Saving a Headland – The First Years of the Headland Preservation Group on the 24th anniversary of its first Public Meeting
By Linda Bergin OAM
Founding President
The events of nearly a quarter of a century ago, 1996, are as fresh in my mind as yesterday. Through good luck and good organization, HPG prevented the sale and development of large areas of former Defence lands on Georges Heights in Headland Park. At the same time, HPG advocated for a novel “Trust”. This was finally agreed to by the Howard government and established in 2001.
Several years prior in 1994, Defence had established a Steering Committee, consisting of local, state, federal and community representatives. I was unaware of their activities until receiving a lengthy colour booklet called the “Preferred Outcome” in October 1996 in my letterbox. I became very alarmed.
The Preferred Outcome was endorsed by then Mayor of Mosman Howard, NSW MP Jillian Skinner, and federal Minister Bronwyn Bishop and Tony Abbott MP and recommended the sale of 120 housing lots on the ridgeline, the redevelopment of 60 Defence houses, and the transfer of a large area of land on the ridgeline to Mosman Council for the construction of a new “Leisure Centre, along with parking for 100 cars – all on Georges Heights.
The first committee meeting of the HPG took place at my home 33 Prince Albert St Mosman, probably November 1996, after the late Don Goodsir OAM and the late Peter Jones AM and I had an idea to start a campaign to oppose the Preferred Outcome.
We decided to call a public meeting in a room at Mosman Council, Peter Jones created the yellow flyer, and we letterboxed widely in Mosman.
There was a very large turnout to the meeting including other local groups that had formed to oppose the Preferred Outcome and other individuals who proposed differing campaign strategies from HPG.
A key to success, HPG decided to campaign on a national vision:
Middle Head/Georges Heights is one of the three headlands defining the entrance to Sydney Harbour, and is one of Australia's great natural and historic sights, that few cities in the world are fortunate to possess.
To take this heritage and build on it is to fly in the face of Australia's well-deserved reputation for preserving its natural beauty.
In a short amount of time, HPG obtained 3,000 registered supporters even though the Internet was not available to most people at the time.
Our first victory was in February 1997, when NSW Premier Bob Carr, in a surprise visit to Georges Heights, announced that NSW would assume planning control of any Defence lands once sold out of Commonwealth ownership. Local Councils would no longer have a say. He created a new state planning policy for significant lands on Sydney Harbour. A version of this policy exists to this day and HPG was directly responsible for this outcome.
“... the plan means that defence lands will, in advance of their sale, be earmarked sites of State significance and be conserved....We are saying emphatically ‘we are in control’. It says that we believe the Harbour needs to be managed as one place and with the high standards that reflect the value of the Harbour and Parramatta River to the entire nation.” – Minister Craig Knowles
The next significant victory was in March 1997 when the Steering Committee reversed its endorsement of the Preferred Outcome:
HPG continued to campaign hard throughout 1997 and 1998. In late 1998 John Howard announced a campaign promise to establish a new Sydney Harbour Federation Trust using money from the Federation Fund.
After winning the election, an Interim Trust was established in 1999.
Throughout 1999 until 2001 the HPG, the Defenders of Sydney Harbour Foreshores, the Australian Democrats and Mosman Council Mayor Patricia Harvey, and other affected Councils, were instrumental in the drafting and passage of the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust Act.
The late Don Goodsir OAM, Vice President, was elected HPG’s 2nd President in 2001 and continued to lead HPG’s important work for many years thereafter. Don and I had worked closely together in partnership from HPG’s beginning in 1996. I decided to step away from HPG and went to work as an Advisor to a Democrats MLC in the NSW Legislative Council.
ABOVE: Linda Bergin OAM, Founding President, presenting at an HPG meeting in 1997. Image: HPG Archives