Objection to the Draft LEP for a change to the building heights in Newcastle East

New South Wales Department of Planning

SUBJECT:  Draft Revised LEP Clause 7.9(4)
OBJECTION TO THE DRAFT LEP FOR A CHANGE TO THE BUILDING HEIGHTS IN NEWCASTLE EAST OF THE CIVIC CENTRE.
The extreme number of documents issued for public comment, including a mere two week exhibition period for the City Centre SEPP, by the Department of Planning & Infrastructure is outrageous to the degree that the department appears to have arranged this in an effort to minimise sound and reasoned comment from the general public and organised interest groups.
  It appears from an initial reading that the department has been successfully swayed by the GPT submission to change the Newcastle LEP (2012) by radically increasing heights on properties owned by GPT and NSW Urban Growth, who have a financial interest in these sites.
The SEPP and proposed amendments to the City Centre DCP appear simply to mirror the “renewal” proposal by GPT and Urban Growth. Both these bodies are property developers with a clear conflict of interest, including a pecuniary interest in redevelopment of the CBD. Urban Growth is a public sector entity. Therefore, the NSW government should have taken an arms- length approach to the new planning instruments. They should have been subject to a genuine independent review.
Further, Newcastle City Council’s planning staff and its independent Urban Design Consultative Group appear to have had no role in oversight of the draft SEPP or the GPT/Urban Growth plan.
The GPT/Urban Growth plan and the draft SEPP fly in the face of sound and still relevant principles of planning documents produced by Newcastle City Council, some with ministerial approval, over almost two decades, including its 1998 Urban Strategy, the c1990 DCP 30, LEP 2003, City Centre LEP 2008, LEP 2012 and even the 2013 Newcastle Urban Renewal Strategy produced by Hunter Development Corporation, notionally for the Department of Planning.


Newcastle - An urban historic city

Newcastle's "Old Town" area below the Cathedral is rich with heritage buildings, lanes and interesting shopfronts on a human scale without the need for additional heights to further overshadow the spaces.  The area has been protected by a heritage conservation area for many decades.
Further, views of the CBD’s eastern precinct from Nobbys or Stockton reveal a highly significant urban cultural landscape with relatively low, human scale built development that respects the topography of The Hill (east of Darby Street) with Christ Church Cathedral at its apex. The proposed   high rise towers would constitutes a gross and crude visual intrusion into this historic urban landscape. There are plenty of opportunities for redevelopment that respect this urban character. The SEPP, however, does not. It is interesting to note that even the 2007 GPT proposal paid far more respect to the principles of previous planning instruments and largely respected the historic urban character of the eastern CBD.
The influx of a nineteen storey tower block on the former David Jones car park site has an unacceptable impact on the heritage significance of the conservation area and surrounding heritage items.  Similarly, the fourteen storey tower on Wolf Street presents an unacceptable intrusion on this sensitive area.  Both sites should be substantially scaled back to twelve and eight storeys respectively (or fewer) to reduce impact.
The Newcastle LEP 2012 encouraged high-rise to occur in the west end of the city where there is a greater opportunity for redevelopment incorporating views over the city and the harbour. 
The Hunter Regional Committee of the National Trust (NSW) objects to the removal of Clause 7.9(4) of the Newcastle LEP (2012) as this clause specifically protects view corridors to and from the Cathedral, an iconic building in Newcastle.  The deletion of this clause removes all legal protection of views to and from the Cathedral.
This draft LEP should be reconsidered and re-written to delete the potential of high rise development impacting on this portion of the Newcastle "Old Town" from interfering with view corridors to and from the Cathedral.
We also oppose the proposed maximum height increase on the Hunter Street block between Darby and Auckland Street from 30n to 45m.The rationale for this appears to be to allow for the University’s ambitious plan to redevelop the western (Auckland Street) end. The 30 m maximum height was partly designed to visually protect the nearby, State Heritage Register listed City Hall. In the past the University have argued that existing buildings on the northern side of Hunter Street opposite the university site already exceed the 30 m height development standard. However, it needs to be recognised that the LEP is a strategic instrument and any future new development on the northern side would be expected to comply with the maximum 30m height.
In conclusion:
The SEPP claims to be driven by claims about “economic” revitalisation. This is at the expense of sound, accepted urban design and heritage considerations.” Economic” appears to be a euphemism for GPT and NSW Urban Growth’s desire for maximum development and profit opportunities. Further, there appears to be no genuine independent oversight by the Department of Planning and Infrastructure of the urban design implications of GPT/Urban Growth’s proposals.

Newcastle’s Almoners - Grace Parbery & Rosemary Ramsey

Broadcast Notes
ABC1233 Local Treasures
March 2014
By Ann Hardy

To understand people we need to understand the place in which they live. This was a motto of Grace Parbery, respected former Newcastle social worker.  When she came to Newcastle she was interested in the city’s history and how it had shaped the people who lived there.

One of her keenest interests at the moment is the history of Newcastle. She likes this for its own sake, but also feels that it is difficult to understand people in relation to their background unless you understand also the growth and development of the place in which they live. (Grace Parbery) Newcastle Morning Herald 1947

Stories about people contribute to the culture of the city of the Hunter. There is often much emphasis on built environment, but not on social history and the contributions and legacy left by individuals. Two Hunter women that certainly left a legacy were the late Grace Parbery (1913-1993) and Rosemary Ramsey (1925-2012) both were ‘almoners’, known today as ‘social workers’ and made a significant contribution to field of Social Work. They helped established healthcare practices in Newcastle that influenced new caring cultures to develop in NSW.

Grace started work at the ‘Almony Department’ at Royal Newcastle Hospital in 1943. Five years earlier she had completed a Certificate of Social Studies in Sydney and after completion of her studies gained experienced in the mental health setting working for the Red Cross at the Army General Hospital at Goulburn, NSW. At this time the Army General Hospital was the main psychiatric hospital in NSW and provided care for soldiers who had returned from New Guinea.

When Grace arrived at the Royal in Newcastle she was one of three almoners at Newcastle and worked across many different areas of medicine. The Almony department at Newcastle was the first outside Sydney (at a public hospital), they would do ‘rounds’ every Friday with the medical staff and visiting all 278 patients.  Medical issues and the patient’s social situation were noted and if social work support was required, the almoner would take a ‘social history’. This was a story about the person’s life, their social supports, interests, employment etc. The gathering of personal information was an integral part of the medical assessment.

The almoner’s role at Newcastle also involved visiting patients at other locations. The Newcastle Hospital Almoners undertook home visits when a patient left hospital, they visited the Waratah convalescent home, as well as the Rankin Park ‘Chest’ Hospital where patients with Tuberculosis were treated. Almoners also worked extensively with mental health patients. Two psychiatrists visited Newcastle Hospital on a regular basis and social work intervention was part of patient care.

Source: Hospital at Rankin Park. University of Newcastle, Cultural Collections.

Grace believed that an Almoners job was to “see that any problem- financial, emotional or environmental that would prevent a patient from deriving full benefit from prescribed treatment” (Parbery : Newcastle Morning Herald 1947)

In 1955 Grace was instrumental in establishing a Domiciliary Care Service and Retraining Unit for the elderly at the Royal Newcastle Hospital, a scheme which launched Home Care Service of NSW. What originally started as a service proving housekeeping services, branched out over the decades to support other groups including mothers and the aged in the 1960s, to families of children with a disability in the 1970s, to a focus on care of young people with a disability in the 1980s. In 1986 Grace received Australia Day Honours and was awarded an OAM for her contribution to health care. 

Rosemary Ramsey is another important figure in NSW's health history.  Born in Salisbury in the county of Wiltshire in England she came to Australia with her family when she was 4. At the age of 16, Rosemary moved to Perth to undertake a degree in psychology at the University of Western Australia. As part of her final year in the degree, she worked at a children’s home in Perth. Her son Steve advised that whilst she was there “she was so appalled by the treatment of the children that she was moved to write a letter to the responsible Minister.” Rosemary received a response from the minister and interestingly was offered a scholarship to study social work, a new course, at the University of Melbourne. When in Melbourne she worked at Royal Park and Mont Park Hospitals and is believed she was the only social worker working in a mental hospital in Australia. It was in Melbourne she met her husband Jake and had her first son Steve, and two years later another son Richard. During the 1950s they family moved to Lake Macquarie where their third son Michael was born.


Rosemary Ramsey in Perth 1945. Photograph courtesy Steve Ramsey

In 1965 Rosemary got a job as an almoner at Royal Newcastle Hospital where she worked for several years before becoming social worker at Newcastle Psychiatric Centre, or Watt St as it was more commonly known, a position she held until her retirement. She was certainly the first non-medical unit director at Watt Street where she headed up the addiction unit. She was the only social worker at this mental hospital when she started there. Social workers assisted mental health patients find appropriate accommodation, and seeing there was a need in this area Rosemary helped set up Trelowarren one of the first residential facilities for this group.  The location of Trelowarren was to the right as you entered the main hospital grounds. Today this is the area of the Thwaites Building. This building provided short term residential accommodation until more permanent accommodation could be found.  Rosemary also provided care to patients at Shortland Clinic at Newcastle.

 

 

Children playing at school house at Newcastle Mental Hospital. 1957. Later become Trelowarren.

Source:  Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales.

 



Shortland Clinic. Source: University of Newcastle, Cultural Collections.

While working at the hospital, she started the Newcastle branch of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (PRA) in Newcastle an organisation with which she continued to work with for many years after her retirement in 1985.  PRA is organisation that was first established at Callan Park Hospital in 1955. The Newcastle service was established in 1961, and in 1981 a program that provided social support, this came as a result of the Richmond Report that recommended the closing of some mental health institutions in NSW.   Rosemary received an award from PRA for her lifetime contribution to that organisation. Apparently on her retirement, she was described by the then Medical Superintendent, the late Brian Thwaites, as the conscience of the mental hospital. 
In 1993 the Australian Association of Social Workers established an Award in Grace Parbery’s honour. Each year this goes to an outstanding social worker who has made a contribution to the field social work. A year after Grace’s death, the inaugural award went to Rosemary Ramsey, fellow Novocastrian who had also made a significant contribution as a social worker and to health care, primarily to mental health care.  In 1995 Rosemary was presented with the Premier’s Award for outstanding service to the Community, “Rosemary Ramsey was a contemporary of Grace Parbery and similarly has been at the forefront of innovative service development. Her work exemplifies social work values, ethics and practice principles, and has been of enormous benefit to people within the Hunter.” Her contributions are warmly remembered by those whose lives she touched.


Rosemary Ramsey in 2011 Photograph courtesy of Steve Ramsey.

Rosemary Ramsey on her 80^th birthday. Photograph courtesy of Steve Ramsey.

The contribution Grace and Rosemary have made to the well-being of individuals and the wider community is significant because health practices they helped to establish are part of NSW’s ‘health history’, something that today and in the future we will be able to reflect on and learn. There was a strong sense of connection, and a certain relationship between the ‘hospital’ workers and the Newcastle community.

The attitude of the community to the Hospital is different from in a larger city. The Hospital is the Hospital of the People; it is supported by the people and serves a greater cross section of the community. People know more about the Hospital and consequently more is known about the function of the Almoner Department, both within the community and within the Hospital. Grace Parbery

Many Thanks to Rosemary's son Steve Ramsey for sharing his mum's story and beautiful photographs.

Sources
Parbery, Grace Australian Journal of Social Work; Mar1950, Vol. 3 Issue 4, p1-4, 4p
Publication Year: 1950.

Parbery, Grace Mary Australian Social Work; Jun1994, Vol. 47 Issue 2, p16-16, 1p 1994.
 



 

 

 

 

 

Newcastle- Photographs of the 1870s

Local Treasures - Newcastle- Photographs of the 1870s              28 January 2014
Presenter: Carol Duncan
Interviewees: Ann Hardy

The Holtermann Collection featured in The Greatest Wonder of the World exhibition at the State Library of NSW in 2013. The Holtermann Collection contains photographs of NSW between 1873 and 1875, the American and Australian Photographic Company involved in taking photographs for this collection may have visited Newcastle in the early 1870s.

Bernhardt Holtermann commissioned photographers from the American and Australian Photographic Company to take images of the expanding townships of NSW. Holtermann had made his fortune in the goldfields at Hill End in 1872 when miners of his company found the 'Holtermann Nugget', this helped him finance the photographic project. Beaufoy Merlin and Charles Bayliss were partners in the American and Australian Photographic Company and the primary photographers of images in the Holtermann Collection.

The photographers took glass negatives of high quality capturing much development in early NSW rural towns. The majority of the photographs are of rural NSW including Hill End, Gulgong, Mudgee and Bathurst, and Sydney and Melbourne. Unfortunately it does not seem scenes of Newcastle were part of the collection. 

The recent exhibition of the Holtermann Collection was held at the State Library of NSW, many taken by the American and Australian Photographic Company. In a separate album held at the library there are some photographs of Newcastle from the early 1870s. These photographs are not available on the library’s website, and have been tucked away not in general public view. The State Library of NSW have kindly given permission for these images to be publicly available on-line.

In September 2013 I visited the library to look at some of these "Newcastle" photographs, with no further description of what was available I was interested in which parts of Newcastle were shown. What I found were images taken from the usual aspects, from Nobbys Road towards Nobbys, from Christ Church overlooking the harbour, Gaol Hill across Newcastle Beach, and a view looking east towards the city. What I didn't expect and took me by surprise were how early the photographs were taken, most likely some time between 1870 and 1874. I decided to digitally photograph images as they appeared in the album because I knew they were historically significant and contained important information for future research. I also knew there would be of interest to some in the local Newcastle community.

These Newcastle photographs were taken by the American and Australian Photographic Company, and although not part of the Holtermann Collection have a close association because of the same photographers involved. This company flourished as there was extensive interest in documenting the growth of the State of NSW and progress of industry and manufacturing, the philosophy of the American and Australia Company is reflected in the following newspaper article:-

"The A. and A. Photographic Company desire further to remind the public that these negatives are not taken for the mere immediate object of sale, but that being registered, copies can at a all times be had by or of those parties residing in any part of the colonies wherever the company's operations have extended, thus forming a novel means of social and commercial intercourse. Sydney Morning Herald, 5 September 1870."

 The company's photographs of Newcastle are of landscapes and city views, much different to those in the Holtermann Collection that show individual shop fronts, residential houses and men at work. These ones of Newcastle document what was there at the time in terms of rail, other infrastructure, housing density and the general landscape before it become more heavily built on.
The most startling image in the album is that of the Sand Hills seperating Nobby's road and the main town. There were significant problems with sand drift, probably because much of the vegetation had been taken out. The sand appears to be encroaching on the former Lumber Yard and the area towards where Customs House was later built. Houses at Newcastle East have not yet been built and there is a pathway across the sand dune. Fences are erected possibly to stabilise the sand.
The photograph of Newcastle Beach is also a fascinating one, as it shows the area before any beach amenities, there is dilapidated fencing and an interesting fenced in area.
Enlarged sections of the images show a lot more detail of built environment to be seen in the photographs. Such as the coal company offices that were located at lower Watt Street where the Newcastle Railway Station now exists.  Some of these were the ‘Lambton Colliery Office’, ‘Waratah Coal Company’ and the ‘Co-operative Colliery Office’. This detail can help date images, for example the photograph showing the rail yards at the bottom Watt Street does not show Customs House that was built in 1877, or Newcastle Railway Station constructed in 1878.

Many thanks to the State Library of NSW for kindly giving permission to have these photographs publicly available.

Source: State Library of New South Wales, (PXA 365 / vols. 1-4PXA 365 VOL 4)
Title: Photographs of Sydney, Melbourne and regional New South Wales and miscellaneous personal photographs from B. O. Holtermann , ca 1870- ca 1880
Date of Work ca 1870- ca 1880
Holtermann http://www.acmssearch.sl.nsw.gov.au/search/itemDetailPaged.cgi?itemID=825705

 Source: State Library of New South Wales- 'View of Newcastle, N.S.W Looking N.E'

Source: State Library of New South Wales- 'View of Newcastle, N.S.W Looking West from Captain Allan's Hill'

Enlarged section of above photograph

Enlarged section of 'View of Newcastle, N.S.W Looking West from Captain Allan's Hill'

Source: State Library of New South Wales- 'View of Newcastle, N.S.W Looking West from the Old Gaol'

Enlarged Section of  'View of Newcastle, N.S.W Looking West from the Old Gaol'

Source: State Library of New South Wales- 'View of lighthouse "Nobby's" Newcastle, N.S.W

Enlarged Section - 'View of lighthouse "Nobby's" Newcastle, N.S.W

Enlarged section of Continuation of 'View of Newcastle, N.S.W Looking West from the Old Gaol'

Source: State Library of New South Wales- continuation of  'View of Newcastle, N.S.W Looking West from the Old Gaol' caption

Source: State Library of New South Wales- 'View of Newcastle, N.S.W. Looking S.E. from Queen's Wharf'

Enlarged Section - 'View of Newcastle, N.S.W. Looking S.E. from Queen's Wharf'

Enlarged Section - 'View of Newcastle, N.S.W. Looking S.E. from Queen's Wharf'

Source: State Library of New South Wales- 'View of Lake Macquarie Road, Newcastle, N.S.W. Looking S.S.W. from Church Street'

Source: State Library of New South Wales- 'View of  Newcastle, N.S.W. Looking N.W.'

Enlarged Section- 'View of  Newcastle, N.S.W. Looking N.W

Enlarged Section- 'View of  Newcastle, N.S.W. Looking N.W

Enlarged Section- 'View of  Newcastle, N.S.W. Looking N.W

Don't Sell Historic Courthouse in a Whim

Ann Hardy                  26 January 2014
Hunter Regional Committee of the National Trust
Why the rush to sell the Newcastle Court House? It was quite a surprise this week when State Member Tim Owen announced that Newcastle Court House will go on the market in a few weeks. It appears discussions have already taken place with developers, however, the wider community and heritage authorities have not been consulted. The Court House is part of the city’s Government Domain, which was nominated for National Heritage Listing in 2013. The Domain is linked to Newcastle’s original settlement, where Government House and other administrative infrastructure were situated in 1804. The precinct contains the first working coal shafts in Australia, the magnificent military buildings built by imperial forces in 1842 and retains a significant cultural landscape.
The National Trust of Australia (NSW) listed the Newcastle Court House on its Register in 1976 and believes it is a heritage asset inextricably linked with its use and government ownership. Like the Post Office, the Court House is a landmark building, sited within a historic area of Australia's second oldest city. While the Trust supports the concept of  "adaptive reuse"  to fund ongoing maintenance, any development proposal must be sympathetic. 
The building is not yet redundant. It continues to function as a Court House and may be needed for public use in the future. It doesn’t make sense to sell the building before the new court house is completed.
Buildings at the Domain have a long history of government use, assisting authorities when there is overflow from other government services. The military buildings, originally used for this purpose for only 12 years, went on to accommodate public servants, the volunteer militia, girls at the Industrial School and, finally, a mental health use. The Family Court and related services in the precinct may require additional building space in the future or the building could provide space in times of need for other public services.
Is this sale what the community wants? The Trust believes that, as the ultimate owners of publicly-owned heritage places, the community must be able to comment on their future. The community needs to be informed about any proposed disposal at an early stage in the process, before decisions are made. The Trust supports redevelopment of the Newcastle Court House if its heritage values are retained; if this cannot be assured, then this building should remain in government hands. There are many other questions, such as: Will the building be sold or leased? What is the area of land proposed for sale? What are the conditions of sale? What protective measures will be in place ensuring cultural heritage is retained? 
The Court House should not be sold on a whim!  Further assessment is urgently needed to explore whether it is in the public interest to keep this heritage asset publically-owned and to maintain public accessibility.
More discussion is needed before selling this important landmark building.
The community must be enabled to oppose alienation on the grounds that a publicly owned asset should be retained in public ownership as it is in the public interest to do so.

Treasured local Christmas cards

Local Treasures -   Treasured local Christmas cards             26 November 2013
Presenter: Jenny Marchant
Interviewees: Ann Hardy

Broadcast Notes: These early Christmas cards of the late nineteenth century were located in a beautifully decorated leather family photo album found in Newcastle. They are in a private collection. It is not known who the people are in photographs, however between the pages are some lovely Christmas cards of the nineteenth century.  Some of the cards are likely to have been produced in England, and either purchased here or sent by loved ones to family living in Australia. This one has a very English scene and unfortunately has no markings.

Sending Christmas cards began in the United Kingdom in 1843 by Sir Henry Cole. He was a public servant and interested in encouraging the public to use the new postal services for their own use. Before 1840 the postal service was mostly for the rich, however after this time correspondence could be sent for a penny, or a half-penny if in an unsealed envelope. Cole engaged artist and friend John Horsley to design the first three panelled cards, and although these were not popular straight away cards did increasingly become more common in later decades. Cole would go on to be the founding director of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

 

Christmas cards became even more popular in 1860s when methods of printing improved. Professional illustrators were engaged to produce scenes giving them another source of income. This was a similar case for engravers who were also commissioned to design cards. By the early 1900s, sending Christmas cards had become fashionable in Europe and likely to have also been the case in Australia.

 

Christmas was a sentimental time for those living away from loved ones and friends, particularly in Australia. For many they longed for 'home', many people never returning to where they had once lived. They longed for scenes of home and cards often depicted flowers from English gardens or snow covered landscapes.  Many of the cards from loved ones were deeply treasured and kept in family albums near photographs of those who had sent them. When Christmas cards become popular in Australia in the 1880s there was a competition by John Sands to create cards showing local themes. The designs are very interesting and showcase the level of artistic talent in NSW at that time. This album at the Mitchell Library and can be seen at the following website http://143.119.202.10/album/albumView.aspx?acmsID=16367&itemID=1045857

 

In 1915 Hallmark Cards were created John C. Hall and this company continues today. Christmas cards are highly collectable and there are greeting cards associations around the world. Designs shown on cards reflect the fashion and art scene of particular decades, are marked the social trends and culture of a particular time and place. In the 1910s and 1920s, homemade cards became popular.

In the 2010s the tradition of sending the traditional Christmas card has declined. New technologies and social media have changed the way we communicate and send our best wishes. Many now send e-cards, but the tradition of making a handmade card is not lost with many artist engaged in making these small scale artworks, something to be treasured because of the time and effort by its creator. 
Christmas cards found in this album do not show religious themes. This was often the case with early cards whereby they showed more fanciful scenes.

Source: “Raphael Tuck & Sons. London, Paris, New York. Publishers to Her Majesty the Queen” “Created in the Studios in England and printed at the Fine Art Works in Germany”

 

Janette Grossmann’s ‘Tonbridge’ Desk

Local Treasures -  Janette Grossmann’s ‘Tonbridge’ Desk              22 October 2013
Presenter: Carol Duncan
Interviewees: Ann Hardy
Broadcast Notes Miss Janette Grossmann was the Headmistress at Maitland Girls High School for 24 years (1890 – 1913). In the collection at Grossman House is a beautiful timber portable writing desk, also known as a ‘Tonbridge desk’. Tonbridge is a town in Great Britain, famous for its creative woodworkers and particular style of wooden products, known as Tunbridge ware. Tunbridge ware were wooden items manufactured at Tunbridge Wells near Tonbridge. Many of the woodworkers lived at the town of Tonbridge, however set up businesses near Tunbridge Wells.  The wells were located at the riverfront, ideal for the woodworkers selling their wares. The style of wooden goods (Tunbridge ware) became very popular in the nineteenth century.  The market for Tunbridge Ware grew as navigation increased nationally and internationally.  Tunbridge Ware were mostly small items made from wood, often having inlaid wood and other decorative features. Originally items were of whitewood with printed designs showing local scenes, a sort of souvenir that visitors could purchase.  Another more common style was a design formed from gluing small sticks to form a mosaic, it is this style that typifies Tunbridge Ware. The pieces produced were an exquisite example of fine carpentry.

In 1890 before coming to Maitland her students from Waverley West Secondary School gave her the lovely gift, of a beautiful decorative desk.  It was probably purchased in Sydney by the girls’, however its creator and place of production is unknown. Unfortunately it does not have a makers mark. The inscription on the small plaque on the top of the desk says  

Miss Grossman was obviously very well liked and appreciated at her former school in Sydney where she had been only for a relatively short time. Previously to this she had graduated ‘with Honors’ from teaching college in New Zealand, working in Christchurch later at Sydney Girls’ High before her appointment as Principal at Maitland West Girls’ High in 1890. The portability of Miss Grossman’s desk would be ideal in her role as school Principle, taking stationary with her from place to place.   The desk is about 25cm x 50cm and has intricate wooden inlay on the lid and front of desk.  A centerpiece on the lid is a piece of shell. It has an intricate design of inlay. The desk is most likely made from English walnut.

Eventually in 1913 she was promoted to founding Headmistress of the new North Sydney Girls High School. 

The school community at Maitland must have really liked Miss Grossman because when she left in 1914 there was quite a fuss. The Maitland Weekly Mercury reported the following on Saturday the 21st February 1914.

 

The, pretty grounds of the Girls' High School looked especially attractive on Saturday night, illuminated as they were and bright with flags on the occasion of the farewell to Miss Grossmann late headmistress of the West 'Maitland Girls'…. Mrs. Lindsay then presented Miss Grossman with a very beautiful pendant of original design of tourmalines and pearls, and an autograph book with the names of the girls, and also to Mrs. Grossmann a handsome bag. Miss Grossmann, with much feeling, thanked the friends for their words and gifts to herself and mother. While she, disclaimed being the originator of the ‘Old Girls' Union, yet she had felt that this union had grown to be both a blessing to all who had taken part, and to many in the town, and she hoped that Miss Campbell would be able to lend her influence to strengthening the good work.  Miss Grossman regretted leaving dear old Maitland, and said she had spent very many happy years in her work here. Miss Ewing played 'For she's a jolly Good Fellow,' and all joined in the singing.

 

Later after her death in 1924 the girls’ school at Maitland was renamed Grossmann House in her honour in 1935. It is not known when the desk came into the collection of Grossman House, it likely went the Sydney with Miss Grossman after she left, and donated to the house sometime after her death.

It will be on show at Grossmann House 2-3 November 2013, 10am-3pm

Sources
http://www.grossman.org.au/?page_id=18
http://www.tonbridgehistory.org.uk/made-in-tonbridge/tunbridge-ware.htm

 

 

 

Hunter Regional Committee of the National Trust AGM 2013

Sunday 24 November 2013 2013 at 11am
Our guest speaker is Barry Maitland, distinguished architect, urban designer and author.
Barry Maitland studied architecture at Cambridge University. He practised and taught in the UK before moving to Australia to become Professor of Architecture at the University of Newcastle. While at the University he made a considerable contribution to planning and heritage protection in the
City of Newcastle and was the author of landmark studies on planning and heritage that formed the basis of Development Control Plan 30, a nationally significant planning policy to guide and urban design for future development in Newcastle CBD.
He retired in 2000 to write crime fiction. He is the author of 12 widely acclaimed books and has an international reputation as a crime fiction writer. His popular series, which commenced with The Marx Sisters in 1994, are notable for their historical settings. His most recently published book was The Raven’s Edge (2013)
Lunch will be available for purchase
RSVP Ann Hardy ann-hardy@hotmail.com or 0438509139