Meet the man who saved The Rocks
THE Rocks today is one of Sydney’s biggest drawcards — but in the 1970s developers wanted to demolish the city’s heritage and replace it with concrete and glass towers.
NSW
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THE Rocks today is one of Sydney’s biggest drawcards — but in the 1970s developers wanted to demolish the city’s heritage and replace it with concrete and glass towers.
Standing in the developers’ way was Jack Mundey.
Mr Mundey was leader of the NSW Builders’ Labourers Federation, which put in place “green bans” refusing to work on any project that affected green land or historic buildings.
“Can you believe they wanted to turn Centennial Park into a sports stadium, that’s what we were up against,” said Mr Mundey.
“The environment is still very important. At the end of the 20th century, in the 80s and 90s, I think concern for the environment lessened.
“I am not despondent, I think there are 30 or 40 per cent of people who still rate the environment as important but we need to turn that into the majority of people,” he said.
And he has not lost any of his fire and passion for the future. “Working with the environment has to be the way forward for Sydney in the future,” said Mr Mundey.
Today there is a tribute recording his efforts at The Rocks. “At 84-years-old I’d like to think I am pretty happy with my contribution,” said Mr Mundey.
It is a contribution that has seen the Museum of Sydney place him on the Sydney Visionaries display — the only person on the list still living.
Museum curator Anna Cossu said the display “makes people think about how cities are created”.
“We couldn’t imagine our city without the harbour Bridge or the Opera House but before they were there, there were people who could imagine them and doggedly pursued their visions for how they thought Sydney should work.
“Some of these people weren’t recognised as visionaries at the time — the benefit of hindsight allows us to see their legacy.”
Another visionary joining Mr Mundey on the museum’s hall of fame is his old colleague Bob Bellear, Australia’s first Aboriginal judge.
Mr Bellear joined Mr Mundey as a champion of affordable urban housing for all and campaigned long and hard against the eviction of Aborigines in Redfern.
“There are some amazing visionaries on that list,” said Mr Mundey. Another after his own heart is Annie Forsyth Wyatt, a committed conservationist who championed the formation of a National Trust to protect Australia’s colonial heritage. The Trust was formed in 1945 and immediately fought to protect The Mint, Hyde Park Barracks and Parliament House from plans to remodel Macquarie Street.
And of course the list also includes the man who made such an impact on the other side of Circular Quay, opposite Mr Mundey’s beloved Rocks. Architect Jorn Utzon designed the Opera House with a vision that would make it one of the most recognised building in the world.
Captain Arthur Phillip: The first British Governor, who established the footprint of civic society in the new colony. He built Government House on the eastern side of Tank Stream where it dominated the landscape from the top of Bridge Street.
Major General Lachlan Macquarie: The fifth Governor of NSW, who together with his wife Elizabeth, was passionate about the civilising effect of civic order. They were responsible for Macquarie Street, The Domain and The Botanic Gardens. Mrs Macquarie designed the looped road round The Domain that is named after her.
Henry Parkes: Five times premier of NSW, Parkes was a champion of Federation. It was appropriate that the federation of Australian states was proclaimed in Parkes’s greatest urban achievement — Centennial Park.
century, in the 80s and 90s, I think
Florence M Taylor: The first Australian woman to qualify as an architect, train as an engineer and fly an aircraft. She was a champion of rapid transit systems, urban freeways and apartment living until her death aged 81 in 1969.
Annie Forsyth Wyatt: A committed conservationist, Wyatt championed the formation of a National
Trust to protect Australia’s colonial heritage. The Trust was formed in 1945 and immediately fought to protect The Mint, Hyde Park Barracks and Parliament House from plans to remodel Macquarie Street.
John Bradfield: The Harbour Bridge and Sydney’s urban rail network are his legacy.
Jorn Utzon: The man who had the vision to design a building that ignored the structural conventions of walls and a roof that would become one of the 20thcentury’s most recognised and celebrated buildings. Utzon resigned from the project in 1966 because of penny pinching that compromised the interiors. He was involved in the redesign of the interiors before his death.
Harry Seidler: Rose Seidler house, the home he designed for his parents, is one of Australia’s best known 20thcentury homes. A staunch modernist who scorned anything second rate, Seidler also attracted controversy for Sydney buildings such as Blues Point Tower and Australia Square.
Bob Bellear: Australia’s first Aboriginal judge, Bellear joined Jack Mundey as a champion of
affordable urban housing for all. He campaigned long and hard against the eviction of Aborigines in Redfern.
Marion Hall Best: One of the founding members of the Society of Interior Designers, Best was a passionate believer in bold colours and modern interior design.
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