Awash with lilac time

Sydney is gorgeous in late Spring: the Jacaranda is full and blousy; the firm heads of the Agapanthus are erect, ready to spurt their beauty; and, the scarlet/crimson of the thorny Bougainvillea lies spent on the sandstone paving. All is lush and bountiful, when a summer storm sweeps in across the mountains, leaving a bouquet of decay to invade the nostrils.

Looking both ways along Oxford Street, Paddington, beside the 1840 sandstone surrounds of Victoria Barracks, a thriving Defence (Army) establishment.

A Paddington of terraces

Just off Oxford Street, in a triangular pocket handkerchief of narrow streets, sit some of the oldest established residences in Paddington. This area - Gipps, Spring, and Prospect Streets - was designed not long after the decision was taken to establish Victoria Barracks (the late 1830s) on the other side of Oxford Street. Theses single-fronted terraces were the cottages for the tradesmen working on the construction of the new barracks to replace Wynyard Barracks.

Stockings for Soldiers - 2

Not only did the volunteer stocking-stuffers give freely of their time, all the goodies that went into the stockings were also donated: by friends, by relatives, and by companies large and small all around Australia. The 2011 stocking-stuffing day was held in Townsville, and the 2012 day was held in Sydney. Defence force personnel move around regularly, and many of the volunteers flew into Sydney to contribute to the effort, and to catch up with old friends. Quite a few had never met each other before, but one could not tell this from the camaraderie of the day!

The entire parcel is a ‘stocking’, but within that parcel there is a hand-knitted stocking, filled to the brim with Lifesavers. Three thousand hand-knitted stockings from knitters aged 10 to 93. Yes, you read correctly! The packing benches were weighed down with, amongst others: candy-canes, Chuppa-chups, shortbreads, Redskins, and Minties. “Two Minties. Don’t forget, Ladies. How many Minties? Two!” Each parcel had a hand written letter from a school child (they poured in from around the country), as well as a small Australian flag. And let’s not forget the dogs that are deployed as EDD (explosive detection dogs); for them a dried pig’s ear, some flea wash, nibbles, and a squeaky rubber ball.

Planning is already underway for the 2013 project, which has widened its umbrella to not only include deployed Aussie and Kiwi and ‘furry’ soldiers, but also to support service people wounded whilst deployed overseas in the service of their country. If you wish to lend a hand, or donate something special for the 2013 project, please contact either Selena or Michelle on the FaceBook page, http://www.facebook.com/StockingsandSupportforSoldiersProject/info. The callout for donations, and for knitters, will commence in March 2013. A website is coming soon.

Stockings for Soldiers - 1

'Stockings for Soldiers' held its annual stuff-a-thon last weekend at Victoria Barracks (1840), just up the hill from me in Paddington. It is a glorious army camp and worth a guided-tour most Thursdays from 10am. But ensure you book as, understandably, security is tight! This was the third year for the 'Stockings for Soldiers' project, which began over a cup of coffee. It is a volunteer-run community group, mostly composed of the family of serving members of the Australian defence forces. The aim is to give some Aussie cheer on Christmas day, and to show the deployed uniformed defence men and women our pride and solidarity in what THEY do, and to wish them a safe and happy Christmas. This year 3,000 hampers were packed to be sent as far afield as Afghanistan, the Middle East, East Timor, The Solomon Islands, The Sudan, and Egypt. The project is expanding to include not only army, but also airforce, and naval personnel deployed anywhere across the globe. It is also being expanded to include deployed personnel from the New Zealand forces. In 2013 the aim is to stuff 4,000 stockings! The indefatigable convenors are Selena and Michelle, in the lead photograph. More details tomorrow: where do the goodies come from: who makes the stockings; you send stockings to dogs!!? Together with contact information.

Paddington Town Hall

Paddington no longer has a Lord Mayor (but is part of the municipality of Woollahra) and so the town hall which has a commanding position that overlooks both the harbour and the CBD, is now both a library and a series of cinemas known as The Chauvel. There is also an ornaate great hall that is available for hire.


The foundation stone for the Town Hall was laid in 1888 by Sir Henry Parkes, with the 32 metre high clock tower being added in 1905.

In comparison to Victoria Barracks (commenced in 1840), the town hall is but a whippersnapper. This imposing colonade of Vic Barracks is off the main parade ground where the young man was playing cricket yesterday.

More boys out and about

Oh dear, International Womens' Day and here I am featuring boys - again! Well that is the way the cookie crumbles. Not sure that I agree with quotas to correct imbalances.

The climbing tree is a Fig down on the foreshore at Watson's Bay. The cricket pitch is on the main parade ground at Victoria Barracks. Both shots taken this past Sunday.

Sydney in lilac

Row 1 Victoria Barracks Row 2 Central Station Row 3 St Andrews Cathedral Row 4 Sydney Town Hall

Two views of four separate Jacaranda trees blooming in Sydney. What do you think?

Victoria Barracks- Upon close inspection

The barracks is the HQ for both Land Command and Training Command for the Australian Army. It does not house regular soldiers. However, there are some families who make the barracks home, evidenced by the scooters and footballs. It is an oasis within bustling Paddington.

Victoria Barracks - the Corps of Guides

The Corps of Guides, established in 1983, is an active group of retired service men and women who give of their time freely and joyously to share the history of Victoria Barracks. There were up to a hundred interested members of the public shown around in maybe 5 groups.

My group was guided by Tom Marshall, ex-Navy, and a Scot by descent. He was demobbed in 1948, and took up teaching. He is now aged 82, and has a delightful turn of phrase and a wide-ranging knowledge, not just of the Australian services and Victoria Barracks. A gentleman, a scholar and a joy to meet.

Victoria Barracks

Victoria Barracks is an active army barracks in the heart of the city of Sydney. It is listed by the National Trust. The barracks and its sandstone wall enclosure was commenced in 1840 and replaced the original barracks for the colony which were on the site of Wynyard Station.

Victoria Barracks is open for guided tours each Thursday from 10am.

A Precious Resource - Busby's Bore

Paperbarks beside Busby's Pond in Centennial Park

A few weeks ago, I told you the history of the Tank Street which was the first supply of clean fresh water for the convict colony. By the early 1820s the Tank Stream was so polluted that an alternative had to be found.

The cairn marking the start of the bore, just within the Robertson Road gates of Centennial Park

John Busby, an engineer, came up with the idea of constructing a 3.6 kilometre tunnel from the Lachlan Swamps in Centennial Park to Hyde Park in the centre of Sydney Town to enable the piping of spring water which could then be sold to residents and provided to water carriers who plied their trade to the surrounding suburbs.

Left: John Busby Right: A section of the bore, date unknown

Poor old Busby was low on 'people skills', and engineering skills as well. The convicts in his work team did not respond to coercion and were not skilled diggers. The bore was not completed for 16 years. Water eventually flowed in March 1837.

'Busby's Bore' was the water supply for the colony until 1859 when a series of water tanks was established (on the ridge atop Centennial Park at Bondi Junction; on Oxford Street at Paddington; and in Crown Street) to which water was pumped from an extended series of lakes which were consolidated further with the official establishment of Centennial Park in 1888. These lakes were linked up to the more extensive swamplands of the Botany basin for a comprehensive water supply network. The BJ and Crown Street tanks still operate today. The Paddington tank is now the Reservoir Gardens.

Within in Victoria Barracks there is a vent down to the bore

The 'pipeline' cuts through under the Showground site, under Moore Park Road, beneath Victoria Barracks, beneath Taylor Square eventually running down Oxford Street (beneath it) into and through Hyde Park.

Woolcott's 1857 drawing shows the water flowing above ground through the race-course which is now Hyde Park

Even though there is a memorial fountain opposite the St James courts in commemoration of this engineering feat, the ramp and water station ended near the corner of Park & Elizabeth Streets close to where the Child Health Centre used to be. Parts of the bore are still down there, but entire sections have collapsed and have been filled with sand to stop subsidence.

On the cairn in Centennial Park, the route of the bore is detailed