Petersham RSL Present Club Grants
Recipients of Petersham RSL’s Club Grants have been presented with their cheques at a presentation evening hosted at the club, with the number of grants awarded totalling over $100, 000. CEO of the club Danny Fitzgerald and the directors, Colin McQueen, John Freeman, Warren Burr and Kevin McIntyre, were in attendance to present the cheques and congratulate recipients. 34 organisations received grants of varying amounts, with Marrickville Legal Centre, RPA Newborn Care, The Shepherd Centre and the Rainbow Club at Newington College just some of the local organisations chosen for the grants. ClubGrants, which are funded under the Gaming Machine Tax Act 2001, aim to improve the living standards of disadvantaged people in the local community and are administered by the Inner West Council.
Protesters Halt Clearing of Bushland
Approximately1.4 hectares of Ironbark Forest located in Wolli Creek on the banks of the Cooks River is expected to be cleared to provide space for construction equipment used in the WestConnex project. The clearing, which ironically began on National Threatened Species Day, was halted when a group of protestors made their way onto the site, however, resumed approximately an hour later when police removed protestors from the area. The clearing is taking place as part of a ‘biobanking’ system, that allows the damage from the project to be offset in another location, however, concerns have been expressed over the lack of details surrounding where this will take place. “It beggars belief that an offset site might not have been secured, even as the bulldozers hover to clear the critically endangered urban forest,” said Greens NSW MP and Environment spokesperson Dr Mehreen Faruqi. “I am worried that the clearing will occur and then an inferior offset will be acquired, by which point it will be too late.” Environmental Minister, Mark Speakman, has supported the actions, telling Fairfax Media that while the agreements have not been finalised, the offset agreements “increase protection” and require land be managed so that it “improves its biodiversity values”.
The Hampshire’s New Lease on Life
The Hampshire, a non-descript pub, located on Parramatta Road wedged between Newtown and Annandale, has been closed quietly for two years, but this hasn’t stopped Sydney pub legend Paddy Couglan snapping it up. With plans to transform The Hampshire into a partner location for the iconic Lord Gladstone in Redfern, the Lady Gladstone as it will be called, is expected to open in roughly two months. Renovations on the property will seek to preserve the quirky qualities that are already present in the space – including murals, magazine collages and dead pokie machines – while adding to it with local street art. The menu will echo Couglan’s other successful pubs, including the Lord Gladstone, with plans to focus on it’s potential as a live music venue.
