Heritage
items are being distributed but little seems to be done to secure these items.
It has been stated that most of the core collection will go to the Rail Transport
Museum at Thirlmere with
other items going to various selected railway museums or associations across
the State. This is not acceptable when you look at securing these valuable
items, then there is a major problem. These railway museums or associations do
not have the money to employ sufficient guards or install adequate alarm
systems to protect the State’s irreplaceable rail heritage items under their
care.
Recently a
large amount of bronze and brass, being bearings and other spare parts have
been removed in an overnight raid on the Thirlmere base of the Rail Transport
Museum. It has also been
reported that copper piping for the 57 Class locomotive at the Rail Transport
Museum’s Valley Heights
Depot was taken in a later raid. This Depot has an alarm system but the thieves
found a way to evade setting off the alarms. One pipe was reported to be over 3
meters in length – no doubt a truck would have been needed.
Again the
dreaded word Eveleigh comes up. You cannot get a safer and more secure site
than Eveleigh and its Large Erecting Shed for Rail Heritage items. 24 hour
guards, well lit, no taking a truck in here and taking away a load of scrap metal
in the middle of the night.
It’s about
time that the Government and Minister John
Watkins had an objective look at this option instead of handing over the
birthplace of the New South Wales Railway to Frank
Sartor. A walk around the “Carriage Works” site will show you
why you should never hand anything over to the Redfern Waterloo Authority.
Yes Morris
Iemma and yes John Watkins it’s time
to stand up and be counted as someone who appreciates our Colonial History –
save something that is important to a lot of true blue Australians. Eveleigh
was the political birthplace of 1 Governor General of Australia, 3 Prime
Ministers and 25 parliamentarians and the inaugural Secretary of the Nurses
Association and was a significant place for Aboriginal people of Redfern as it
was one of the first places that offered employment, training and employment
transfers from regional NSW to the city.
This is the
place for a working railway museum where heritage items can be stored safely
and with easy access to the people and visitors to Sydney.
EVELEIGH – STILL
THE BEST LOCATION FOR
SYDNEY S
RAILWAY MUSEUM
This media
release is part three media releases from FOE. For a 685 Kb PDF with the photos
referred to download the PDF on this link – Friends
of Eveleigh Media Release 11th June 2007
Media
Release Produced by the Friends of Eveleigh – Contact: The Secretary, FOE, PO Box 381, Belrose
West NSW 2085.