Historical Markers Program 2020
Consultation has concluded
Consultation Period: 27 July to 17 August 2020
Linking People of the Past with Sites of the Present
The Georges River Local Government Area (LGA) is an important commercial, transport, environmental, medical and educational district with numerous sites of natural and cultural history and heritage and local historical significance.
A historical markers program, as guided by Georges River Council and the local community, looks to:
- Create awareness of the history, heritage and cultural identity of the Georges River LGA to build a strong sense of identity and belonging in the community
- Mark historically important places in the local area
- Incorporate a historical resource and open air archive which provides multi-dimensional and ongoing opportunities for community engagement with the local area
Selection of sites for the 2020 Georges River Council Historical Markers Program
Georges River Council’s Historical Markers Program was launched in 2018 to highlight and recognise people and places of historical and cultural importance, as recommended by the local community.
Applications for the 2020 program have been reviewed by a selection panel and Council would like to hear your thoughts on the recommended sites:
World War Two Anti-Aircraft Searchlight
The small reserve on the corner of Douglas Haig and Baker Streets Oatley was the site of a 1942 searchlight intended to detect and illuminate enemy aircraft. The light with accompanying generator was attended by No 52 Anti-Aircraft Searchlight Battery Australian Women’s Army Service (AWAS) personnel who were stationed nearby. The searchlight represented the threat of an aerial attack to suburban Sydney, and was an immediate reminder to the community that the war at that time was at Australia’s doorstep.
The recommended location of the marker is in the reserve at the corner of Douglas Haig and Baker Streets, Oatley.
Isaac Peake’s Farm
Olds Park stands on land that was once part of the homestead of Isaac Peake, the fourth offspring of John Robert Peake, after whom the suburb of Peakhurst was named. He and his brother, Jacob Peake had farms on either side of modern-day Stony Creek Road. Hurstville council minutes from the 1890s record Isaac Peake's agreement to donate land to allow the extension of Stony Creek Road to Forest Road. Holley Road, adjacent to the Olds Park Sports Club, takes its name from the maiden name of Isaac Peak’s wife Martha.
The recommended location of the marker is near the public walking path in the northern section of Olds Park in the vicinity of Olds Park Sports Club.
Edith Blake
Edith Blake grew up in Sans Souci and trained as a nurse at Prince Henry Hospital. She joined Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Service when World War 1 started, responding to a British request for 200 Australian Nurses to join the Service. She served in Heliopolis, Alexandria as well as a hospital in Britain for German Prisoners of War. She was then posted to a hospital ship, HMHS Glenart Castle. In February 1918, on the way to France to pick up wounded, the ship was hit by a torpedo from a German U-Boat and sank. Edith Blake was one of 8 nurses killed. She is the only Australian nurse to die in World War 1 as a result of enemy action. To honour her achievements, Georges River Council assigned the name “Edith Blake Reserve” to the reserve at the corner of Montgomery and South Street in Kogarah. A marker placed here will provide contextual information about the origin of the name of the reserve and the sacrifice made by Edith Blake.
The recommended location of the marker is near the public footpath in Edith Blake Reserve, Kogarah.
Nethery Family
The Nethery family have an unbroken connection with the area now known as Anglo Square, Carlton, going back more than a hundred years. Edward Samuel Nethery (born 1884) married Mary Ann Driscoll in 1911. They had seven sons and a daughter. They first came to Kogarah circa 1917. Edward was a schoolteacher, teaching latterly at Clemton Park. Their sons were Edward, Francis, John, Gregory, Cyril, Robert and Septimus, and their daughter was Mary. Each of the sons served in WWII. They were keen sportsmen, and as children and young men they played games in the local parks and paddocks. Both Cyril and Greg played for St George at rugby union, and Greg captained the first grade team in the late 1940s. Edward played for the Army team in early WWII, and Cyril for the RAAF side. Several of the boys became school teachers like their father. Mary Nethery married a Mr Bridges, and continues to live in the family home, providing an unbroken connection with the vicinity of more than a hundred years.
The recommended location of the marker is in the Anglo Square reserve, near the public walking track.
Marker for replacement: Steam Tram Terminus
This marker was installed in 2016 in front of Kogarah Station near the intersection of Railway Parade, Montgomery Street and Regent Street, Kogarah. The marker is a record of the transport infrastructure that significantly shaped the social and commercial identity of the area. The existing marker includes a spelling mistake: “Steam Tram Terminus, 1887 – 1937. This marks the site of the Kogarah to San[sic] Souci line, a relic of Sydney’s public transport infrastructure.”
The replacement of the marker will allow the spelling mistake to be corrected and for new information that was submitted this year to be included on the marker. The new information relates to the significant usage of the area by horses and passengers travelling to the nearby Moorefield racecourse.
The recommended location for the replacement marker is in the vicinity of the existing marker near the intersection of Railway Parade, Montgomery Street and Regent Street, Kogarah.
2019 Historical Markers
- Collaroy House, Peakhurst – 764 Forest Road, Peakhurst
- “Ellesmere” camp, Sans Souci - Endeavour Street Reserve, Sans Souci
- Edmond & Elizabeth English - corner of English Street and Princes Highway, Kogarah
- Paramount/Hoyts Cinema, Mortdale - 126 Railway Parade, Mortdale
- William Currey VC MLA - 4 Regent Street, Kogarah (site of William Currey’s office while he was Member for Kogarah)
2018 Historical Markers
- Sans Souci Hotel - Sans Souci Park, Sans Souci
- Michael Gannon - Forest Road, Hurstville (near Kenwyn Street/ Croydon Road)
- Robert Kyle - Merriman Reserve, Kyle Bay
- Joe Anderson (King Burraga) - Ogilvy Street, Peakhurst
- Mervyn ‘Merv’ Lynch - Penshurst Park, Penshurst