Our volunteers are on Middle Head today advising visitors of the proposed development application for an aged care home.
If successful the proposed plan will mean almost 85% of the 10 Terminal buildings will be demolished to make way for a massive new 2-storey development. It will have a devastating impact on the entire historic precinct!
Prof. Peter Stanley, a prize-winning military historian with extensive experience in military heritage, and one of Australia's most active historians of the world wars (www.peterstanley.com.au) has this to say:
The School of Military Engineering at Middle [Head 10 Terminal] buildings are an important part of Australia's WWII military heritage. These buildings can and should be preserved and used, not disregarded and demolished. The developers are plainly taking the easiest route to exploiting a heritage site. My long experience of military heritage sites in Australia, Britain, the USA, India and New Zealand has convinced me that using historic buildings is the best way to preserve them. Knocking them down diminishes our community's awareness of our shared past. This vandalism should be opposed, and responsible, respectful and useful preservation should be encouraged.