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More than just a demolition Dear Sir, I was certainly interested to read your article on the demolition of St Andrew’s church. However, the demolition of St Andrew’s is only half the story. Two historic churches in Eastwood are undergoing radical changes. St Andrew’s Uniting Church, a former Presbyterian church, is under demolition, with the site earmarked for a commercial redevelopment by local developer Bruce Lyon. St Andrew’s was built in 1939, but was sold by the Uniting Church in 2007, so that funds could be used to redevelop the Church’s other site on Lakeside Road. At Lakeside Road, the former Eastwood Methodist Church, a major redevelopment has also begun. Demolition of a number of buildings has begun there, with the landmark manse, which has dominated the corner of Lakeside Road and Hillview Road for generations, disappearing within the first day. Builder Co-Wyn Contractors Pty Ltd, who recently finished a major project at St Kevin’s Catholic Primary School, won the tender for the church project, which is expected to run for at least 12 months. While the existing church building will remain, its interior will be converted to meetings rooms and other facilities. A new contemporary church will be constructed. A major part of the project is the provision of a large underground parking area. The existing hall, which is widely used by community groups, will also be completely refurbished and modernised. The Church has provided accommodation for a range of community activities, including those of Christian Community Aid Service, and much of the planning has been directed to ensuring that this provision can continue. The church believes that its new facilities will be a valuable resource for the Eastwood community, and hopes that they will serve a range of cultural groups in one of Sydney’s most multicultural communities. Many things from St Andrew’s will be incorporated into the new site, including the organ and some of the windows, but we could not include the steeple in the new design. As a church community we would love community support to preserve the steeple in some way as well. Rev
Dr ANDREW WILLIAMS St Andrews and the memories Dear Sir, I was stopped at the lights on Trelawney Street at Eastwood last week and for a few moments watched as the last remains of St Andrews Church building were demolished. I caught myself feeling what a significant place that church has had in the life of Eastwood for so many years. I remember our whole school at Eastwood Primary marching there for Christmas services, my parents were married there, I went to Girls Brigade and Sunday school there for many years. A few years ago, when my brother died from cancer at 39 years of age, Dr Ives who’d been the minister at St Andrews when we were children, was a great comfort and participated in my brother’s memorial service. I know I’m just one of many who with fond memories, feel a sense of loss to see the steeple now sitting in the rubble and dirt. It reminds me of just how strong our Christian heritage in Australia really is, how much it has shaped who we are and what matters most to us, and how we have prospered because of it. Goodbye St Andrews, and thank you. JANET
GUIDACI Govt air study is ‘duplicitous’ Dear Sir, Your report of the Lane Cove Tunnel air study, shows the duplicity of State Government and capital. It is known that particulates from car/truck emissions are carcinogenic and that, over time, micro particulate deposits build up in the lungs. Only a long-term study can tell us whether exhaust stacks cause harm; but then it is too late, because harm has been done. Short-term lung function tests would only determine if asthmatics were affected by emissions, and not whether long-term damage was being done. To reduce the risk filtering must be done, but this costs money and eats into profits, something the duplicitous government will never allow. GREGORY
ROWELL Tree destroying the roadway Dear Sir, Over the past years I have been seeking Ryde City Council to remove a liquidambar from the verge. This tree is slowly destroying the road surface, gutters, footpath, and driveways. The roots are blocking sewer lines and the seed capsules pose a significant danger to walkers. Adjacent to the bike-way/footpath which runs on the southern side of the railway line between Eastwood and Denistone, there was an acacia species which each year fed a significant number of quite rare butterflies (Ialmenus species). This was, to my knowledge, the only such colony in the parkland. I note that Council’s street-sweeper with its metal brushes has destroyed this tree. I trust that the butterflies will return to another wattle - but I doubt it. REG
MITCHELL |
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