The Heffron Centre, the new home base for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in Maroubra, clinched a prestigious award at the 2024 NSW Engineering Excellence Awards.
Randwick City Council scooped up three accolades in total, showcasing its dedication to creating outstanding community facilities.
Approximately 40 Councils participated in the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA) event held in April. Randwick Mayor Philipa Veitch expressed pride in Council’s staff, who were nominated for nine awards.
“Randwick Council was successful in winning three awards, including two of the major award categories,” she said.
Council’s win in the local government/public works category is a repeat performance, having won the same award last year for the Coogee Fallen Lifesavers Memorial. Mayor Veitch congratulated the staff involved in both the Heffron Centre and Fitzpatrick Park Playground projects, attributing the wins to their “skill, hard work, and commitment.”
Tatiana Castro-Cerneaz’s achievement as Young Engineer of the Year further highlights the council’s dedication to fostering talent. Mayor Veitch praised Castro-Cerneaz as an asset to both the council and the community.
With these wins, Randwick City Council has firmly established itself as a leader in developing and delivering high-quality facilities that benefit the entire community.
In the years following World War II, Sydney saw an influx of migrants arriving from a war-ravaged Europe seeking a fresh start. Facing a massive influx of migrants after the war and desperate to provide housing, the State established the Bunnerong Migrant Hostel by converting old naval storage facilities at Bunnerong Park (now Heffron Park in Maroubra) into accommodations.
Despite having a capacity of 1,200 people, the conditions were far from ideal, with the buildings poorly insulated and migrants forced to eat communally in dormitory-style halls, preventing any sense of normal family life. The living conditions and amenities at the hostel were regarded as among the worst in all of Australia.
Gordon James Choake holding his daughter at Bunnerong Migrant Hostel (Photo credit: Marilyn Wilson Collection/Randwick City Library)
The facilities were wholly unsuitable for comfortably accommodating the migrants, but the government had little choice given the urgent need for housing at the time.
Despite these hardships, the migrants persevered, determined to build better lives in their new home.
Group of migrant children at Bunnerong Migrant Hostel (Photo credit: Marilyn Wilson Collection/Randwick City Library)
Now, over 70 years later, there is a push to honour the sacrifices and contributions of these post-war migrants with a permanent memorial at Heffron Park itself. The proposal was brought forward by Cr Noel D’Souza, who emphasised the importance of acknowledging the vital role migrants played in Australia’s development.
Cr D’Souza said migrants were willing to take menial jobs when first settling, and many showed an incredible work ethic and willingness to sacrifice in order to establish themselves in their new country. He stated they built modern Australia through the knowledge, cultures, and skills they brought with them.
In presenting his motion to Randwick Council, Cr D’Souza highlighted how migrants were essential to the growth of industry and infrastructure in Australia’s post-war years.
A memorial would not only pay tribute to their efforts but serve as an opportunity for “truth-telling” about a piece of history that has too often been forgotten amid debates about statues and their relevance.
Cr D’Souza viewed it as a chance to share the forgotten history of migrants from all over the world who left everything behind to start a new life in Australia full of hope. His motion to install a memorial at Heffron Park was ultimately carried out.
Whilst the form is still to be determined, Cr D’Souza suggested a monument or even a large granite rock with a plaque could sufficiently honour the migrants who helped shape modern Australia through their perseverance and passion for their new home. After decades of having their struggles and sacrifices go unrecognised, Maroubra may soon have a permanent reminder of their indelible impact.
Several ‘Plant With Us’ events are going to take place in Maroubra from May to October 2022, as part of the city’s project to promote greening, combat climate change, and help preserve the planet.
On Thursday, 28 April 2022, Plant With Us will be underway from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Heffron Park. The ‘Greening Our City’ tree-planting activities are done during the cooler months of the year to ensure their survival.
Everyday is Earth Day in the Eastern Suburbs, so those who cannot make it to Heffron Park in April may still join the other scheduled planting days at the following dates and locations:
DATE
LOCATION
Sunday, 8 May 2022 Mother’s Day
Heffron Park, Maroubra
Friday, 20 May 2022
Heffron Park, Maroubra
Sunday, 5 June 2022
Cromwell Park, Malabar
Sunday, 26 June 2022
Heffron Park, Maroubra
Friday, 29 July 2022 Sunday, 31 July 2022
Heffron Park, Maroubra
Thursday, 1 September 2022
Environmental Park, Randwick
Saturday, 8 October 2022
Latham Park, Coogee
Participants are asked to wear sturdy shoes, a hat, long sleeves, and long pants. They also need to bring their own gloves and a water bottle. While face masks are no longer mandatory, participants may use them if they are unable to maintain a safe distance from others.
Meanwhile, residents may also fill out a Request a Tree form to support the Greening Our City project and receive an appropriate tree for planting outside their own home on the nature strip or verge.
Photo Credit: RCC
Per Council, “If you request a tree as we approach summer or early autumn, you may find it takes longer for your street tree to be planted. As most of our street trees are native or indigenous trees that we often source from our Community Nursery, they are usually better suited to local weather conditions and this tends to give the trees the best possible start to a long life.”
“The final decision on tree species and planting approval will be made by the assessing tree officer.”
A revised Plan of Management (PoM) for Heffron Park in Maroubra has been released for public exhibition. Residents affected by this change to the PoM, which had originally been adopted in 2009, may express their support or objection to the recategorisation by submitting a feedback form.
The execution of the revised PoM is in line with the requirements of the NSW Crown Land Management Act 2016 covering all community lands, such as Heffron Park. The PoM enables better planning and governance for the use of such a public place.
According to Randwick City Council, the previous PoM’s major projects have been completed thus the need for recategorisation to:
better protect small areas of planting that is now categorised as ‘natural area: bushland’;
identify an area near the remnant sand dune to be categorised as park as this better describes its appropriate use; and
apply the category of ‘community use’ on the Heffron Centre precinct which most appropriately reflects the intended future use of the facility.
Heffron Park is Randwick City Council’s largest sporting facility and has been used for various events and leisure activities. Formerly used as storage area for the Navy during World War II, the park was turned over for Council’s management as a public recreation site in 1959.
Photo Credit: Randwick City Council
The new PoM comes following the approval of the construction of a new indoor sports centre for the South Sydney Rabbitoh in March 2021.
Ahead of its planned construction, the South Sydney Rabbitohs has unveiled their new home in Maroubra, where the team will be moving in before the 2023 NRL season rolls.
The new photos are the artist’s impression of the $58M state-of-the-art sports complex that will also include cafes, a merchandise shop, a special fan area for watching training, and a hall of fame section.
The new Rabbitohs facility will also be opened for community use for lectures, events, workshops, as well as access to the playing fields. The gymnastics facility and the indoor sports centres for volleyball, netball, badminton, and basketball will be operating seven days a week.
Photo Credit: RabbitohsPhoto Credit: Rabbitohs
“The Heffron Centre will allow us to move our NRL, Women’s and NSW Cup teams and administrative, commercial and Souths Cares staff members to one site – with the rest of our representative pathways programs using Redfern Oval,” Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly said in an official press statement.
“Importantly it will also allow us to double the size and reach of our community programs which have already helped achieve over 400 Aboriginal employment placements, helped young people achieve their HSC, and helped over 7,600 students with health and well-being messages.”
Photo Credit: Rabbitohs
Funding for the sports complex will come from the Federal and State Governments, as well as Randwick City Council. Construction is expected to begin in August 2021. Randwick Mayor Danny Said revealed that this is the Council’s biggest project, which has taken seven years to plan. Following the building’s opening, however, that the Rabbitohs will be saying goodbye to their old home in Redfern.
