Callan Park in danger of being “demolished by neglect”

Prominent members of the Leichhardt community have called on the state government to rule out privatisation and establish a Callan Park Trust to secure the future of the park.
Callan Park’s website said it is currently preserved “by historical accident” and many of its unused buildings are currently neglected, with some buildings reportedly infested by feral cats.
President of the Friends of Callan Park group Hall Greenland slammed the previous and current governments for their neglect of the park.
Mr Greenland voiced his suspicion that the government may be planning to privatise or commercialise the site, saying “the danger is that we lose more of our heritage when it’s quite possible to save it”.
“No more than Centennial Park or Parramatta Park or the Botannical Gardens [should Callan Park be sold off]. They’re special public places that need to preserved and looked after,” he said.
“Once that starts to happen, parts of the park will start to become inaccessible to the public, and so people won’t be able to use the park as freely as they can and it will generate a lot of traffic… We’ve got plenty of spaces in Sydney for business to operate out of without taking over the parkland. It should be a no go area.”
The Callan Park (Special Provisions) Act 2002 currently ensures the public ownership of the site to secure the preservation of open space at Callan Park.
But when contacted by City Hub, the Department of Planning did not respond to a question on the commercialisation or privatisation of the park, instead replying to all three questions asked with a statement.
“The Department understands the value of Callan Park and will consider its future status in due course,” the statement read.
The 60-hectare heritage listed site was originally a private residence until it was purchased by the Colonial government in 1914 to become the site for the Callan Park Hospital for the Insane.
Today, the remnants of the hospital can still be seen in the park, with many stone carvings possibly created by inmates visible.
As well as its heritage importance, the site now has three ovals and is a cultural hub in Leichhardt, featuring Sydney University’s College of the Arts, ambulance headquarters, ovals and regular walking tours.
Leichhardt councillor John Stamolis said that a Callan Park Trust must be formed in order to protect the park for future generations.
Clr Stamolis last week asked Council to send an invitation to the new Minister for Planning Rob Stokes, Balmain MP Jamie Parker and all Leichhardt councillors to visit the park to understand its importance and talk about the establishment of a Trust.
“That’s the primary body that needs to be established, the Callan Park trust. This would ensure that the issues of Callan Park are represented, and this is why the Trust needs to be formed,” he said.
“To understand Callan Park, to understand its interests. Not to understand the government’s interst, not to understand council’s interests, not to understand the specific interests of any particular group but those of Callan Park and what it needs.”
Carole Allen has lived in Leichhardt for over 36 years and said Callan Park is an important heritage site.
“For more than 130 years it has provided mental health services and employment for the local community. In the Master Plan it was identified that a priority is the return of modern mental health services,” she said.
“There are three large ovals and now a skate park is being built. Families, dog walkers and those seeking quiet tranquility value the unique waterfront and undulating landscape known as the ‘lungs of Leichhardt’.”
Former head of state transport Les Wielinga is leading a Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (SHFA) committee to develop the government’s vision for Sydney’s harbour foreshore, which includes part of Callan Park.
The committee’s plan is set to be released later this year, so Mr Wielinga was unable to comment on Callan Park’s future, but Clr Stamilos urged him to look through the draft masterplan created by Leichhardt council.
“I would urge Les Wielinga to sit down and carefully scrutinise that document and see its true value and once he does that I believe he will be as anxious as we are to set up the trust to look after Callan Park,” he said.
The cost to restore the park’s buildings and dilapidated areas is one of the reasons the question of privatisation has come up, and also a possible reason for the lack of movement toward the master plan.
Mr Greenland said it was important to realise that although the park’s restoration would cost a large sum of money, it could be done in small blocks rather than a huge cash injection.
“Something has got to be done bucause much of the important heritage is being demolished by neglect and it’s about time the government faces up to its responsibilities,” he said.
If you would like to learn more about Callan Park, you can visit the exhibition ‘Callan Park: Compassion & Conflict in the Asylum’, on throughout April at Leichhardt library.