MEREWETHER HERITAGE PARK SUBMISSION

To:

Councillors and General Manager of the Newcastle City Council
Newcastle City Hall
King Street
NEWCASTLE 2300

Dear Councillors and General Manager,

MEREWETHER HERITAGE PARK SUBMISSION

Parks and Playgrounds Movement have nothing but praise for the wonderful work that has been done by the Merewether Landcare. We are conscious of the philosophy of the overall concept of their new initiative that they are placing before you this evening.

We acknowledge the work that has and is being done for the people of the City and for the Merewether environment.

Councillors and Council Officers are reminded that wrong things are done at times even with good intentions such as the planing of the invasive African Bitou Bush to revegetate coastal areas after rutile mining. The Bitou Bush escaped to become a scourge of the coast. The Merewether Landcarers have with their project shown the way to restore a much changed coastal landscape.

In our praise of today’s Merewether Landcare we would like to bring to your notice the Deed of Conveyance (Book 1617 folio 944) in which the trustees, William and Edward Merewether, on the 28th November 1930 conveyed to the Merewether Municipal Council much of the foreshore openspace we enjoy today.

The Deed of Conveyance states in part:

“That it (The Council for its part and its successors and assigns) will at all times use and maintain the said land as a park or public reserve as defined by the Local Government Act 1919 and will not permit the same to be used for any other purpose whatsoever

We trust that the Newcastle Council as the successors of the former Municipal Council will also honour the Deed of the former Council and appreciate the work and the Heritage Park initiative of the Merewether Landcare.

Yours sincerely,

Doug Lithgow
A Freeman of the City of Newcastle
President of the Parks and Playgrounds Movement