Category: Crag Archives

Griffin Reserves Community Forum

What do you know about our reserves, walkways and road islands incorporated by Walter Burley Griffin into his landscape plan for what is now the Castlecrag Conservation Area, and their ongoing management? Here is your chance to learn about this unique feature of our suburb—as detailed on page x. Willoughby City Council invites all Castlecrag residents to a community forum on Thursday 6 March 2008 at the Community Centre. The Forum will address the significance of the Griffin Reserve System, provide a briefing on the restoration works that have been completed over the past ten years and discuss future management issues. The guest speaker will be James Weirick, Professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of New South Wales and a leading scholar on the Griffins’ work. This is a special opportunity to become better informed about the Griffin Reserve System and to raise matters relating to their future management. The forum will be held at the Castlecrag Community Centre from 7-9pm on 6 March.

Sally’s Bookshop

Sally Crawford’s bookshop has become a special retreat for many Castlecrag residents and visitors to our suburb since Sally and her team relocated their business here in November 2006. Since then they have become an important part of our community, hosting several book launches, a children’s reading activity at the Community Fair and, most recently, the successful ‘Poet Lorikeet’ event. Sally has recently advised us that she plans to retire from the book and gift selling business and she has reluctantly offered the two businesses for sale. She has asked us to express her gratitude for the support and friendship she has enjoyed here in ‘The Crag’, and her sadness to be leaving at this time.

I am sure that readers of The Crag will join us in wishing Sally all the best in her future endeavours. We are aware that the bookselling business has become very competitive in recent years, but remain hopeful that a local ‘white knight’ may come forward at least to maintain a delightful bookshop in our midst.

Chicago Art Institute Director at Castlecrag

Jack Perry Brown, Director of the Ryerson & Burnham Libraries at the Art Institute of Chicago, was the guest of the Walter Burley Griffin Society on 19 and 20 January. Following a guided tour of Griffin sites on the northern suburbs on the Saturday, Jack was given a tour of our suburb and its landscape setting, and inspected several of the Griffin houses before lunching with members of the WBGS committee on the 20th. He then presented a public lecture at The Haven Amphitheatre on the Art Institute’s exciting project that has published Marion Mahony Griffin’s grand work, The Magic of America, on the net. Completed last August, the web version of this important architectural document collates 1400 pages of text and some 650 accompanying illustrations from the three known copies of the work.

Jack Brown delivered an inspiring lecture, noting the brilliant ambience of The Haven for the subject and focused on the key elements of Marion’s work that relate to Castlecrag. These can be summarised in three key themes: the architecture and landscape planning principles of Walter Burley Griffin; the relationship of the Griffins to our natural environment; and Marion’s care for and love of the children of Castlecrag. Having just received advice from the Institute, Jack was also able to announce to our audience that the 650 illustrations for The Magic of America are now available on line. For more about The Magic of America project and to find the link to the online publication, please visit the ‘News’ page of the WBGS website at: www.griffinsociety.org

Nancy Fleming’s 90th Birthday Bash

Some 150 friends gathered at the Castlecrag Community Centre on 19 January to celebrate Nancy Fleming’s 90th birthday and to honour her contribution to our community. Organised by her children Andrew and Lesley, grandchildren and friends Kate Westoby and Mushi Haruska, it was a most enjoyable event. Andrew provided a short audio-visual presentation of Nancy’s career in photographs, followed by short speeches about Nancy’s professional work as a social worker and her many contributions to the Castlecrag community during 52 years of residence here. We learn that Nancy loves music, dancing and a good party, and that she has played a leading role in the formation and work of the Sydney Opera Society. Her house was always open for community activities and it became a temporary refuge for a Sydney tram (now safely stored at the Tram Museum).

It is a Castlecrag tradition that every Christmas Eve, Carols by Candlelight is presented by the Haven Amphitheatre Management Committee.

It’s a Castlecrag tradition that every Christmas Eve the weather is fine and a wonderful time is had by all.

Alas, tradition was not traditional in 2004.

It rained!

Then it presented us with an urban myth. Now the story of this needs to be told and told well, that is best done by the Castlecrag poet lorikeet! Just down from the high country to spin the yarn for you wondering readers of The Crag and give you the mail on what really happened on that special night at the Haven.

‘Twas the night before Christmas, and Santa yelled “Yike!”,
“My reindeer have colic; my Helpers on strike
“We’ll have to move Christmas to ’round Easter time,
“I’ll postpone all Carols to give me some time!”
He called out to Heaven: “My patience is worn,
Don’t do nothin’ violent, – just send in a storm!

Down south, in Australia, at Castlecrag’s ‘Haven’,
the volunteer stagecrew were all misbehavin’;
The sound-desk was booming, the lights all blazed bright;
The carolers’ harmonies shone in full flight.
When in rolled the stormclouds, with Donner & Blitzen,
“We’re all gunna drown” cried the raven-haired vixen;
“A second front’s coming, due ’round about seven;
What have we done wrong to be so cursed by Heaven?!”
So sadly the stagecrew packed all gear away
and sat below stage to brood glum on the fray.

But meteor’logical science, it seems;
failed to account for the power of dreams;
Two local Crag families from over the foam,
had flown in grandparents to see their new home.
And come to The Haven to sing, laugh and carol,
not knowing the storms had forced plans to unravel.
Then elves and bush spirits waked under the stage,
and heard these two groups sing from young to the aged.
Crept out from the bushes (to all folks’ surprise!)
and fashioned a Caroling ‘fore their own eyes.
Just voices! – no music, no sleighbells were rung;
Just voices: “Orana” (Let’s Welcome) was sung.
And candles and songbooks, and more and more souls,
emerged out of nowhere like orchids and quolls.
Then as the black stormfront slewed off to the North,
what should then a’happen? Yes, – Santa came forth!

With a “Ho” to the left, and a “Ho” to the right;
and a “HoHo” small lolly for eyes shining bright..
Then rellies from Norway and Yorkshire and Rome,
Told stories of Christmas Eve happ’nings “back home”.
‘Til finally the last of the eventide light,
slipped westward and left us in candle-lit night.
So singers and families left sharing good cheer,
Singing “Wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year”

Bruce Wilson/Harold Rubie

My family and I are avid users of Willoughby’s wonderful parks, bushland reserves and and the great network of bush tracks and cycleways. (Incidently, Council has just updated a great brochure called walking and wheeling in Willoughby, I highly recommend it if you want to discover some great walks in our city).

One thing that often irks me is the abandoned shopping trolleys that often seem to escape shopping centres and end up in our streets, parks and worst of all, our creeks. I have requested Council to put a motion at the 2007 Local Government Association Conference requesting that the State Government grant council’s the right to charge for the cost of recovery and disposal of shopping trolleys from public areas.

Currently the percentage of a retailer’s trolleys which become ‘lost’ or stolen and end up in our environment and streets, are written-off as a business expense.

However the full costs of the product, i.e. cradle-to-grave costs, are not being completely included in this economic analysis. The burden of the lost trolleys is being transferred to the public and the environment.

If local government can recover the costs of retrieving lost and abandoned trolleys from retailers it may just tip the economic balance in favour of preventing the trolleys being ‘lost’ in the first place.

The Willoughby Men’s Shed was officially opened on 26 July 2007. Situated in the Northbridge RSL hall (down near the Northbridge Golf Club), the shed is is fully decked out with brand new equipment like table saws, wood and metal lathes, band saws and a state of the art dust extraction system to keep it all crisp and clean.

Any blokes out there who have a project lurking on the back burner or simply want to while away some time with some like minded fellows should contact Council’s Help Line on 97771000 to find out how they can get into it! Experienced hands are on deck to ensure you keep yours safe and sound).
The Spring Festival is back in Willoughby this September for its eleventh year running. The Festival gets bigger, better and more diverse each year. The Street Parade is the highlight and was held on Saturday the 15 September, with dancers, musicians, sporting groups and more weaving their way along Victoria Avenue, showcasing the fabulous talent within the Willoughby community. On display were many inspirational and practical initiatives that can help us all ‘think globally and act locally’.

This coincided with the launch of Willoughby City Council’s draft Sustainability Charter. It is the proposed policy that will oversee all Council’s activities with a view to their sustainability. It has three elements covering social, ecological and economic sustainability. The Charter is in draft form because we are seeking community comment on the policy before consideration or adopting it formally. There are lots of words, but no doubt they encompass the most exciting, meaningful and positive initiatives I have had anything to do with in my time on council. Check it out by typing ‘sustainability charter’ into the search field on Council’s website (hard copies are available from Council). Feedback is most welcome and the Charter is open for comment until 8 January 2008.

Cr Adrian Cox, Sailors Bay Ward

The public forum Keeping Castlecrag Special! sponsored by Willoughby City Council and the Progress Association on 26 October 2004 was a great success with some 100 residents attending.

The forum explored the special qualities of the suburb that the community may seek to retain and helped to explain the processes that are used to achieve the conservation of the built and natural environments. The aim was to demystify the issues and correct misinformation.

With Deputy Mayor Terry Fogarty in the chair, Bob Clark of the Sydney Harbour Trust led the session on Castlecrag’s special character using dramatic images to reinforce his coverage of the special features derived from its harbour setting. He covered the pressures for change and highlighted the scale and design of buildings and the need to retain tree cover as the key issues that need to be addressed if Castlecrag’s special character is to be maintained. With the assistance of projected images showing key elements of Castlecrag’s unique heritage. Bob reminded s that what we do no\w will have major future impact. Castlecrag is different for other places, and it is best to build with an understanding of this local character. As Bob said, people who know Castlecrag say affectionately, “Ah! Castlecrag”.

Professor James Weirick gave a most informative and entertaining presentation on the special features of the suburb that need to be preserved. Her reminded us that Griffin had made a gift of the foreshore and bushland reserves for the whole community, and these set a fundamental structure for development of Castlecrag that persists today.

The Griffin Conservation Area is today protected by DCP 16, and this ensures that the significant features of Castlecrag will be retained. The features that characterise Castlecrag are nationally and internationally recognised – an urban character which respects the character of the landscape, allows sharing of views, encompasses design aimed at conserving the landscape quality, sense of community and social connections; and where the built form is subservient to the natural landscape. Professor Weirick observed that a repeated theme in Castlecrag is the way in which roads have been constructed in the landscape; the roads are small in scale, perhaps inspired by the ancient roads of Japan. This is very different to the roads in most other Sydney suburbs. He detailed some of the techniques that have been used to create buildings subordinate to the landscape. These include disaggregated elements of the building, and integration of gardens with adjacent reserves. It has been demonstrated on many sites that the griffin aims are still relevant and possible to retain, that there is a sense of continuity with the Griffin philosophy here; modern houses are still sited so that the bushland filters the views of the buildings.

John McInerny (Deputy Lord Mayor of Sydney and Past President of the Planning Institute of Australia) has had a long contact with Castlecrag. He tackled the myths that are often spread about the financial implications of heritage listing.

John said that the Griffins are classed as one of the most important Australian influences in urban design, and there is increasing international interest in the Castlecrag area. He examined the financial implications of ownership of properties in conservation areas and analysed individual listed item – Vs – conservation areas which contain many such items and have overall landscape controls. John said that there is no doubt that a conservation area classification does add value to a property when compared with equivalent properties outside the conservation area. The development controls for conservation of certain qualities add certainty, and the specific and unique environment is valued. The NSW Heritage Council’s publication, Heritage Listing – benefits for owners, states: “people purchase heritage buildings because they like them”. The document emphasises that heritage listing does not preclude changes. Some agents say that heritage properties are easiest to sell and bring the best prices. Isolated (listed) heritage properties may not appreciate in value as rapidly as those in conservation areas, although an individual heritage listing may improve the value and should not restrict the owners too much. John said that development controls need to be clear and rigorously enforced, quoting John Milne “All that makes existence possible is the enforcement of constraints on other people.”

John gave examples of how good architects can work successfully with new buildings in the urban design framework of conservation areas (e.g. Paddington, Sydney). The Griffin Conservation Area DCP is a good planning instrument; its intention is to re-state Griffin’s vision, and replacement buildings can be an opportunity to reinstate the vision, and to correct some of the mistakes of the 1950s and 1960s.

Peter Moffitt (Architect, Planner, Urban Designer, and Castlecrag Resident) noted that the Willoughby LEP lists over 200 heritage items: they are not all buildings, but many types of items. In a review of the list in 2001, there were an additional 50 properties nominated, many by their owners.

In examining the way in which a heritage listing might affect a property owner, Peter said that a property owner can sell, rent and maintain a property in the normal way – no special approvals are needed. A development application is needed for alterations and additions, and this is the process to allow consideration of the impact on the heritage values of the listed item. There is usually no problem with actions such as updating bathrooms. And a property owner can apply to the Valuer general for a heritage-restricted value on a listed property. Link to Willoughby City Council Heritage Listings.

Willoughby Council’s Environmental Services Director, Greg Woodhams then spoke on Planning Controls and DCPs. He explained that the plan-making process is the means to enunciate the values, through planning controls – such as for the Griffin Conservation Area.

Greg advised that to avoid delays, anyone planning to submit a development application to Council should consult the planning staff early in the process. A heritage impact statement is relatively simple and there is a standard format for guidance. When the development application is lodged with Council, it goes through the examination of Council experts, and neighbours are notified. Issues to be negotiated are identified before a report to Council is prepared. For some applications, a Council Officer can do the report and decision. For the rest, Council makes the decision. Then a construction certificate is issued, and there may be ‘Section 96 modifications’ for small changes. Council or a private certifier carry out mandatory inspections for compliance.

The DCPs for Willoughby City and Castlecrag are very good, because there is an active community. This improves the planning instruments through many inputs, and the DCPs reflect the views of the whole community. Link to Willoughby City Council DCP 19 Heritage & Conservation and DCP Guidelines

The Forum concluded with questions and discussion and the Chair thanked all for their attendance. It was suggested that there should be another such Forum in the future.

Lorraine Cairnes

Download the “Castlecrag Heritage Forum transcribed notes October 2004”

Willoughby Mayor Pat Reilly rode on an electrically powered bicycle to officially open the Smart Transport Show in the Chatswood Mall at 11am on 19 May. Held over two days (19-20 May), it showcased sustainable transport modes that benefit both the environment and people’s health. On show were alternative fuel cars, fuel-efficient vehicles, scooters, solar powered cars and bicycles. New Transport Access Guides promote walking and the use of public transport to get to the Chatswood Shopping Precinct, Willoughby Leisure Centre and Willoughby Park were launched at the Show. The private initiative, CarShare, which enables residents of high-density areas to use public transport and book the use of a shared car when required was one of the popular stalls at the show.

Mayor Pat Reilly also officially launched the CouncilCab service at the Smart Transport Show. He said the service “is part of Council’s commitment to sustainable transport and the initiative is the first of its type and scope in New South Wales.” The new service, which has been developed in consultation with representatives of the Taxi Council and Combined Communications Network (the owners of ABC Taxis), will see Council hire taxis on a fixed hourly rate and make them available on a multiple user basis at a subsidised rate. Under the scheme, which is being trialled for 12-months, residents can pre-book transport ‘from anywhere to anywhere’ within the boundaries of Willoughby City at a flat rate of $4 per trip. The service is currently available between 10am and 4pm on week-days.

Residents wishing to make a journey within Willoughby City need to make bookings prior to 4pm the previous day of travel, they will be given a 30-minute ‘pick up window’ and will pay for their journey by giving the driver a pre-paid voucher. Vouchers are sold in books of five for $20 and are available from the driver, the Customer Service Centre on Level 4 of the City Council offices and the Dougherty Centre. To book a CouncilCab, phone 8332 8338 by 4pm the DAY BEFORE you wish to travel. Bookings are open on a 24-hour basis. If you want more information about CouncilCab, please ring 9777 1000 during business hours.

Bob McKillop

Last issue we promised to bring you a photo of the Griffin Fountain with water. Here it is, back to its operational condition, burbling happily along and weaving magic in the night. Following its lengthy repairs and restoration work, the water to the Griffin Memorial Fountain commenced a two-week trial run on 6 July. It is best at night with the lights, but the fountain offers different perspectives throughout the day. Following the trial, Council will be meeting with the Friends of the Griffin Fountain group to instruct them on a regular maintenance schedule.

Bob McKillop

The Walter Burley Griffin Society website went ‘live’ on 27 June 2006. The beautifully presented site provides Internet access to educational material about the lives and works of Marion Mahony and Walter Burley Griffin. The pages have been prepared on a voluntary basis by various members of the Society and with the assistance of a grant under the Federal Government’s ‘Sharing Australian Stories’ Program to access material and to contract professional assistance with technical aspects.

The project’s goals have been to create a greater understanding and appreciation of the work of Marion Mahony Griffin and Walter Burley Griffin and thereby encourage the conservation of their extensive work. The site provides a user-friendly hierarchy that accommodates the Griffins’ extensive and diverse projects in Australia and also the United States and India. There are 35 sections or pages for the website. This covers sections about the Griffins’ urban planning, architecture, landscape architecture and interior design by a team of writers with expertise in the various fields. It also has included a chronology of their work, selected publications for further reading, films and videos, news and events, the Society’s past newsletters as downloadable pdfs.

The wonderful images on the website have been sourced from the Avery Library at Columbia University, New York; Block Museum of Art at the Northwestern University; and the New-York Historical Society in the United States; the National Library of Australia; the National Archives of Australia; the State Library of NSW; the State Library of South Australia; and from professional and amateur photographers in Australia and the USA.

The searchable Photo Gallery has nearly 300 images, including the magnificent Melson House in the USA, Marion Mahony’s design for Henry Ford’s house, some of their Melbourne work including Newman College, the stunning interiors of the Capitol Theatre and also Café Australia, some of their Sydney work including the two Pratten houses at Pymble, early photos of the Castlecrag houses, and ones taken by Max Dupain in 1965, plus some of the truly remarkable Indian work. In addition there are three short movies on the website, including one produced specially for it on the Griffin walkways and reserves.

The new website is a wonderful educational source on the lives and works of the Griffins. Check it out at www.griffinsociety.org – or you can also access it via a link from the Castlecrag Progress Association website.

Adrienne Kabos

For nine nights during February and March, audiences at your Haven Amphitheatre were treated to William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, his most loved comedy, the way he intended – outdoors in the amphitheatre’s idyllic bush setting!

There was no better backdrop for this magical and romantic tale of warring fairies, Athenian lovers and a group of bumbling actors in a moonlit forest as they fall under the magical spell of the summer solstice. The Raw Em production was full of energy and fun; and Shakespeare’s tale came to life with all the vitality contained in the classic words of the play.

Those who attended were delighted by the uplifting adventure about love, chaos, marriage and dreams. We were pleasantly surprised at the number of young people who attended the performances, and they certainly seemed to enjoy themselves allowing the excellent performances of the players to carry them with much laughter through the classic story. The season was a great success for the Haven, with over 750 patrons attending the performances, even though the first weekend was troubled by uncertain weather.

Nine nights of commitment to running the theatre was a ‘big ask’ for any community group so, on behalf of the Haven Committee, I thank all those members of the community who gave willingly of their time to assist the Haven in the presentation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

What’s Next at the Haven?? Watch this space in the next issue of The Crag.

Howard Rubie

It is the practice of Willoughby City Council to send copies of DAs to each progress association within its area and the Castlecrag Progress Association is sent all DAs relating to Castlecrag. The Castlecrag Progress Association attempts to monitor all DAs relating to Castlecrag and to comment without fear or favour on those DAs that may have the potential to adversely impact on our community. The Association does this according to strict policy guidelines that are linked to its long-standing objective: ‘To conserve the natural and human heritage of Castlecrag for the benefit of future generations.’

Acquiescence to non-complying development that will impact upon our community will incrementally damage the special character of Castlecrag and reduce the enforceability of the planning controls.

To facilitate transparency and understanding of our policy and the processes followed in implementing the policy, the Committee of the Progress Association redrafted its DA policy last year. The redrafted policy was unanimously endorsed at the Progress Association general meeting on 23 August 2005. It was published in The Crag and is posted on the Association’s web site.

The Progress Association is pleased to report that it has only found need to object to or to comment on a small percentage of the large numbers of DAs received since August 2005.

The Association has, in accordance with its DA policy, commented on several DAs requiring a SEPP1 variation. This arises where a proposal seeks to depart from any mandatory standard contained in a local or regional environmental plan or state environmental planning policy such as site area requirements, maximum height or foreshore building line. In these cases the applicant must lodge a written statement known as a SEPP1 objection.

As the Progress Association does not always have the means in the time available to assess whether such a variation from the controls is justified and will not adversely impact upon the community, it will write to Council to remind it that consent should only be granted if the SEPP1 objection is well founded.

On other occasions if the applicant has not provided all documentation that is required by the planning controls for assessment of a DA, the Association will also write to Council to remind it that consent cannot be given until all the necessary information has been provided to permit a proper understanding of the proposal. The most common omission is the failure to provide a SEPP1 objection for a partial three storey development (which always requires a variation of the height standard), or a landscape plan, or a heritage impact statement for a development in the Griffin Conservation Area.

Jill Newton and Peter Moffitt