About Us > Our Events > Sunday Talks
Sunday Talks
Each month the History Group hosts a talk by someone with special knowledge of Pyrmont’s past, or an interesting past of their own. The event is free for everyone with an interest in our history and people.
These talks are held in the Jacksons Landing Station, 58 Bowman Street. They are usually recorded, and will be available on this website at a later date.
Date Third Sunday (usually) of each month
Time 5pm
Sunday 21 April - Fortune Tellers in Twentieth-Century Sydney
Dr Alana Jayne Piper from UTS Australian Centre for Public History
Fortune Telling - an interesting and exotic trade plied by mostly, but not all, women. It was illegal, incurring police crackdowns from the early 1900s. This is a story of spiritualism amid the anxiety of world war.
Sunday 19 May - The Mapping of Pre-Colonial Sydney
Brian Webber from The University of Sydney uses archeological skills of the ancient world to tell us about Sydney when it was just Gadigal land
Sunday 16 June - History since 9/11 (2001) and its Pyrmont impacts
A three generational view - Peter Hickson (former UBS Global Strategist) on China’s mega physical rise; Bethany Hickson (Year 6 student) on the social changes driven by the mobile phone and Internet; and Michael Hickson (Patrick’s GM Technology) on computing power, automation and our AI future.
Sunday 17 July - John Coomber, former editor of AAP - Before Fake News
The important and personal history of AAP. Never once did he see or know a journalist being asked to write or withhold a story for commercial or political reasons. It was pure journalism.
Sunday 18 August - Governor Bligh, our fourth governor - villian or hero?
Gillian Lewis from the Maritime Museum will examine Bligh’s legacy
Recent Talks
2024
Conversation with Carol Limmer - Dollar Jill’s amazing journey to Pyrmont
In the eye of social change of the last 60 years, from post-war opportunity, decimalisation, to bank privatisation and the empowerment of women; in honour of International Women’s Day 8 March
Refugees and Rebels: Indonesian Exiles in Wartime Australia
Jan Lingard, author and academic, described Indonesians’ engagement with White Australia as they were dispersed during WW2 while planning for independence.
2023
Maurice Guillaux: France’s Forgotten Pioneer Airman In Australia
Tom Lockley introduced us to the French airman Maurice Guillaux who spent only six months in Australia in 1914, making the first airmail delivery from Melbourne to Sydney. Tom told the amazing story of his contribution to our aviation history.
CSR Retrospective with Alumni, a Look at the Jobs that Were Where We now Live. A panel of former CSR employees co-ordinated by Dennis Archibald led us through the fascinating work world of a sugar refinery that became Jacksons Landing. CSR was not only a sugar refinery, as it was also a distillery which at one stage supplied half of Australia's industrial alcohol needs. It also supplied a third of Australia's rum.
CSR 'Old Boys' Dennis Archibald and former colleagues David Lukin, a Mechanical Engineering 'out of town' cadet who worked at the Rum Distillery and Brian Nichols a Chemical Engineering cadet, who was the last manager of the Refinery before it was closed gave us the ‘inside story’.
Writing Colonial History
David Hunt is an entertaining and respected historian. His Girt: The Unauthorised History of Australia won the 2014 Indie Award for Non-Fiction. It was followed by True Girt: The Unauthorised History of Australia Volume 2, shortlisted for Audiobook of the Year at the 2017 Australian Book Industry Awards and for the 2017 Russell Prize for Humour Writing. Girt Nation, the third volume of The Unauthorised History of Australia, hit the shelves in 2021. In 2016, David surprised the world by writing a book without the word Girt in it, his debut picture book, The Nose Pixies. My Real Friend, David’s second picture book, was published in 2019. David was a writer and presenter of Aussie Inventions That Changed the World and was a speaker at TEDxSydney 2017 et al.
A Historical Perspective on The Voice
Peter Hickson and Donald Denoon provided a summary of the early history of our first people and their treatment since their country was taken over by British colonialists in the late eighteenth century. The presentation reflected on the unresolved conflict of first nation rights over the last 500 years, Terra Nullius, Frontier Wars, Stolen Generations, 1967 Referendum, erratic Aboriginal policies leading to the 2017 Uluru Statement. Discussion followed.
Excellent Building Manager, Brilliant Criminal, or Both?
Paul Limmer spoke about Jaden Hati, who worked as a building manager In jacksons Landing, and was much appreciated by the residents. As the same time he secretly built himself an apartment in the carpark, complete with kitchenette, bathroom and laundry. He was discovered after many months, and is now serving a prison sentence.
An Uncommon Hangman
Dr Rachel Franks, a leading historian of crime in colonial NSW, talked about this notorious hangman. She is the author of An Uncommon Hangman: The Life and Deaths of Robert “Nosey Bob” Howard and she described his chilling influence as he plied his trade in the Colony.
How is Glebe different?
Glebe has developed in parallel with Pyrmont - with different interventions by government. Ian Stephenson, President of the Glebe Society, reflected on the similarities and contrasts between these close neighbours.
Jacksons Landing - a model for developing disused industrial sites?
Hugh Martin worked for Lend Lease as Executive Director for Apartments, nationally responsible for completing existing projects which included Jacksons Landing. He has had a distinguished career, including managing the consortium that built the 2000 Olympic Games Village, and the Melbourne Docklands-Victoria Harbour. He talked about his work and his thoughts about Jacksons Landing as a model for developing disused industrial sites.
100 years of Life in Glebe and Pymont
Jean Mulligan is a Glebe-Pyrmont super star who just turned 100. Peter and Mary Hickson, friends and local Pyrmont residents, presented Jean’s journey through the Depression, the War in Sydney, 50 years in Glebe working in factories and shops to living 35 years in Pyrmont including 25 years in the famous Ways Terrace with a bird’s eye view of Pyrmont’s transformation. A unique personal history from a remarkable, indomitable, quick-witted and generous spirit.
Defending Sydney During World War II - beyond the midget submarines
Dr Peter Hobbins is the Head of Knowledge at the Australian National Maritime Museum with a special interest in the history of Sydney Harbour in World War II. He talked about the engagement with Japanese midget submarines and the defence of Sydney.
2022
First Nations Fisheries in Pyrmont
Anna Clark described how First Nations People in and around Pyrmont managed and harvested seafood. Anna Clark learned to catch fish on holidays with her grandfather, Manning Clark. She also followed him into a career as an historian and analyst of the teaching of Australian history. Among her many prizes and awards is The Catch: the story of fishing in Australia (Canberra, 2017).
Life for Teenagers in Pyrmont before “Urban Renewal”
Binette Diop and her friend Emily discussed how they spent their teenage years before the suburb was rebuilt as a collection of high-rise apartment blocks.
Councillor Yvonne Weldon Reflects on Her Life and Activism as a Wiradjuri Woman
Yvonne Weldon is a Wiradjuri woman, currently Chairperson of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, and many other roles. She was recently elected to the Council of the City of Sydney, the first Aboriginal person to be elected. Her great aunt, Mum Shirl, co-founded the Aboriginal Legal Service and Aboriginal Medical Service, and her uncle Paul Coe, campaigned for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in court, and as part of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy. Yvonne reflected on her family’s history.
The Rise and Fall of Industry in the Bays West Precinct, 1840-1970
Wayne Johnson, Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority archaeologist, spoke about the history and heritage of White Bay and Glebe Island, with an emphasis on the White Bay Power Station.
Councillor (Waskam) Emelda Davis - My Life
(Waskam) Emelda Davis moved from Canberra to Pyrmont in the 1990s. She raised her family while the suburb was being demolished and rebuilt, and she became the moving force and the eloquent voice of the Australian South Sea Islanders - Port Jackson . The Association is hyperactive locally, nationally and in the Pacific region. She is now a Councillor in the City of Sydney. She spoke about her extraordinary life and her remarkable achievements. She was joined by her adult children Shola and Binette, who grew up in Pyrmont.
Shaped By The Sea: Our Maritime History
Matt Poll manages the indigenous programs in the Maritime Museum. He introduced us to the ways in which Gadigal and other First Nations people used and managed Pyrmont’s maritime resources, and reminded us of Pyrmont’s rise and fall as a harbour community.
Passing through Pyrmont, Memories of a Westie -Jeff Bost grew up in the western suburbs. He recalled events and memories as he and his family passed through, and accidentally stopped, in Pyrmont during the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s. Jeff has lived in Pyrmont since 2005 after spending most his career outside Australia working in international development/overseas aid.
2021
Gough Whitlam’s role in Papua New Guinea’s Independence - Donald Denoon mapped the complex background to the independence of Papua New Guinea in 1975. Contrary to ‘popular belief’ Whitlam’s role was not precipitous but was shaped by many pressures such as the historic ‘White Australia’ policy (and the avoidance of PNG becoming the 8th State of Australia), as well as current PNG policy crises of the Tolai Mataugan Association, Papua Besena and Indonesian pressure from West Papua. There were many prominent Liberal politicians, such as Paul Hasluck, Charles Barnes and Andrew Peacock, who also ultimately shaped Whitlam’s decisive action.
Getting Along with the Neighbour: Mars in Astronomy and Popular Culture - Ken Saunders. Mars is Pyrmont's closest neighbour (so long as you head up away from the sun and not towards Ultimo). Despite this, Pyrmont has only a distant relationship with Mars at best. Ken Saunders sought to redress that with a talk delving into topics ranging from planetary astronomy, unpleasant pantheistic gods, choleric humours (apparently ruled by Mars), Wells both HG and Orson, and concluded with clips from some seldom seen (possibly for a reason) Soviet, Danish, British, and American portrayals of Martians in movies.
The Making of Australia’s Security State - Brian Toohey edited the National Times, and has reported for the Australian Financial Review, the Nikkei Asia Review and the Sunday Age. He has also written extensively about security and secrecy in Australia. He spoke about his most recent book, Secret: the Making of Australia’s Security State.
Patrols into the Stone Age - Dave Wilkins described, and illustrated, his life as a soldier in Papua New Guinea in the 1960s.
Two Men of the Sea - Dorothy Outram. Dorothy talked about two Sydney master mariners and their contribution to coastal shipping in NSW and Queensland - 1870 to 1946.
Sliding Doors: the remarkable personal and historical connections of Pyrmont and Lithuania - Mary Hickson. Mary spoke about her family and their journey from Lithuania to Pyrmont.
Labor’s Legacy in Pyrmont and Ultimo; What Could Have Been - Councillor Linda Scott, Labor Councillor on City of Sydney Council, having formerly served as the Deputy Lord Mayor.
The McWilliam Winery and Pyrmont - Stephen McWilliam spoke about how the family enterprise produced fine wines for 140 years, winning fans and prizes.
2020
Brewing in Pyrmont - Kevin Lambert. Kevin makes his living in IT, researches the history of brewing, and brews Pyrmont-themed beer, sold in Pyrmont pubs. He described the evolution of brewing in Sydney, and the role of pubs in Pyrmont.
My Life in Film - Suzanne Baker. Suzanne Baker AM is a film producer, print and television journalist, writer, historian and feminist. In 1977, she became the first Australian woman to win an Academy Award. Watch the short animated film Leisure
From Kyrgyzstan to Pyrmont - Ed Ginzburg is the manager of the Pyrmont Community Centre. When he arrived in Sydney from Odessa as a young boy with his family and no English, the local community centre became his second family, and was vital in helping him to find his way in his new country.
The Rise and Fall of Urban Design - Philip Thalis
Professor Philip Thalis is an architect, planner and City Councillor, deeply involved in the redevelopment of Pyrmont in the 1990s and 2000s, and an influential commentator on current approaches to development.
Bringing Experiment Street to Life - Noelle Janakzewska
Noelle Janakzewska, researcher and creative writer, created the ABC program on Experiment Street, animating archival records with imaginative reconstruction.
Listen to the half-hour podcast via this link: https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/the-history-listen/experiment-street/11447906
Note: if you have trouble, try the link in a different browser.
Click here to hear Noelle describe how she created the program.
2019
Maybanke Anderson - Rosalind Strong, a direct descendant of Maybanke Anderson, provided a detailed account of her role as a feminist, children’s advocate, and as a powerful woman in public life and notably as a founder of free kindergartens - and more!
From Cockle Bay to Yarralumla; the Bunn and Murray families - Colin Fowler.
Pyrmont in the 1990s - Wendy Bacon, journalist and activist, shared her experiences of residents’ resistance to Pyrmont’s and Ultimo’s top-down development.
The Mount Street Archaeological Site - Pamela Kottaras, who led a team of archaeologists to identify layers of occupation before excavation began on the last empty site to be developed between Mount and Harris Streets : the schoolmaster’s house, cottages and workshops that were built and torn down before the site became a car park. She described this research, and how it relates to other sources on Pyrmont.
Australian South Sea Islanders - Emelda Davis screened her film about her Australian South Sea Islander ancestors, and shared her knowledge of their remarkable lives.
Building on Community in Pyrmont - Marcelle Hoff inspired and brought together new and established residents to campaign to retain public land on Pyrmont Point, and create Pirrama Park.
The Saunders family and their impact on Pyrmont - Barbara Cail, a descendant and family historian, described their lives and contributions.
Big History: how to think about it, and how to do it - David Christian has pioneered an unusual way to study the past and the present, from the Big Bang to today.
Exhibitions in the Powerhouse Museum - Grace Cochrane, independent curator, writer and consultant, was curator, then senior curator of Australian decorative arts and design at the Powerhouse from 1988-2005.
Memories of CSR - Dennis Archibald worked here from 1975 to 1992, and described how CSR functions related to each other; and what it was like to work here.
2018
Free sex and mung beans - Bill Burton described life among the squatters of Scott Street
Resurrection of the Terminus - Shirley Fitzgerald, leading historian of Pyrmont; the Terminus was its social hub. She described the evolution of the pub, its licensees and patrons and their central role in Pyrmont ‘s history.
The Chambers family in Victorian Pyrmont - Colin Fowler. Charles was Sydney’s Town Clerk, and then a magistrate. Lucy, born in 1834, became “The Australian Nightingale” at La Scala and other great European stages. Later she taught Nellie Melba.
Who Planned Pyrmont? - Neil Bird, a resident of Jacksons Landing who was a member of the Central Sydney Planning Committee from 1999 to 2007.
Paraguay to Pyrmont - John Kersh and John O’Meally - The life and remarkable times of Kenneth Forester Lewis, who was brought up in New Australia (the Utopian community in Paraguay), and spent the rest of his eventful life working in Pyrmont.
Back to the Sugar House - Alana Valentine’s stage play opened at the Belvoir Street Theatre in May 2018, a dramatic story of family, heritage and change in Pyrmont. Members of our own community joined her in reading excerpts of the play and exchanged personal perspectives on Pyrmont’s history.
Harvesting Pyrmont Sandstone - Troy Stratti. Pyrmont’s yellowblock was used in the best buildings in eastern Australia and beyond. It is essential to repair them with identical stone. Troy explained how the material is extracted and how it is used.
Triumphs and Tragedies of a Pyrmont Family - Kris Needham has researched and written about her forebears, in and out of Pyrmont, in and out of trouble and prosperity for nearly 200 years. Their stories gave us a sense of the many ways in which lives were lived.
2017
Growing up in Pyrmont - Jennice and Raymond Kersh
Sandstone - Films
Maritime Pyrmont - Alan Edenborough
Steam Trains in Darling Harbour - Ian Dardick introduced a film about the steam trains in Darling Harbour, and the amazing complex of the Darling Harbour rail yards, and the Darling Harbour Railway Station
The Past and Future of The Terminus Hotel - Garry Stanley
War Memorials in Pyrmont - Paul Lancaster
Pyrmont Power Station - Malcolm Park
Pre-industrial Pyrmont - Paul Gye
2016
Politics of Planning Pyrmont - Laurence Troy
Seditious in New Guinea; Arrested in Pyrmont - Donald Denoon
Mustard Seed Church - Robin Davies
Powerhouse: building and museum - Tom Lockley
Rise and Fall of CSR - Alec Brennan
Lachlan Macquarie, For and Against - Trudy Holdsworth
Pubs and Prayer - Halfway House Hotel and 2 Scots Presbyterian Churches - John Harris
Early Maps of Sydney - Robert Clancy
2015
The Old Glebe Island Bridge - Denis Gojak
Aboriginal Sydney since 1788 - Paul Irish
The Burley Griffin Incinerator, 1937-1992 - Edward Wright
Social planning in the Redevelopment of Pyrmont - Penelope Coombes
Urban Renewal in Ultimo and Pyrmont - Brian Newman
2014
Representing Pyrmont - Michael Matthews
The History of St Bede’s Catholic Church - Colin Fowler
Trachyte and the Pyrmont Quarries - Ron Powell
2013
Surgeon John Harris - John Harris, his great-great-great-great-nephew
2012
Recording Pyrmont’s Heritage - Wayne Johnson