On a beautiful, sunny Saturday, over 250 people came to the unique and historic Kirkbride building in Callan Park, to hear our vision for the farm and eco-education centre. Both Carla, our manager, and Rod, our architect, spoke and showed images for half an hour, and then led our audience on a tour of the proposed site for the farm.
Rod Simpson takes the audience on a tour of the site
We believe the State Government is about to announce their decision on the fate of Callan Park, based on a report being written by SHFA (Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority)
It seems, from media reports, the most likely outcome is for Sydney University to take over the whole site.
If this is the outcome and there is no mention of the Sydney City Farm on the site, the fight will really begin - we will be calling, along with our friends at Friends of Callan Park, for a proper and open, public masterplan process – to create a plan for Callan Park that will genuinely take into consideration the wishes and needs of the community.
The best way to tell the Planning Minister, Frank Sartor, we are serious, is to show him we have a large, supportive and vocal community behind us.
Our public meeting has helped enormously – we now have over 800 members, both financial and non financial, and we urge you to tell your friends to join too. The feeling was one of overwhelming support for the idea. If we stand united, we can realize the dream…
We must have Callan Park for the community!!
If you would like to download a transcript of excerpts from our presentation, click here
30/07/08
at 09:15
We need a place in the city that supports the well-being of the community. Somewhere that people can enjoy and benefit from living and learning sustainable practices. I know how much better it makes me feel to live in a community that is conscious and supportive of health and sustainable practices
30/07/08
at 09:20
Fantastic, i was away on holidays but really looking forward to being involved in the future.
Regards
Adele
30/07/08
at 09:26
It was good to hear the proposal from those at the top but as with Callan Park issues in the past it takes a lot of meetings, demonstrations and time to even grab the interest of policians. I’ve written to Verity Firth on numerous occasions and did receive a reply last time which I’ll forward to you.
01/08/08
at 10:36
Unfortunately, I was in Canberra the week of the meeting. Congratulations on the turn-out. It would be a great benefit to the whole community to have such a farm in Callan Park grounds. Our city needs to keep as much open space for general use as possible. Looking forward to the next event.
03/08/08
at 14:00
I was amazed at the meeting response well done, given what I think was limited publicity. I heard about it only on the saturday morning and contacted another friend who was equally delighted at the prospect.
My background is from former farming in the Riverina and the corporate world nationally, running conferences, and more recently Continuing Education, Professional Development at UNSW faculty of the built environment. I am familiar with the Abbotsford project in Melbourne and was stunned that the site at Callan Park has been “empty” and unused for so long. Amazing that in this city it has survived. I am passionately supportive of the concept and will do all I can to assist. The Everliegh project has been reasonably successful in a precarious fight to retain such another incredible patch of early Australian history. I am much more confident that politicians will be forced to listen to rational, committed individuals and organisations. It would be another criminal act to losse that at too to developers.
Please do let me know how I can assist, apart from now which is critical but I will also be a useful hands on as the project cmes to fruition behind a spade, fencing tools, planting and on.
best wishes Celia Waldron
25/08/08
at 12:15
Thanks for information. My buddy advice to visit you. Intresting. Subscribed on RSS! Want to read your blog more and more!