strathfield Council – Strathfield-Homebush District Historical Society

Opening of Cooks River Exhibition 14 December 2023

The Cooks River: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow is a new exhibition prepared by Strathfield Council and the Strathfield-Homebush District Historical Society. The exhibition will be open from 14 December 2023 to 11 February 2024 at the Ironbark Gallery, Strathfield Library, 65-67 Rochester Street Homebush.

The official opening of the exhibition will be held on 14 December 2023 at 4.30pm. To attend the opening, please RSVP by Monday 11 December. Bookings are required and can be made at exhibitions@strathfield.nsw.gov.au

Cooks River Exhibition promotion

From its source at Yagoona to its mouth at Botany Bay the Cooks River passes through
Wangal, Gadigal and Gameygal lands. It provides an important biodiversity corridor of
vegetated habitat in parks, reserves and gardens adjacent to the river. Over the years Cooks
River has been fished, dammed, concreted, diverted and polluted – and rehabilitated.
Strathfield Council is custodian of the Cooks River as it meanders through its LGA and
partners with other organisations to improve both the health of the river and the liveability
of the communities within its catchment.

This exhibition will take you on a journey through the river’s rich history culminating in
recent projects and initiatives that protect and conserve the river and its biodiversity.
How can you contribute to its future?

Free talk – history of Strathfield Town Hall

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The Strathfield Town Hall is 100 years old in 2023. For over 100 years, the Strathfield Town Hall has brought together the members of the local community, whether debating issues of the day, attending joyous social events, participating in civic defence and emergency services, celebrating arts and performance or commemorating wartime service and remembering the passing of loved ones.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Strathfield’s Town Hall, Strathfield Council has been hosting a number of events to commemorate the milestone. One of these events is the Town Hall exhibition, which will open at Strathfield Library from Wednesday 1 November 2023 to 10 December 2023. This exhibition was organised by Strathfield Council in collaboration with the Strathfield-Homebush District Historical Society.

Free talk

On Sunday 19 November 2023, a talk and afternoon tea will be held with Jenny MacRitchie and Cathy Jones as they highlight stories of the Town Hall’s rich history.

When: Sunday 19 November 2023, 2pm to 4pm

Where: Strathfield Library, 65-67 Rochester Street, Homebush

Registrations are essential for catering purposes. Attendance is free.

Bookings: https://events.humanitix.com/strathfield-town-hall-exhibition-and-talk

For more information, please contact me at strathfieldhistory@gmail.com

Vale George Hallworth

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I note the sad news of the passing of George Hallworth at age 98 years.

George Thomas Hallworth (1925-2023) was elected as an Alderman on Strathfield Council in 1980. He served from 20 September 1980 to 23 September 1983. He successfully contested the 1987 Council election and served a second term from 26 September 1987 to 13 September 1991.

He served as Vice-Chairman of the Parks Committee in 1982-1983, Deputy Chairman of Community Services Committee in 1988 and Chairman in 1989-1990 and Chairman of the Library Committee in 1989, 1990 and 1991.

For many years, George operated a general store at Cave Road Strathfield. He was very involved with the community life of the Strathfield area with his work for many organisations including Rotary, Meals on Wheels, Red Cross and Probus.

He was married to Catherine Hallworth and had four children Vivien (dec), Lesley, Susan and Peter and had many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

His funeral service to be held at St Anne’s Anglican Church, cnr Homebush and Beresford Rds Strathfield on Friday 3rd November 2023, appointed to commence at 11am.

The family had requested that In lieu of flowers a donation may be made to the Cancer Council.

Strathfield Town Hall 100th Celebrations

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Strathfield Town Hall opening 9 October 2023. Photo Cathy Jones 2023.

The Strathfield Town Hall celebrated the 100th anniversary of its opening at an event held on Monday October 9 2023. The event featured a history talk, panel discussion with the Mayor, local MPs and students from St Patrick’s College and Strathfield Girls High with music by the Strathfield Symphony Orchestra. The Town Hall History Exhibition was opened and available for viewing from 10 – 14 October 2023. The exhibition and talks were a collaboration between Council and the Society.

An expanded history talk was held on Wednesday 11th October at a well attended event at the Town Hall. The talks were given by Jenny McRitchie, Council’s Local Studies Advisor and Cathy Jones, Secretary of the Historical Society (& Chief Strategy Officer, Strathfield Council).

The Town Hall History Exhibition will be exhibited from 1 November to 10 December 2023 at the Ironbark Gallery at Strathfield Library. The exhibition will feature additional exhibits, videos and photographs. A talk is likely to announced during November. Details will be posted when dates confirmed.

Celebrating Strathfield Town Hall Centenary

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The Strathfield Town Hall celebrates the 100th anniversary of its opening on October 9 2023. The Town Hall has recently had significant restoration works.

The celebrations include an official opening dinner, a morning tea with a historical talk and a historical exhibition. The Town Hall History Exhibition will be open to the community from 10 – 14 October and will also be exhibited at the Ironbark Gallery at Strathfield Library in late 2023. This exhibition was organised in collaboration with the Strathfield-Homebush District Historical Society.

Morning Tea Historical Talk

Council, in collaboration with the Strathfield-Homebush District History Society, will exhibit and host a historical morning tea.

Join us for a historical talk with Jenny MacRitchie and Cathy Jones as they highlight stories of the Town Hall’s rich history.

When: Wednesday 11 October, 10am to 12pm
Where: Strathfield Town Hall
Registration: Registrations are essential for catering purposes. Please register via this link or by emailing Council’s Events team on events@strathfield.nsw.gov.au

Historical Exhibition

This exhibition is open to the community at the Town Hall from Tuesday 10 October to Friday 13 October from 9am – 5pm, and Saturday 14 October from 10am to 2pm.

Official Opening Dinner

The event promises a special evening including live music performance by the Strathfield Symphony Orchestra, an enlightening historical discussion, and an engaging panel discussion.

When: Monday 9 October 2023
Cost: Tickets for this event will be $75 per person with all proceeds being donated to Suicide Prevention Australia.
Registration: Registrations are essential.

’Understanding Heritage’ talk

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Thanks to everybody who attended the ‘Understanding Heritage’ talk yesterday at Strathfield Library. The afternoon session was opened by the Mayor of Strathfield Karen Pensabene followed by the talk by Alin Almasan, Strathfield Council’s Heritage Advisor, on heritage in the Strathfield area.

The talk provided an overview of heritage in the Strathfield area, many tips on maintaining older buildings and processes for development consent for alterations to heritage properties. The session was presented by the Strathfield Homebush District Historical Society, with support from Strathfield Council.

Watch this space for future events.

Street lettering on footpaths

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There are still some streets with the historic red lettering in the Strathfield area. Strathfield Council started installing metal plate street signs in the early 1920s along with numbering of streets. There was an old metal street sign on a pole on Albert Road, near Homebush Road.

The majority of early footpaths appear to have been asphalted, while concrete was used on footpaths near shops with heavy foot traffic. Council required that the owner contribute 50% of costs.

There is reference to the installation of the red lettered street names on footpaths in Strathfield Council minutes in 1926. It is likely that as footpaths were increasingly concreted that lettering was added. The lettering was embedded into the concrete and was red coloured in contrast to the surrounding concrete. The red letters were made by a contractor and was held together by a wire formwork when the letters were set into the concrete. The footpath names are not stencilled.

It is unsure when Council stopped installing street name lettering on footpaths, however the practice of installing lettering on pavements was not unique to Strathfield Council. In Woollahra Council and parts of the former Municipality of Petersham (Petersham, Lewisham and Stanmore) which is now part of Inner West Council, street names were frequently embedded into footpaths.

Strathfield Industrial Heritage Exhibition

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The Industrial Heritage of Strathfield Exhibition, Minding Our Business, is presented by Strathfield-Homebush District Historical Society and Strathfield Council. The exhibition is open during Library opening hours from Friday 17 June 2022 to Sunday August 14 2022. AF675189-7951-4FC8-9F20-32D5329EF3F9

This exhibition explores the many businesses which were based on the Strathfield district from the 19th century, usually located close to rivers or transport such as railways and major roads. The district’s central location facilitated transportation of materials and goods across Sydney and beyond from businesses as diverse as Arnotts Biscuits, EMI/HMV records, Ford Car manufacturing, Textile factories, Flour Mills, Cattle and Sheep Stockyards and Brickworks. Industrial development also supported growth of worker populations and housing in the southern and northern ends of the Strathfield Council area in the early to mid 20th century.

Opening: The exhibition opens on Thursday 16 June 2022 at 6pm. View the exhibition and enjoy the refreshments. Please register to attend at https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/opening-night-industrial-heritage-of-strathfield-exhibition-tickets-353442645467

Talk: A talk will be held on Sunday 31 July 2022 at Strathfield Library commencing at 12.30 for refreshments and 1pm for the talk. The event finishes at 3pm. Bookings at https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/354877467057