Carss Park Football Club
Previously known as the Carss Park Soccer Club, the Club was established in 1942 by Charles Pirie, whose team consisted of members of the local Carss Park Sea Scouts. The Club’s primary grounds, which bear Pirie’s name, are built on what were once Chinese market gardens, once a staple of the Carss Park and Kyle Bay area.
The Club has a proud history in football and a long association with supporting community recreation in the area, including the recent establishment of a special needs program in 2014.
The Historical Marker reads:
Carss Park Football Club.
Founded by Charles Pirie, a prominent player in the St George region in the 1930s, the club has a long association with these fields and the local community.
Location of Historical Marker:
Corner of Parkside Drive and Carlton Crescent, Kogarah Bay.
Location on Google Maps.
Ruby Payne-Scott
Ruby Payne-Scott was born in Grafton in 1912. At only 16 she attended Sydney University and would go on to receive a masters degree in physics. From 1936 to 1938 she worked in cancer research before getting a Diploma of Education in 1938. In 1939 she was hired as a radio engineer at Amalgamated Wireless Australasia, and in 1941 was hired as a research scientist at the CSIR (now CSIRO) Division of Radiophysics. Payne-Scott worked in the development of radar during World War II as well as in the field of radioastronomy.
After the war she continued to work as a radio astronomer, discovering three of the five categories of solar bursts as well as notable contributions to the field of radio astronomy. She resigned from the field of radio astronomy in 1951 after falling pregnant, but would resume her teaching career in 1963 at Danebank Anglican School in Hurstville where she would work until her retirement in 1974.
Ruby Payne-Scott was an advocate for the rights of women in the workplace, and went out of her way to challenge the system when she could. She fought for equal pay for women, fought against sexist uniform requirements and kept her own marriage a secret because women who were married could not be permanently employed. She challenged issues both big and small, after hearing that the CSIR allowed men to smoke but not women she allegedly turned up to an interview smoking a cigarette to make a point about this double standard.
The Historical Marker reads:
Ruby Payne-Scott 1912 - 1981.
The renowned physicist and radar researcher was Australia's first female radio astronomer. She taught at Danebank School 1963-1974.
Location of Historical Marker:
Danebank Anglican School for Girls,
Park Road, Hurstville.
Location on Google Maps.
John O'Grady 1907-1981
John O’Grady (1907-1981) was an Irish-Australian author. O’Grady initially trained as a pharmacist but would work in several other fields throughout his life including fishing and bricklaying, the latter of which would shape his most famous work. O’Grady published his first and most famous book “They’re a Weird Mob” in 1957 written under the pseudonym Nino Culotta. The book follows the ‘author’ as an Italian immigrant trying to navigate Australian society in the 50’s and writing to help potential Italian migrants find their place in Australia.
He lived in Algernon Street Oatley from 1958 until his death in 1981. He was asked why he lived in Oatley and his reply was that it was “the best place to live”. He was described by locals as “an elderly delinquent” as he used to wander the local streets in sandals or thongs and wore flamboyant shirts.
The Historical Marker reads:
John O’Grady 1907 – 1981.
An Oatley resident from 1958, the author was best known for his book 'They're a Weird Mob' written under the pseudonym 'Nino Culotta'.
Location of Historical Marker:
Oatley Memorial Gardens, Oatley.
Location on Google Maps.
Webb's Market Garden
The place now known as H.V. Evatt Park was initially developed by the Webb family, who used the land to grow food, planting a citrus orchard and building a dam on the site during the 1920s. Lee Wun, who had arrived in Australia to work as a market gardener in Botany, took over the lease in the 1950s. Along with family members, Lee turned it into a market garden, producing carrots, pumpkins, and tomatoes. Market gardens were common amongst the Chinese community in the area as it allowed for them to be self-sufficient and potentially even make money in a society that offered them few employment options.
The Webb market gardens was one of the last operating in the Georges River area. As early as 1951 a section of Webbs Garden was reserved for recreational purposes, under the County of Cumberland Planning Scheme. In 1965, as a result of the efforts of the Lugarno Progress Association and Hurstville Council, around 25 acres of public park was established.
The Historical Marker reads:
Webb’s Market Garden. 1927 – c. 1963.
Ernie Webb built a dam and established a successful market garden here, leasing part to Chinese immigrant Lee Wun in the 1950s.
Location of Historical Marker:
Near the historical dam at H.V Evatt Park, Lugarno.
Location on Google Maps.
Restored Markers
Mortdale Fire Station
The existing marker recounts the history of the building and the volunteer fire brigade in the early 1900s. The text on the marker was worn and hard to read.
The Historical reads:
Historical Marker 50 - Mortdale Fire Station.
A weatherboard building previously at Kogarah was re-erected at Mortdale in 1908. The volunteer fire brigade consisted of eight firemen who had a horse drawn engine, hand hose reel and 1,000 feet of hose. A new fire station was opened in 1914.
Location of Historical Marker:
Mortdale Fire Station
38 Morts Road, Mortdale.
Location on Google Maps.
Site of Ithiel
This existing marker is for the home of Daniel James a prominent tailor in the late 1800s. The text was extensively faded, discoloured and hard to read.
The Historical Marker reads:
Historical Marker 20 - Site of Ithiel.
The home Ithiel was built in 1887 for Daniel James, a tailor in Sydney. It stood on seven acres of land.
Location of Historical Marker:
55 Iverness Avenue, Penshurst.
Location on Google Maps.
Penshurst Presbyterian Church
This existing marker relates to the establishment of the church at this site more than 100 years ago. The text was faded and hard to read.
The Historical Marker reads:
Historical Marker 48 - Penshurst Presbyterian Church.
The present church was opening in 1961 by the Governor General Lord De L'isle, V.C. The owner of Penshurst Place in Kent, England. The original church building was at Dumbleton (Beverly Hills) and was built in 1901. It was transported to this site in 1916.
Location of Historical Marker:
55 Iverness Avenue, Penshurst.
Location on Google Maps.
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