News Brief

News Brief

City’s Haymarket buzz

The fate of Thomas St in Haymarket will be decided in a public meeting, the City of Sydney has announced.

The street has been earmarked as a pedestrian-only public art space and Council is keen to update the community on its plans for the street and the Haymarket area.

“The proposed closure of Thomas St is an exciting opportunity to develop a new space for the local community in the heart of the city,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP said.

“On an average summer day, around 25,000 pedestrians come through Dixon St. We want to make their experience of walking through the area better by creating more footpath space and new places for public art.”

Last month, the City of Sydney held a forum with 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art. Artists, writers, academics and representatives from the local community attended to discuss the use of Thomas St as a space for public art.

One idea floated was the inclusion of a contemporary Chinese sculpture garden.

Also on the agenda are the City’s current laneway works in Little Hay St, Factory St, Kimber Ln and the new tourism information kiosk in Dixon St.

The meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 6 at the Holiday Inn Hotel, Haymarket.
War memorial vandalism

A Korean flag has been stolen from its mast at the Korean War Memorial on South Dowling St, raising fears of vandalism.

The war memorial was attacked by vandals in October last year and the Nichols St Community Group are worried the site could see more damage.

Spokesperson for the Nichols St Community Group, Brian Noad, said the Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust have been too causal about the vandalism.

“It’s a sacred site. They haven’t taken enough care . . . this could happen again. It’s only a matter of time before more damage is done,” he said.

Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust spokesperson, Craig Easdown, said: “the Trust was proud to be asked to host this significant memorial, and has worked with the NSW Government, Korean community and returned services organisations in ensuring this place is a true place of reflection and remembrance,” he said.

“To suggest that the Trust’s management is ‘relaxed’ is ill-informed and lacks awareness.”

Mr Easdown said the Trust is concerned about random acts of vandalism to heritage assets.

“To manage this, the Trust has Rangers and Security Officers performing regular patrols 24-hours a day around the Parklands. This includes around sites of State significance, such as the Korean War Memorial in Moore Park.”

Mr Noad said the flag theft is just a sign of a wider disregard for the memorial.

“A lot of trash is thrown in there in the holidays. . . They have a very relaxed attitude about homeless people sleeping in the park. It’s part of a bigger issue,” he said.


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