow and Jeff Fatt in purple), Cook is based in Sydney’s Inner-West. He is often seen at local music venues or performing onstage with major bands like YouAmI and DZ Deathrays, many of whom credit him as an influence on their songwriting. Guitar Magazine once speculated that Cook was perhaps the most influential guitarist in the world due to his being the first that young children are exposed to during their formative years watching The Wiggles on TV. Screen shot from the hilarious DZ Deathrays' music video in which Murray features. Murray Cook, Red Wiggle Interview Neighbourhood Media exchanged words with the Order of Australia Medal recipient about where he’s headed next. Murray is often seen attending shows at venues around Marrickville and Newtown; the locals often point him out and say how much they respect his supporting the inner-west live music scene. Does he have any favourite local venues and bands he particularly enjoys seeing? “I am a long time resident of the Inner West. I first moved here in 1983. I can’t imagine moving anywhere else. There are so many great venues in the Inner West. It really is the epicentre of live music at the moment. There’s such a range of sizes and styles from the Enmore Theatre to The Factory to Camelot. I love the atmosphere at The Gasoline Pony. It’s run by musicians and has a real variety of bands and genres. "The Marrickville Bowlo is a gem too. Too many good ones to pick a fave! There are many great acts too. Bernie Hayes is someone I love to see in his various incarnations, from solo to his band to The Dead Marines.” The Soul Movers have collaborated with a range of talented artists. These include: Garth Porter and Tony Mitchell from Sherbet; the trio from DZ Deathrays on their Like People music video (and they in turn appeared in The Soul Movers’ video You Better Believe It!); with the legendary Jeremy Oxley of Sunnyboys on the Nov 2021 released song Not Putting it Down; and, latterly, Little Quirks on Soul Movers’ Feb 2022 cover of The Carpenters’ Superstar. There’s even been a collaboration between The Wiggles and The Soul Movers! In July 2020, Cook reunited the original members of The Wiggles on an amusing exercise-themed music video to accompany The Soul Movers' uplifting, post-Covid disco song Circles Baby. The original Wiggles join The Soul Movers in a post-Covid work-out video. Is Murray able to reveal if there other artists that The Soul Movers are currently working with on new material, or lined up for future collaborations? “We also had my great friend, Dan Sultan on a song on Evolution [The Soul Movers’ most recent album]. “We have some thoughts on future collabs but nothing I can reveal just now. We love collaborating as it keeps everything fresh and you can always learn from others. And it’s fun!” Congratulations on The Wiggles’ winning Triple J’s distinguished and hotly-contested Like A Version tribute competition with a cover of Tame Impala’s Elephant. Did The Wiggles’ record that song initially for their comeback compilation album Rewiggled, and then decide to enter it in the Like A Version competition as an amusing prank, or was the song specifically recorded for Like A Version and then later included on the Rewiggled album? “We were approached by Triple J to record for Like a Version. Anthony and Nick Webb who works with The Wiggles had the idea to do Elephant. The idea for ReWiggled came later. “Our Like a Version was very popular and people told us it could do well on the Hottest 100 but we never imagined it would take out the top spot. A massive thrill!” How did The Wiggles’ go about choosing the cover songs for the Rewiggled? It’s an interesting, albeit eclectic selection; for example Umbrella by Rihanna, Pub Feed by The Chats and Shipping up to Boston by Dropkick Murphy’s were unusual choices to sit side by side on an album, especially by a band dedicated to entertaining children. “I wasn’t closely involved in choosing the songs. The tastes in the wider group is very diverse. Anthony, in particular, loves lots of genres and music from other cultures. So, various members suggested songs. Some were by people we have met along the way. We like to mix it up.” The Wiggles (with yellow Wiggle Emma Watkins, on drums) reunited in 2021 for a cover of Tame Impala’s Elephant for TripleJ's Like A Version, and won the annual competition. Did the experience of recording Rewiggled and the Like A Version cover of Elephant inspire Murray to consider working together musically with The Wiggles again, perhaps in future covering a classic children’s pop song like The Beatles’ Octopus’ Garden or Yellow Submarine? The Wiggles Reunion “We have been working together again for ReWiggled and the OG tour. I don’t think we’d necessarily record those particular songs (although I am a massive Beatles fan). This whole concept was aimed more at adults who grew up with The Wiggles. And we like the more left-of-centre approach.” It’s been 20 years since Murray Cook Red Wiggle announced his impending retirement from The Wiggles, and almost 20 years since his actual retirement from live shows, along with Greg Page and Jeff Fatt (co-founder Anthony Field continues wearing the blue with new recruits in the yellow, red and purple skivvies). Will the three of you retirees mark the anniversary with something significant? Do you miss wearing the red top and being a Wiggle? “It’s more about celebrating the 30th anniversary of The Wiggles, which was last year. We had plans that were derailed by Covid so we are doing it this year. Yes, the Original Wiggles completed a National arena tour a few months ago; again for our adult fans. We are touring NZ in August and performing at the Falls Festival in Victoria, WA and NSW at the end of the year. The touring won’t be as hectic as we used to do which is the main reason I retired from The Wiggles. It’s been great being on stage with my ‘brothers’ again.” Soul Movers at the 2017 Rock n Roll Markets at The Factory, Marrickville. Photo: Alec Smart What's next on The Soul Movers' horizon: gigging, recording or taking a break? “After the forced break of [Covid-19] lockdowns, I think we are like most performers, out there playing as much as possible, making up for lost time. We have shows booked into the next year in NSW, Victoria, WA and Queensland. We hope to get to SA in the next year. We love playing in front of audiences. We are excited to be playing in the ‘hood on 18th August outside the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre for their Winter Vibes program on Thursday 18 August. Then on Saturday 20 August at Sydenham Green as part of Inner West Council’s Edge Festival. “We love playing festivals. A big one for us, which we’ve been waiting for two years to finally happen, is this year’s Splendour in The Grass, as part of an amazing line-up. Murray Cook on His New Album “We are in the process of writing songs for a new album, to be released next year. We have lots of great ideas for that one. We always try to make each album special, from recording Bona Fide in a number of amazing and famous studios in the US (FAME, Muscle Shoals Sound in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and Sun and Royal Studios in Memphis Tennessee) to Evolution with Garth Porter and Tony Mitchell [ex-Sherbet, 80s Australian rock royalty]. I’m sure this one will be special too.” Screen shot from The Soul Movers "Testify" video. Anything he’d like to add? “I’m very fortunate to be able to keep a connection to my old audience with The OG Wiggles and my new audience with The Soul Movers. Very often these audiences intersect. We are always getting people to The Soul Movers’ shows who come out of curiosity to see what Murray Wiggle is up to; stay because they enjoy the music; and leave as fans. We have an amazingly diverse audience, from late teen to 60-somethings, which I am very proud of.” Lizzie Mack, dynamic singer of The Soul Movers, adds: “Also we are doing two REALLY IMPORTANT shows in Newtown - the HEART of Newtown you could say - that really need to be spotlighted!” Where: Winter Vibes, Newtown Neighbourhood Centre, 1 Bedford St Newtown When: Thurs 18 Aug, two x 20-30 minute sets between 5.30 – 7pm Where: Edge Sydenham 2022, Sydenham Green, 53 Railway Rd Sydenham When: Sat 20 Aug, 10-11am (instead of 8pm as originally advertised) “We are offering a Wiggles character show too, as Muz has to fly to NZ to do a OG Wiggles show.” The Soul Movers Website here Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulmoversband/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soulmoversband The Wiggles Lizzie Mack =======================

By Drew Brian Hoy More on Marrickville Two buildings have been known by the name Marrickville Town Hall, but neither is used for council administration today. Both buildings remain as monuments of the former council, offering a glimpse into the history of the area. Historic Building - the Marrickville Town Hall The original Marrickville Town Hall, on Illawarra Road, was built in 1879. Records indicate it was built as a single-storey hall, possibly designed by Despointes Bros architects, based on a commission payment made in June 1879. By 1882, plans had been submitted to add a second storey, with the hall proving too small after just a few years of use. The extended design is attributed to architect Cyril Blacket, of Blacket & Son. Peter Hill was noted as the contractor for the works, which were completed in 1883. By 1911, plans were underway for a new town hall with council stating the current hall was “altogether inadequate” for the purposes of the day. Council purchased a site on Marrickville Road, which had been owned by Joseph Graham and used as a market garden. Mr Graham was well known to council, having been elected Mayor of Marrickville eight times between 1870 and 1891. But it wasn’t until 1921, following World War I and the 1919 influenza pandemic, that the foundation stone for the new town hall was laid. A public competition had been held for the design of the building. Architect Lindsay Thompson was the winner but is jointly credited with Mansfield and Son Architects on heritage documents. Thompson left the project following the passage of time and many disputes with the council. Local builder Douglas Stuart was in charge of construction. The last meeting at the old town hall was held on 30 January 1922, and Mayor Henry Morton opened the new town hall on 11 February 1922. An estimated 20,000 people attended the opening. New Town Hall in Marrickville The new town hall was built from brick and sandstone from the nearby Undercliffe quarry. Inside, the walls are wainscoted in French polished Queensland maple, while the stairs are made from Terrazzo marble with wrought iron balustrades. A statue of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, was erected at the front of the building as a memorial to the 450 Marrickville residents who lost their lives during World War I. The original statue was removed in 2009 after years of deterioration. It was absent for several years before the new statue was unveiled in 2015. Use of the new town hall by council was relatively short-lived with administration moved to Petersham in 1948 when the two councils merged. The building continued to serve the residents of Marrickville as a venue for meetings, dances and other events. The basement of the building was used as Marrickville Library until 2019 when it moved into new premises. The original Marrickville Town Hall on Illawarra Road is currently occupied by the Greek Atlas Cultural & Community Centre. The second Town Hall on Marrickville Road remains under the ownership of Inner West Council and is available as a venue for hire. Instagram: @forgottensydney

More on Newtown Dear 2042 Locals, I’m Jenny Leong, the Greens MP for Newtown and your representative in the NSW Parliament. As a longtime resident of Newtown, a passionate advocate for climate action, affordable housing, renters’ rights and equality, I’m so proud to represent our diverse, vibrant, and progressive community made up of so many wonderful people. Our community also has one of the highest proportions of renters anywhere in the state. And with more and more people renting than ever before - many likely to be lifelong renters - the Greens have been campaigning for years to protect and massively strengthen renters’ rights. We know we need a serious overhaul of the system to give renters desperately needed stability and security, and it’s why we’ve been working inside and outside Parliament to put renters’ rights at the top of the agenda. When catastrophic floods hit around the state this year, we introduced a bill to Parliament to give renters in flood impacted communities urgent and immediate protections - including a ban on evictions, a cap on rents, and automatic rent waivers for uninhabitable homes. As unrelenting wet weather hit Sydney and renters in our community dealt with mould, damp, leaks, and dodgy landlords, we pushed to make it a requirement for all rentals to be waterproofed and mould-free. And as the rental crisis escalated, with more and more renters hit with record high rent costs and unfair evictions, we introduced a bill to NSW Parliament that would have finally ended unfair, no grounds evictions in NSW. Ending no grounds evictions would have given renters much-needed security by Christmas, and made a massive difference to renters who we know are too scared to negotiate rent increases or ask for repairs because of the threat of an eviction notice. Shamefully, the Liberal Government were backed in by NSW Labor and together they blocked our bill and voted against giving the two million renters in NSW housing security. The Greens are the only party in NSW Parliament that will vote for renters’ rights, every MP, every time. We’re committed to cutting rents, ending unfair, no grounds evictions, and giving renters the right to own pets. If you’re a renter in our community, I’m sorry the current situation is so crappy, but I can assure you we’re working hard to fix it. The Greens will always stand up to the special interests putting landlords and real estate agents' profits before the right of renters to a secure and affordable home. Whether you are a renter or not, if you are concerned about a local issue or if our office can assist you with a specific matter, please get in touch - we’re always here to help. You can call 9517 2800, email us on newtown@parliament.nsw.gov.au, or drop in to our office at 383 King St, Newtown. To let us know the issues that matter most to you, take our short survey at https://www.jennyleong.org/communitysurvey_2022 or scan the QR code below. And if you see me out or about on the street or in a pub or cafe - be sure to say hi! Yours sincerely, Jenny Leong MP, Member for Newtown

More on St Ives Helping young boys grow into creative, intuitive and sensitive young men. Sydney Grammar School is an independent selective boys’ school and one of Australia’s oldest schools, officially founded in 1854. Exactly 100 years later St Ives Preparatory School was established on the site of a former orchard - some of the original pear trees can be found on the grounds. The cottage style building held 85 students. Today, the expanded and modernised school enrols over 400 boys each year, educating them from pre-school to Year 6, priming them for transition to the high school in College Street, Sydney. “Our school is suited to curious boys who love learning, enjoy asking questions and thinking deeply,” says current Headmaster, Ian Stephens. “Grammar boys love being busy and seek engagement and connection. All our learning is done within the context of a relationship.” Ian has been headmaster of St Ives for almost nine years. Prior to that he was headmaster at the other prep school in Edgecliff for 10 years. “It is a privilege to spend my day with these extraordinary boys and I honestly never tire of their hunger to learn, their capacity to do amazing things, their unquenchable and sometimes exhausting energy, and their humour.” The school puts strong focus on reading, music, and sport, enforcing ideals of collaboration, self-discipline and curiosity. “We prioritise attitude and effort over performance because we believe that the process of learning is just as important as the product. We emphasise learning in collaboration because social skills are essential for a happy and productive life,” explains Mr Stephens. “We are very interested in what sort of men our boys will grow up to be and are mindful of the influence we can have in their formative years. The values we instil and modelling from the key adults in their lives play a crucial role in their development. We understand that a Grammar education will give them enormous opportunities in life, and we want them to make a positive difference in the world they will grow up into.” Mr Stephens shares his own love of reading (Tolkien is a favourite), shark diving (personal videos are essential), classical music (the school has a full symphony orchestra of over 100 boys) and sport (you can love reading and science and display excellence in sport!) He is both a dedicated and grateful headmaster. “SGS is an extraordinary place and I am still pinching myself that I am part of this family after all these years.” www.sydgram.nsw.edu.au/st-ives

More on St Ives Kindergarten Master, Susan Ward, on the milestones of the Kindergarten year Social and emotional development is at the heart of the Kindergarten programme at St Ives Prep, Sydney Grammar School. Our aim is for boys to be confident, happy, and socially connected. Sydney Grammar Kindergarten is Play-Based An emphasis on play ensures boys have multiple opportunities to practise turn-taking, sharing, and negotiating play ideas. It is through these play interactions that boys develop empathy and respect, which in turn positively influences self-esteem and confidence. Our two large Kindergarten classes have many things in common: dedicated spaces for playing and learning, extensive class libraries, soft spots to relax with a book, and walls filled with the boys’ artworks and ideas. Whilst our boys are similar in many ways, there is no one-size-fits-all in our Kindergarten. Textbooks and worksheets are avoided in favour of carefully designed tasks that allow all boys to learn at their own pace, resulting in a wide range of different products of learning. At Grammar we encourage boys to reflect on their learning and gather feedback from a variety of sources. By considering the ideas of others, reflecting on their own growth and being receptive to teacher feedback, our boys become more active in their learning journey, and highly engaged with their progress. Grammar boys are encouraged to view learning as a lifelong journey, instead of a race or a competition. During each learning activity, intrapersonal skills such as motivation and perseverance hold equal importance to the acquisition of skills and knowledge. Boys are continually focused on effort, deep thinking, accepting challenges, taking risks, making mistakes and ‘having a go’. Given the opportunity, our boys rise to the challenge of showing initiative and being independent, moving happily through their Kindergarten year in leaps and bounds. Apply now for Kindergarten at Sydney Grammar School St Ives Prep, Ayres Road, St Ives To find out more, contact Enrolments on 8302 5200 www.sydgram.nsw.edu.au/st-ives

More on St Ives Along a short stretch of Mona Vale Road, between Ayres Rd and the St Ives General Medical Practice (opposite Sydney Grammar School), sits a row of 18 pear trees with an interesting past. By Alec Smart Historic pear trees opposite Sydney Grammar Preparatory School on Mona Vale Rd, St Ives. Photo: Alec Smart Six are within a private garden; the remaining 12, behind a bus stop, are protected in their own recessed corridor. The construction crew that built the multi-occupancy dwellings behind considerately shielded them with a wall (following a Ku-Ring-Gai Council condition, added to the Development Application, to protect the trees). These pear trees may be between 70 to 120 years old. Pear trees typically last between 15-20 years, but they can last decades - Guinness Book of Records has recorded a Manchurian pear tree (Pyrus ussuriensis) that is estimated to be 458 years old growing in the ancient pear garden of Shenchuan, Gansu, in China. When the fruit is ripe it falls and gathers all around the trees, lining the footpath and the ground in a thick, sweet-scented carpet. Most people ignore this harvest, perhaps because they’re described as bland in flavour, despite their juiciness, and let the pears rot where they fall. However, they can be eaten raw and make a fine addition to chutneys and stewed fruit desserts – but not pies or jams, because of their high liquid content. Rotting pears beneath the historic trees. They are juicy but bland, although they're good for stewing. Photo: Alec Smart As a boy, I remember cycling along the footpath between Hassall Park rugby training and St Ives village centre, mindful that, at certain times of year, the decomposing pears along this stretch could make the ground treacherously slippery. One misjudged turn over a squishy black pear corpse could cause you to topple and fall from your bike. Joggers and the elderly had to be nimble-footed too. They are nashi pears – Pyrus pyrifolum – also known as Asian or Chinese pears (native to East Asia) and have medicinal qualities. The NSW Dept of Primary Industry reveal that Asian pears weren’t commercially grown for supermarkets in Australia until 1980 (primarily because they bruise easily during transportation, due to their high water content). This suggests the historic Mona Vale Rd orchard was planted by one of the Chinese market gardeners that set up in St Ives at the start of the 20th century, and may have been grown for the local Chinese clientele. History of St Ives Community Orchard So what is their story? Why is a row of Asian pear trees, stretching across two neighbouring properties, growing here, beside a main road and between two private schools? As we’ve previously revealed in 2075 magazine, St Ives grew out of a tree felling operation that centred on an 800 acre plot of land that was granted in 1823 to timber merchant David Matthew, the first European to settle in the area. He established his business in a forested region that encompassed present-day east Pymble and central St Ives, which he named Rosedale. In 1824 Matthew set up a saw mill he imported from Britain on the junction between a dirt track, Cowan Rd, and a cross-street known as Stoney Creek Rd (since renamed Mona Vale Rd), which he hacked into the dense blue gum forest. From here he used teams of horses to haul the lumber, either south to Sydney Harbour or north to Pittwater, where it was loaded on ships and transported to the rapidly expanding colony. By the 1860s, after most of the timber in the region was extracted and the ground levelled for agriculture, Matthew and another major landholder, John Ayres (from whom Ayres Rd was named after he was granted 320 acres of land north of Rosedale in 1836), subdivided and sold off their estates. Ayres’ estate, which encompassed the land the pear trees now occupy, was named Rosedale Farm. The McIntosh Orchard (1887) in Pymble. Orchardists farmed the region until the 1930s. Photo: State Library NSW History of the St Ives Orchards A network of orchards developed when the lumber crews left and by the 1890s the community of Rosedale – which wasn’t renamed ‘St Ives’ until 1900 - became renowned for its fruit. According to the online Dictionary of Sydney, “large orchards remained intact until the 1930s.” St Ives was not rezoned from ‘rural’ to ‘residential’ until 1959, when new streets and houses were established and the market gardens (around the Village Green), orchards and a dairy farm transitioned to suburbia. According to the official history of the St Ives Show: “By the end of WW1, the main agricultural pursuits were orchards and market gardens. St Ives district produced all kinds of fruit but was particularly renowned for the sweetness of its oranges… “Agriculturalists also began displaying their produce locally at Hassall Park on Mona Vale Road. To gain a wider clientele, the St Ives Agricultural and Horticultural Association was formed in 1920, holding their first show in January 1921.” Hassall Park is just 200 metres from the isolated row of 18 pear trees, convenient for the original orchard owner. According to the St Ives Show history webpage, “At the first Show, a John Scott, an orchardist from Ayres Road, won first prize for a farm product display. He had his baby daughter in a basket placed right in the middle of an attractive display of fruit and vegetables: a device which, according to other competitors, helped him to win.” Also in 1921, there were proposals to construct a railway line through St Ives. A Sydney Morning Herald article titled Proposed New Railway (13 June 1921), reported that the NSW Minister for Works, John Estell, visited St Ives two days earlier to inspect the proposed route of a Gordon to Narrabeen rail line. “After passing Cowan-road the route passes through orchard land of an easy grade to First Rocks, on the boundary of Ku-ring-gai and Warringah shires.” The article, proposing “the settlement of a very large suburban population”, then continued, “At St. Ives the inspecting party visited the orchards of Messrs. Russel, Hensman, and Symington, and obtained firsthand knowledge of the capabilities of the district…” The article continued: “The railway route lies through 8000 acres of Crown land... At a luncheon provided by the St. Ives Railway League, Mr. J. Hughes, the president, stated that the proposed line would traverse about three miles of private property; the rest was Crown land, suitable for fruit-growing. The increase in land values, apart from passenger receipts, would pay for the construction of the line. The land now lay idle.” The historic pear trees on Mona Vale Rd, St Ives, may be between 70 to 120 years old. Photo: Alec Smart The St Ives Show relocated to St Ives Showground in 1926 when, as recorded by Ku-Ring-Gai Council, “the Association was granted 53 ha of Crown Land in St Ives to establish the Northern Suburbs Showground, now known as the St Ives Showground,” which they converted into an outdoor events venue. Richmond Rd, 700 metres north of the pear trees, encircles a housing estate built on what was previously an internment camp for Italian prisoners of war. Known as N34, it had capacity for 176 internees and it appears it was only operational from March 1946 for a few months until most of the occupants were repatriated (although several settled in St Ives). Ku-Ring-Gai Historical Society reveal “In 1946 [it] was used as the St Ives Prisoner of War Hostel, housing Italian soldiers captured in North Africa. Many of the soldiers worked on local orchards. It was a low security camp and its inmates were largely unguarded..” In 1954, five years before St Ives was rezoned ‘residential’, Sydney Grammar School established a boys’ preparatory school directly opposite the pear orchard and adjacent to Hassall Park, on the corner of Mona Vale Rd and Ayres Rd. In the June 1954 edition of ‘The Sydneian’, Sydney Grammar’s historic newsletter, a photo of a classroom with kids playing on the grassy slope in front is captioned “a view from down the orchard,” suggesting it was taken from the fruit trees in front of the school. Around the same time, Brigidine Convent established a Catholic girls’ school on land south of the pear trees. According to their heritage report: “In 1949 and 1951, ten acres of land surrounded by orchards in St Ives were purchased. The new Convent and ‘Synan’ school building began construction in August of 1953.” The school started teaching on 9 February 1954 with nine students. Nashi Pears, Pyrus pyrifolum, also known as Asian or Chinese pears. Photo: JJ Harrison (Wikimedia) As schools were established, time was running out for those historic orchards. The Ku-Ring-Gai Historical Society, in their history book Focus on Ku-Ring-Gai, reveal “In the early 1950s, St Ives began its phenomenally rapid transformation into a dormitory suburb… The initial subdivision (around 1954) was made when the NSW Housing Commission acquired land south of Mona Vale Rd, in the Lawson Parade area.” This was in the vicinity of the Avondale Pony Club (which moved from Wahroonga to St Ives in 1957). Focus on Ku-Ring-Gai continues: “The area north of Mona Vale Road was privately subdivided into larger holdings…” And, curiously, as St Ives developed, while all the orchards around were consumed and subsumed by suburbia, the little row of pear trees on Mona Vale Rd remained. So, if you see them on your travels, fruit probably rotting below, you’re looking at a living link to a distant past.

More on Turramurra Transnational artist and writer Ethel Anderson (née Mason, 1883–1958) left her mark in Turramurra through her boundary-pushing support of 20th-century Australian modernist artists. From her Turramurra home ‘Ball Green’, Anderson cultivated her influence on Sydney’s modern art scene. She generously hosted artists, even clearing furniture for exhibitions to gather public support for their work. She also established the Turramurra Wall Painters Group in 1927. It was from her Turramurra home, too, that she wrote extensively on modern art alongside penning her own prose and poetry. Ethel Anderson's Life Story Born in England, Anderson soon returned, with her parents, to their fifth-generation Australian home. Anderson recalled her childhood in, “a Sydney so quiet, and so small.” In her young adulthood, British army officer, Austin Thomas Anderson, proposed to Anderson on their first meeting. They married in Bombay, India and spent the following years in now-Pakistan. According to her daughter, Bethia, “No marriage was ever happier than theirs.” Anderson began to pursue art, first in Cambridge and then Worcestershire, while living in England following the outbreak of World War One. Although not engaging in formal training, Anderson integrated into Britain’s modern art scene. She joined the Cambridge Group and began painting murals for churches. After an intellectually pivotal decade in England, Anderson moved with her husband and daughter to Turramurra with the intention to continue her devotion to the arts on home soil. At Ball Green, she opened her doors to artists and writers. In exhibitions and writing, Anderson championed modernist painters like Dorrit Black, Roland Wakelin, Roy de Maistre and her neighbour Grace Cossington Smith. She continued to paint murals, including frescoes in St James, Sydney. Ethel Anderson's Writing Journey Anderson’s writing practice began in high school and continued throughout her years in India, England, and Australia. According to one academic, through writing, Anderson, “entered into the discourse on modernism in art, diluting its masculinity.” She was published widely in publications such as Art in Australia, Home, Sydney Morning Herald, Australian Quarterly, and the Atlantic Monthly (USA). “As she got older,” her daughter later reflected, “the written word, which had always charmed her, became her absorbing passion… she read without ceasing, prose as well as poetry, working with concentration, absorbing knowledge, a pencil and a cap of paper always in her hands.” In the last 18 years of her life, Anderson published eight books. After her husband's passing, she generated essential income through writing. Between 1950 and 1955, she wrote short stories for the Bulletin. She published these as a collection, At Parramatta, at the age of 73. In 1958, two years after publishing At Parramatta, Anderson died in her Turramurra home in the presence of her daughter. Posthumously, Anderson has been recognised as an art influencer and a woman disrupting a male-dominated art world, pushing modern art forward in Australia and asserting that art also belonged in everyday suburban environments. Angela Smith, in her 1991 essay, argued that although Anderson was ‘virtually ignored until the 1980s,’ her writing gives insight into Australia’s 19th and 20th gender roles and cultural life. The State Library of New South Wales houses a collection of material relating to Anderson's life and work, including documentation of her work with the Turramurra Wall Painters.

More on Cronulla In a 2022 exhibition of 40 Aboriginal spears at the Chau Chak Wing Museum in the University of Sydney, three of them, brought over separately from Britain, evoked a ripple of excitement that will have profound implications for the future repatriation of Indigenous property. By Alec Smart 'Two of the Natives of New Holland, Advancing to Combat' - engraving from an illustration by Sydney Parkinson, 1784 The Gweagal Aboriginal Spears on Display Displayed alongside 37 contemporary aboriginal spears crafted by Dharawal peoples (the language group of Indigenous clans extending from the southern shores of Kamay south to Nowra and inland to Goulburn), this was the first time the original three spears were displayed in Sydney since they were confiscated from an Aboriginal camp by Captain Cook and his crew over 250 years ago. Noeleen Timbery, Chairperson of the La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council, praised the university, for what was initially understood to be just a temporary return of the historic artefacts. “Many of the families within the La Perouse Aboriginal community are descended from those who were present during the eight days The Endeavour [Cook’s ship] was anchored in Kamay. “We will continue to work to ensure our community’s access to these and other important artefacts and materials; they remain an important connection to our past, our traditions and cultural practices, and to our ancestors.” The trio of multi-pronged aboriginal fishing spears, known as the Gweagal Spears due to their being crafted by the Indigenous Gweagal peoples of southern Kamay (Botany Bay), were among a haul of 40-50 stolen by Captain James Cook after anchoring The Endeavour alongside Kurnell peninsula in April 1770. The last 4 of the estimated 40 Gweagal fishing spears taken by Captain Cook in 1770. Cambridge Museum Archaeology and Anthropology The Gweagal and Captain Cook On that occasion, the Gweagal – who generally ignored Cook and his explorers during their eight-day anchorage, because, according to some oral histories, it was assumed they were malevolent pale-skinned ghosts – initially suffered a casualty from Cook’s landing party. On 29 April, Cook, botanist Joseph Banks, Tahitian navigator Tupaia and a party of 30 crewmen rowed ashore in two longboats to investigate a collection of around eight gunyahs (bark huts) on Milgurrung (Silver Beach). The Aboriginal inhabitants, fearing for their lives, fled into the nearby forest. However, two men remained steadfast, attempting to repel the invaders with rocks, fishing darts and a spear launched with a woomera, whilst shouting the now legendary warning: “Warra warra wai!” (“you are all dead!”). From the first boat Cook fired twice from two muskets, which were loaded with ‘small shot’ (likely lead pellets). The first passed between the two defenders; particles from the second struck one man in the leg, who, in turn, grabbed a defensive shield. Another shot fired from a crew member went over their heads, and the duo retreated. Cook’s party, upon coming ashore, then souvenired items from the Gweagal camp, which Joseph Banks (he of the infamous description that Australia was ‘Terra nullius’ ie, devoid of people) later recorded in his travel diary. Describing the aboriginal spears as ‘lances’, and mentioning the trinkets they scattered to ameliorate the theft of valuable fishing implements, Banks wrote that the Britons “threw into the house to them some beads, ribbands, cloths &c. as presents and went away. We however thought it no improper measure to take away with us all the lances which we could find about the houses, amounting in number to forty or fifty.” Ray Ingrey, a Dharawal person descended from the original inhabitants of the region, holds a number of leadership roles within the Indigenous community. These include Deputy Chair of La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council and Chairperson of the Gujaga Foundation, the peak organisation leading language, cultural and research activities within the La Perouse Aboriginal community. Cooks Arrival. Illustration: William MacLeod 1899 How Captain Cook Obtained the Aboriginal Spears Ray told 2230 magazine that some contemporary suggestions that Cook effectively ‘traded’ items for the spears by leaving ‘presents’ was disingenuous. “It is well known that the aboriginal spears were taken without consent,” he insisted, “and leaving beads, etc, was more of an attempt to engage a small number of people who did not flee (from memory it was a woman, an older person and a child). “Even if an exchange was the motivator in Cook's action, the items he gave were rendered useless and do not come close to what the spears use were back then.” The aforementioned shield was also stolen by Cook, and until recently believed to be the ‘Gweagal Shield’ on display in the British Museum. However, recent analysis of that shield found it is made of red mangrove wood, sourced 400km north of Botany Bay, and a hole in it, thought to be punctured by gunshot, was likely caused by other means. According to the National Museum of Australia, “Only four of the spears that James Cook and Joseph Banks took from Kamay are known to exist today. They are in the collection of the University of Cambridge’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. John Montagu, the First Lord of the Admiralty, presented them to the university in 1771.” Ray Ingrey confirmed this. “These 4 spears are the only known surviving spears from Cook's collection. In saying this, there may be other spears that remain in private collections...” Campaign to Return the Gweagal Spears On 1 March 2023, more than 20 years after Gweagal Elders began campaigning for historic artefacts taken from the region to be returned, Cambridge’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology announced a momentous decision. All four Gweagal fishing spears, which, in 1770, were sawed down to a size more convenient for transportation in The Endeavour to England, would be permanently repatriated to Sydney. Is the aboriginal spears’ return conditional, such as a permanent loan, with proprietary rights remaining with the current British custodians, or the UK Government, or a genuine transfer of ownership? “A genuine hand back of the Gweagal spears to the La Perouse Aboriginal Community,” Ray Ingrey confirmed. “We were ok with long-term loan arrangements. However, to their credit, Trinity College Cambridge wanted to explore the option of a genuine transfer of ownership.” The announcement triggered a backlash in some quarters. For example, an article written by David Abulafia (Emeritus Professor of Mediterranean History at Cambridge University) condemning the spears' return was published in The Spectator (the British conservative magazine formerly edited by ex-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson). Abulafia mocked it as “virtue signalling”. Captain Cook's Landing at Botany, AD 1770. (Artist unknown) National Library Australia Ray told 2230 magazine about his conflicting emotions concerning the spears’ permanent return. “There are mixed feelings around this announcement; mainly joy, as it has been a long journey of working with Trinity College Cambridge and the National Museum of Australia to have the spears returned. “The campaign to have the Gweagal spears started with our Elders over 20 years ago and the senior women Elders who identified the Gweagal spears as the priority are no longer with us so it also is a time that we reflect on their advocacy, and that obviously brings us a bit of sadness.” What's Next for the Aboriginal Spears What happens now, will La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council take custody of the spears and supervise their future storage? Will they be displayed in a museum or used only for educational purposes and otherwise removed from public access? “Community consultation still needs to occur on this matter,” Ray revealed. ”To date the La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council, the Gujaga Foundation, the National Museum of Australia and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies have agreed to work collaboratively to ensure the spears are stored in a museum-grade facility. “The La Perouse Aboriginal Community, Gweagal and Dharawal Elders have always wanted the spears returned to Kurnell,” he continued, “and the La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council and the Gujaga Foundation is working with the NSW Government to make sure the end goal is for the spears to be displayed permanently at the new Kurnell Visitors Centre, which will have a museum-grade facility included so they are returned to the very location they were taken 253 years ago.”

More on Surry Hills The true story of a forgotten nineteenth-century lesbian love tragedy, true crime in Surry Hills. True Crime in Surry Hills When George Edwards arrived home to the cottage at 195 Bourke Street, Darlinghurst, he found Edith Van Kaspelen knocking on the door. “Marvellous, you can let me in. I have been here knocking on this door for five minutes.” “That is rather unusual. Annie should be here. She was here when I left,” replied George. “Yes, she and I made plans to meet here.” George entered his key and turned the lock until it made a resounding metallic ‘clack’. He pushed the door open, and the two stood facing down a narrow hall to the flight of stairs that went up to the next floor. “Is that blood?” George ran ahead to investigate. Blood splatter trailed along the hall from the kitchen and continued up the stairs to the bedrooms. “Annie! Annie!” No one replied to Georges’ calls. “Wait here.” He raced to the kitchen. Still in the hall, Edith stood silent until hearing a shriek of anguish. “Oh, No! what is it, George?” “It is Annie; she needs a doctor. Go get one, quickly!” Hearing Annie’s name, the hairs on her neck stood up. All fear was overwhelmed by the sudden rush of concern Edith had for her friend. Instinctively ignoring the command, she burst into the kitchen and lying on the floor before her in a pool of dark blood was the petite frame of a woman in her mid-twenties. Her left eye socket was dark, hollow and oozing blood. Unable to speak, Annie raised her arm slightly as though she was greeting Edith. No words could be produced in her mouth, only wet gasps for air. Death was near. Edith ran to comfort her friend. “My dear Annie. What has he done!” Crying uncontrollably, Edith took her friend’s pale head into her lap and attempted to rub the smeared blood away from the dying girl’s lips. “Don’t leave me,” she sobbed as she planted a gentle kiss on the girl’s forehead. Edith looked up at George, tears flowing down her cheeks. “I cannot leave her here while she is alive… I will not leave her!” “It is ok; you stay with her; I will seek help.” Annie Wilson's Murder Scene Police detectives recorded Annie Wilson’s death at 1:55 pm on the 12th of January 1893. She had died from two gunshot wounds to the face. One bullet entered her left eye, lodging inside the skull. The other bullet hit her above the same eye though the bone deflected it. A man’s hat was found near Annie on the kitchen floor. It had a bullet hole in it. Detectives determined the hole was made by the bullet they discovered lodged in the plaster ceiling above the crime scene. The hat was initially discovered by George Edwards, who recognised it as belonging to Edith Van Kaspelen’s estranged husband, Simon. The blood splatter in the hall and on the stairs belonged to him. Simon was found in a locked bedroom, sprawled over a blood-soaked bed. His cold hands were clenching a pistol. His brains sprayed over the sheets and walls. Simon Van Kaspelen Suspected What appeared to be a murder-suicide became a national sensation. Simon Van Kaspelen was one of Australia’s most successful artists in the late nineteenth century. His crayon and pencil portraits of the leading members of Australian politics and high society adorned the walls of mansions and luxury hotels across the nation. Simon and Edith were part of a bohemian community in Darlinghurst. They boarded at Bourke Street with Annie Wilson and George Edwards in a charming white two-storey Georgian-style cottage. However, Edith had left Simon several weeks earlier after being married for ten years. She was thirty-six, and he was ten years her senior. Simon Van Kaspelen was a troubled soul. Born in Amsterdam, he was a gifted artist and made a career in London before relocating to the affluent colony of New South Wales in 1880. His career boomed here, and he was represented by the prominent art dealer, W. Aldenhoven, on Hunter Street. However, Van Kaspelen had a demon within him in the shape of an alcohol addiction. He was said to be a gentleman when sober and a violent psychopath when drunk. Edith could no longer handle the abuse. After losing his wife, Simon fell into despair and drank even more heavily than before. Although she had left the cottage, Edith was a regular visitor, lunching with Annie Wilson most days. Simon would oscillate between melancholy and rage when Edith visited, begging her for forgiveness one moment and threatening to shoot her the next. These threats got so extreme that Edith’s sister begged that she leave for a while until things cooled down. In the press, it was presumed that Simon shot Annie Wilson after he mistook her for his wife while in a drunken frenzy. However, this theory was born not from hard evidence but from a lack of apparent motive. After determining the likely events leading to the murder, some doubted this theory. More information was revealed as the witnesses were interviewed during the inquest, shedding light on what had happened. Truth Newspaper reported Van Kaspelen complained his wife had “entertained a high and unusually affectionate regard” for the 26-year-old Annie Wilson and that Annie was “too intimate with Mrs Van Kaspelen.” The Daily Telegraph took this line further and alluded to what was rumoured to be accurate; however, forbidden to be discussed due to the social taboos of the Victorian era. It is scarcely feasible, however, that Van Kaspelen should deliberately shoot another woman in broad daylight, mistaking her for his wife. The probability is that frenzied with drink, he was seized with an insane idea of revenge on the woman who he discovered was befriending the wife who had left him. His was an intensely jealous nature, and on Wednesday, he told some friends that he suspected his wife of infidelity. To put it plainly, Edith Van Kaspelen and Annie Wilson were engaged in a scandalous lesbian affair. After the murder, the affair was covered up by Edith, Annie Wilson’s husband and her brother George Edwards. It is believed that Simon Van Kaspelen entered the house at approximately 1 pm to find Annie. At gunpoint, he pushed her to the kitchen floor. As she begged for mercy, he fired the gun at her face. He then turned the gun on himself and fired; however, he missed, and the bullet went through his hat but only scathed his skin and lodged into the ceiling. Bleeding, he ran to his room, leaving the hat behind and a trail of blood. He had murdered his wife’s lover and would now take his own life, leaving them both on display for Edith to discover on arrival. Behind the locked door, he shot himself on his bed. A dish of revenge served cold. It was declared a tragic murder-suicide and quickly forgotten. 195 Bourke Street still stands, and one can only imagine what tragic ghosts must haunt those halls. BY ELLIOT LINDSAY

More on Newtown Dear 2042 Locals, I’m Jenny Leong, the Greens MP for Newtown and your representative in the NSW Parliament. Over the past year, I’ve heard countless stories from people in our community who are struggling to pay their rent, find an affordable share house to live in, or are sleeping in cars or on couches. Rents are rising four times faster than wages, evictions are on the rise, and too many renters are just one rent increase away from homelessness. All sides of politics are finally acknowledging the harsh reality: NSW is in an unprecedented rental crisis. Unfortunately, this acknowledgment is yet to be followed by concrete action to actually address the crisis our communities are facing. That’s why I have introduced a Bill in NSW Parliament that would freeze rents for two years and buy time to implement long-term solutions to help cool the overheated property market and get the cost of housing under control. If the Minns NSW Labor Government is serious about supporting renters and alleviating the crushing cost of living pressures faced by the more than 30% of people across our state who rent (and over 55% in Newtown 2042!), they can support and pass our Bill when Parliament resumes in the next few weeks. But, shamefully, they’ve so far refused to support a two-year rent freeze and are still dragging their feet on delivering their election promise to end unfair no grounds evictions. Without a freeze on skyrocketing rents and protection against eviction for no reason, renters across the state are exposed to the whims of a completely broken private rental market. The scale and severity of the crisis needs to be matched by radical solutions that put people - and not profits - first. In the past, Governments at all levels have shown that this kind of action is possible in the face of a crisis. During the pandemic, the Federal Government doubled JobSeeker and lifted more than one million people out of poverty. In Victoria all rents were frozen and evictions banned for 6 months, while in NSW commercial rents were frozen and evictions also banned. And just last December, as energy bills began a steep climb, NSW Parliament was urgently recalled to pass laws to cap coal and gas prices. The Greens know that a rent freeze alone won’t solve the crisis. It’s the start - not the end - of desperately needed reform to pull a handbrake on the runaway profits big investors and developers are reaping from the housing crisis and to make renting more secure and affordable. Hitting pause on rents for two years now would allow the NSW Government to take considered, long-term measures to improve housing affordability across the state and ensure everyone has a secure, affordable place to live - regardless of whether they own their home. These measures include massively investing in new public and social housing, implementing controls on short-term rentals that are driving down housing supply, and introducing mandatory inclusionary zoning so all private developments include genuinely affordable housing. They also extend to restoring and filling the more than 3,000 public housing dwellings that currently sit empty in NSW due to poor maintenance, and taxing property investors who choose to keep perfectly habitable homes empty in a housing crisis. All these reforms will take time, ambition, and political will for genuine change: right now, what renters need is urgent action. Will you join our campaign to freeze rents and demand NSW Parliament act to fix the rental crisis? Sign the petition by scanning the QR code or head to: jennyleong.org/fixtherentalcrisis Yours sincerely, Jenny Leong MP Member for Newtown Contact Jenny Leong at Parliament P.S. - Whether or not you rent, if you’re concerned about a local issue or if our office can assist with a specific matter, don’t hesitate to get in touch by calling us on 9517 2800, emailing newtown@parliament.nsw.gov.au, or visiting our office at 383 King Street, Newtown.

More on Marrickville A trip down memory lane to unveil the history of the Vicars Woollen Mill site that is now home to Marrickville Metro. John Vicars, Founder of Vicars Woollen Mill John Vicars Senior was born in Scotland in 1821 and was apprenticed to a tweed manufacturer before emigrating to Australia with his wife Ann and their young family of seven in 1863. After trying his luck on the Queensland goldfields he moved to Sydney and returned to his former trade, becoming manager of a tweed mill in Sussex Street Sydney, before becoming owner of the mill in 1873. In 1876 John Senior was employing over 100 people, half of which were children, some as young as 10. He was consequently requested to give his opinion to the colonial New South Wales parliament regarding the employment of children. He said that to his knowledge children were being paid a better hourly rate in the colony than in England but that he favoured the English model of only allowing children under eight to work no more than six hours a day instead of the full 12 hours which he believed affected their health and their education. Vicars Woollen Mill Site Move John Vicars retired in 1887, leaving the running of the business to his three sons, John Junior, Robert and William. While Robert and William had worked with their father, John Junior was more enterprising, setting up his wool brokerage firm with offices in Circular Quay and Botany. Upon succeeding his father, John Junior sold his own business and, in 1893, moved the family’s woollen mill to a nine-acre site on Victoria Road Marrickville to what the newspapers described as: a picturesque part of the district contiguous to a well-improved public park. Its presence is denoted by a massively constructed chimney stack, which rises from a clump of some of the finest specimens of the Moreton Bay fig tree that are to be seen in New South Wales. John Vicars Senior died at his Ashfield home in 1894. Growth in the 20th Century By the beginning of the twentieth century, John Vicars and Co. boasted they were the biggest woollen mill in Australia with over 200 employees and 27 modern electric looms that were capable of producing a greater output than the 40 looms they replaced. At the outbreak of World War I, Vicars won the tender to produce uniforms for military training and consequently boosted their number of employees to over 400 in 1911. The company continued to be allied with the Australian military during World War II, boosting their employees by a further 1000. Vicars was popularly an employer of women in the local area. The company claimed that this was because women were more akin to the textile industry and also had smaller hands which were more suitable for the intricate work of spinning and weaving. In all likelihood, however, women were primarily employed at Vicars as their pay was half that of men. John Vicars Junior was knighted in 1924 and retired in 1929. He died of a heart attack while driving across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on 28th February 1936, aged 78. Vicars Woollen Mills merged with Australian Woollen Mills in 1967 and continued to operate until being unable to compete with imports in 1976. The site became the Marrickville Metro Shopping Centre, which opened in 1987.