Held on Sunday 14 December 2008
Venue: Linnwood, Byron Road, Guildford
Welcome & Apologies
John McKenna opened the meeting at 2.11pm and welcomed everyone in attendance. A special welcome to the City of Holroyd’s Deputy Mayor, John Perry, and fellow South Ward Councillors Pam Colman and Nasr Kafrouni.
In Attendance at today’s meeting, as per the Attendee Sheet:
Helen Olde, Dorothy Warwick, John McKenna, Angela Caire, Judith Moller, Jan Thomas, Stan Thomas, Pam Zopf, Roland Zopf, Rodney Malcolm, John Walz, Julie Walz, Michael Griggs, Greg Griggs, Nasr Kafrouni, Coral Hamilton, Olive Wicks, Irie Olde, Adriana de Haas, John Perry, Pam Colman, Pamela Richardson, Kaye Weaver, Sue Evans, Florence McMaster, Beth Werner, Shirley Chivers, Noelene Brown, Ann Ravenscroft, Margaret Warn, Jean Rowland, Raema Walker, Bill Nash, Luz Baillo, Ernest Baillo, Merle Warwick, Peter Warwick, Audrey Murphy.
Apologies:
Jill Finch, June Ball, Beverley Donsworth, Vicki Thornton, Dorothy & Laurence Thomas, Christine McKenna, Adela Donohoe.
Confirmation of Minutes of Public Meeting held on Sunday 12 October 2008
Moved by Pam Zopf and Seconded by Kay Weaver, that the Minutes of the Public Meeting held on Sunday 12 October 2008, which were mailed to members, be accepted by the Meeting. Motion carried.
Business Arising
There was no business arising from the Minutes.
Correspondence
The Correspondence folder was passed around to meeting attendees.
President’s Report
Welcome to our last function for 2008. Our last Public Meeting for the year, to be followed by our Christmas get-together for members and friends.
Before I start our usual ‘show and tell’, I would just like to thank all of our members and friends for their continued support throughout the year. It’s been a busy year and a lot of time and effort goes into preparing for each and every function that occurs here and I would like to thank all those volunteers, and especially the committee members, for the time put in before and after each function and also, thank you, our members and friends for showing your support by attending each of the activities. It’s really important that Linnwood is seen to be used for and by the community and I believe we are achieving that, with your support, to the best of our ability without actually taking up residence here!
Not a lot of ‘show’ this month, with the donations slowing down a little recently:
- First up, we have a little Nikon Lite Touch Camera donated by Pat O’Brien.
- Next is a Sample Book of sewing donated by local resident Mary McCormack (nee ‘Morris’) from her days at St Michaels School, Daceyville when she was in 6th Class in 1935. Some of you may remember doing similar books when at primary school.
- One of the ‘girls’ who spent some time here at ‘Lynwood Hall’ has sent me her story “Once Lost, Now Found”. Katherine’s life story is quite harrowing to read and it is a credit to her that she has come through it all and been able to write it down. I am not sure how or if Katherine is going to be able to publish her story, but on reading it, you certainly realise that not all children are able to grow up in a safe environment – be it in their own home, foster family care or in homes such as Linnwood.
- June Burton, another Guildford resident, has kindly donated an old piece of lace, together with a camisole and an unfinished ladies broderie anglaise top.
- Irie Olde is lending us this lovely doll to put on display – hopefully we can find a dust-free case to display her!
Once again we would like to thank these members and friends for their donations to our collection – it’s certainly growing!
On your chairs you will have found, not only the agenda for today’s meeting, but also a Calendar of Events for next year so that you can put down the dates of events in your diaries. As you might realize, it takes a while to organise exhibitions for each of our open days, but we’re working on it! As these exhibitions and guest speakers are confirmed we will update the Calendar accordingly. One extra event we are planning is a Trivia Night in May as a fundraiser for Pioneers, so keep that one in mind. We will be looking for donations for prizes, so if you know any local business that might be interested in participating, please let us know. Don’t forget that we are also an official fundraiser for Youth Off The Streets, so if you haven’t bought your Christmas cards yet, there are still plenty for sale out at the table, as well as Father Chris Reilly’s books if you are looking for something to buy that person who is hard to buy for. All money goes to YOTS – we do not receive a commission for these sales but believe it to be a very worthy cause to be supporting.
Our November Open Day was a fairly quiet one, but we still had approximately 150 people through the door, and I have some photos of both the September and November days in the photo album if you would like to have a look. The Baileys Fashion Parade held at the end of November was a successful and enjoyable afternoon which was well attended, and we have booked this again for November next year.
We were unsuccessful in our grant application to the Museums & Galleries of NSW for funds to print a colour brochure to promote Linnwood and will now look to cover the cost ourselves.
We were asked to and have sent a letter, on behalf of the Friends, to Liverpool Council supporting a proposal to reclassify the curtilage of historic Collingwood House from ‘operational’ to ‘community’ use. Again it would appear to be another case of land surrounding an historic property being under threat of development, so we were more than happy to lend our support to the proposal and will let you know the outcome.
As you may remember from last meeting, we were asked by the Heritage Branch of the Department of Planning to submit an outline of what we have been doing over the past 6 years and what we hope to be doing in the future. We had asked for some security of tenure on the site and are hoping to obtain a Memorandum of Understanding to that effect. When we actually put it all together it was quite an extensive list! We have certainly been busy over that time and hope that the Department will appreciate all the work we have done and supply the Memorandum in the near future.
It has been an interesting and very ‘active’ time on the site since our last meeting and I will try and bring you up to date as to what has been happening.
Again, we had quite a few security issues in late October with more break-ins and theft at McCredie Cottage. In a 4 day period John or I were on site responding to security calls, 3 out of those 4 days. Both of us actually saw people on site or on the street with materials believed to have been taken from the building – but could do nothing except wait for the police to arrive. A neighbour’s house was also burgled in that time and after speaking to the owner who had found a bag of house-breaking tools, including a very large knife, stashed in the bushes, we decided that for reasons of personal safety we would no longer be responsible for the security of McCredie Cottage and notified the Department accordingly. Since then, they have taken over the cost of monitoring the alarm in McCredie, and the security company or contractor is to respond to any break-ins.
Repairs to the point of break-in on both the building and the fence have been done and the whole area inside the security fence has been cleaned up – all bushes and trees cut back and all rubbish around the pool area has been taken away, so it looks a whole lot better now.
We then had a fire in the bamboo stand – attributed to some children seen by neighbours running from the scene. Again, this raised some issues and Sam and his team have been on site this last week cleaning out all the undergrowth in that area, and it will look just wonderful when finished.
Sam has also been instructed to clean out the inside of both Faulds House and McCredie Cottage and this will certainly be a great improvement, especially from a safety point of view in McCredie Cottage. Mind you, he is cleaning it all out – but is not to do any repairs! But, we are grateful for the positive things that have been happening to improve the grounds and buildings.
With all the activity going on in October, the committee asked to meet with the Mayor and new South Ward Councillors to discuss our concerns. This meeting also included Council’s General Manager Mr Merv Ismay and Ms Diane Jogia, Director of Library and Community Services, together with Matthew Geracitano, Service Manager of Pioneers who lease the Dormitory building. We felt that this meeting went well and the Mayor has since been in touch with the Premier’s office and other Ministers’ offices.
A meeting with Councillors on site at Linnwood followed, so that they could familiarize themselves with the issues we had raised.
In the mean time, we have also written a letter to the new Minister for Planning, Ms Kristina Keneally, to advise her of our concerns and frustration and are awaiting her reply.
Last week, Helen, John and I were invited to attend another meeting with Holroyd Council where representatives from the Heritage Branch and the Department of Planning were asked to give an update on Linnwood’s current situation and any plans for its future. We were also invited to address the meeting and again voiced our concerns. As a result of that meeting, the Mayor, Councillor Greg Cummings, has now requested a meeting, on site if possible, with the Minister. We will keep you informed of any developments.
So …… it’s been an interesting couple of months, and we would like to thank the Department and especially Sam and his team from ‘Men At Work’ for all the maintenance work they are doing on site – let’s hope it continues!
As John will tell you in his report, we have managed to raise some considerable amount of money over the past few years, whilst also spending almost as much on necessities, but our intention has always been to spend money on the house itself and we believe we are now in a position to do so, and will possibly look at the cost of replacing some of the soft furnishings such as curtains or floor coverings in the future. If you have any suggestions as to what you would like to see the money spent on, please let us know, bearing in mind that we are restricted in what we can do.
Well, I think that just about wraps up what’s been happening over the past couple of months.
After the meeting today – and I hope you will enjoy the talk and presentation by our special guest speakers – Pat and me !!! – so no heckling! – on the History of Holroyd, and make sure you pay attention, we might ask YOU questions afterwards. There will be a brief afternoon tea while we set up for our Christmas dinner (and if you haven’t yet paid, please see Helen).
The only thing left to say is - on behalf of the committee, I would like to thank you all very much for your continued support and wish all our members and friends a very Merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year, and hope to see you all back here again next year.
Thank you.
Treasurer’s Report
John McKenna presented his financial report for October and November, and advised that October was a very quiet month with income of only $23.00 from the Public Meeting raffle, and expenses of $107.90. November’s income included $464 from the Baileys Fashion Parade. The November Open House attracted approximately 150 people to the house, which was better than we anticipated.
October November
Income $ 23.00 $2,273.15
Expenditure $107.90 $ 663.24
As at 30 November 2008, we have $38,651.84 in the bank, with outstanding expenses of $336.79.
General Business
Raema Walker asked about the graffiti on a couple of the trees lining the driveway. John McKenna advised that it appears to have been washed off in all the recent rain, and we have not discovered any new evidence of graffiti.
Raema also asked if the tiles on the front verandah could be replaced. John advised that there had been some repairs done to the tiles a while ago but no further work is envisaged at the moment. This is a matter to be discussed with the NSW Heritage Office as the Friends of Linnwood are limited in what we can do with regards to any structural repairs to the house.
Guest Speaker
John McKenna then introduced Dorothy Warwick and Pat O’Brien (who actually don’t need any introduction!) from Holroyd Local History Research.
“To give you some background of Holroyd Local History Research – through our connections with Linnwood, Mays Hill Cemetery and the Holroyd Family History Group, and having done research on our own family histories, Pat and I found that there seemed to be very little available on the history of the area in which we live, apart from Grace Karskens’ book. We set out to find more about the people who had lived here in the early days by way of researching old newspapers and talking to older members of the community. We have been very fortunate in having had many old photos and stories given to us and have found a lot of information in newspapers.
We are committee members for the History of Guildford 2161 Project and we both serve on the Holroyd City Council Heritage Committee as community representatives. We were given verbal approval by the NSW Heritage Office to use a room at the rear of Linnwood and have quite a number of filing cabinets full of information on all sorts of things and hope that this room will become a resource centre for local and family history. We also go on little excursions around the area and take lots of photos – such as - with all the changes happening in Merrylands and Stockland Mall, we went out on a few early mornings and photographed every shop in the main streets and the old Stockland Mall and have tried to take some photos of the new Stockland as it is being built –just so there is a record of it all.
The origins of Holroyd began on 5th February, 1872, when a petition signed by 87 property holders representing a population of 500 people, was forwarded to the Governor of the day requesting that the locality, an area of 14 square miles, be incorporated into a Municipality, and be shown as the Municipal District of Prospect and Sherwood. The petition was granted by the Governor exactly 5 months later on 5th July, 1872. The name change to Holroyd occurred in 1927 to honour the first Mayor, Alderman A.T. Holroyd.
The boundaries of the Municipality were the western railway line from Parramatta Park to Toongabbie Railway Station, then across in a generally easterly direction to the southern railway; north to Sydney Road; across a section of Harris Park; across to Church Street, Parramatta; across to Boundary Street to the west; and then in a northerly direction to Parramatta Park.
In January 1991, the Municipality was declared a city. The boundaries originally petitioned have remained reasonably unchanged.”
Raema Walker asked what is the criteria now for an area to be proclaimed a City. Councillor Perry answered that it depends on the population - over 80,000 people would warrant an application.
Dorothy went on to give a brief history and showed some photos of some of the first Mayors of Holroyd - Arthur Todd Holroyd being the first. He was born in London in 1806 and studied Medicine and Law. He was a fellow of the Zoological Society of London, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society for his explorations in Egypt, Sinai, Palestine and Syria. In 1843 he migrated to New Zealand where he practised as a Barrister and Solicitor, and a year later moved to Sydney where he was admitted to the Bar in 1845. Arthur Holroyd was a Member of Parliament from 1851-1864. In 1855 he purchased a large section of the Sherwood and Kenyon Estates, which he named “Sherwood Scrubs”. Finding the clay at Merrylands suitable, he commenced the manufacture of tiles and drainpipes in the 1860’s which continued for many years. He died at Sherwood Scrubs in June 1877 and is buried at Rookwood.
Dorothy then showed some great old photos of various suburbs of Holroyd, as well as some of the schools, churches and historic homes - Harborne, Greystanes House, Mimosa, Dunmore House, Boori, Carrington, Essington, and of course Linnwood.
Pat’s passion is Mays Hill Cemetery, and the Friends of Mays Hill Cemetery formed in 1995. Restorations began and there is ongoing research into those people interred in the cemetery. Pat has spent the past 10-12 years researching every person buried in the cemetery and has files on all of them. Some very interesting people are buried there, such as William Roy – the only Scottish defender at Rorke’s Drift (Zulu Wars), who was presented with the Distinguished Conduct Medal by Queen Victoria in 1879. He came to Australia for health reasons but died in 1890 aged only 35 years.
One of the characters of the Holroyd area was “Stringy Bark Jack”. His real name was John Fear and he arrived from England in the mid 1850’s to build the first railway. He became a woodcutter and traded from Granville Forest. He married Charlotte James in 1870 and reared a large family in a bark hut at Granville. He later moved to Guildford where he had a dairy and milk run. He died in 1913 and is buried in Mays Hill Cemetery.
Dorothy told the meeting that she and Pat have researched all the servicemen whose names appear on the plaques underneath the trees along Memorial Avenue in Merrylands, and hope to publish their book in early 2009.
If anyone has any photos or stories of any “people and places” of Holroyd and the surrounding area, Dorothy and Pat would be very interested in being able to copy them, and can do so in your own home.
Next Meeting
The next Public Meeting of the Friends of Linnwood will be held on Sunday 8 February 2009. Our guest speaker will be advised to members in the New Year.
John McKenna thanked the Holroyd councillors for coming along today. Council has given us great support over the years that the Friends have been at Linnwood, and we do appreciate all the work they do in maintaining the grounds.
Raffle
It was decided to draw the raffle during the Members’ Christmas Dinner this evening. (The raffle was eventually won by Ann Ravenscroft.)
Meeting Close
The meeting closed at 3.10pm
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