L-R: Don Goodsir OAM and Tom Uren AC at Middle Head, Don Goodsir was a Founding Member of HPG (1996). Image: Battle for Sydney Harbour SBS Documentary 1998, Cinetel Productions
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Tom Uren AC a great fighter for the Sydney Harbour foreshores and for Middle Head. As young man, Tom served on Middle Head. In 1997 he became actively involved in the public fight which led to the creation of the Harbour Trust. Tom then became patron of Defenders of Sydney Harbour Foreshores. You can watch a 4 minute extract of the 1998 film “Battle for Sydney Harbour” here.
In 2000, Tom was a witness at the Senate Inquiry into the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust bill. He said:
I think you have an historic occasion before you, because you have the opportunity of creating one of the great urban national parks not only in Australia but also on the planet. For those senators who do not come from Sydney, you might ask: why Sydney? This is the cradle of our nation. It is also one of the great harbours of the world. Not by proper planning but by accident we have the opportunity of retaining land which is precious to the people.
The bill was subsequently substantially amended due to Tom and others’ efforts including the HPG. Tom later spoke about his desire to establish a new entity, a Sydney Harbour Urban National Park Trust, to contain all public land on Sydney Harbour and said in 2002:
For some time, I have been advocating that the state government create a Sydney Harbour Urban National Park Trust. It should include all the lands that are now a part of the Sydney Harbour National Park which include Nielsen Park, the Islands of the Harbour and the 1979 lands in the Fraser/Wran transfer agreement. It should also include Balls Head, Berry Island reserve, the Edith Walker home and its surrounding lands of Concord and Woolwich lands including Kelly's Bush and Clark Point, as well as other state-owned areas. The federal government's Defence lands should be added to the Park as they are transferred to NSW.