THE NOMINATION OF THE LARGE ERECTING SHOP AND ITS CONTENTS
FOR NATIONAL HERITAGE LISTING IS STILL PROCEEDING
The State Government and RailCorp’s response to the
nomination of the Large Erecting Shop
and its contents for National Heritage Listing has been to undertake a
systematic stripping of heritage assets from this building. Many of the finely
restored carriages have been moved into an environment where they are exposed
to the elements. This is not the way to protect our rail heritage, NO, it’s the
way to destroy it.
We have a report that the Chullora and Eveleigh’s RailCorp
Depot repairs have cost the taxpayers $10,000 – to repair the roof of the State
Heritage Listed AAH19 carriage which was damaged by the elements when
previously removed. On the 7th April, 2008, this carriage was returned to the
same site against the wishes of the NSW
Rail Transport
Museum – desperately
short of undercover space.
No doubt the Office of Rail Heritage who ordered AAH19’s
return to the Rail
Transport Museum
from Eveleigh will now accept full responsibility for its safe storage and
security. No doubt they are aware of the major damage that covering with canvas
can do to paintwork on timber carriages. The immense value of this heritage
carriage and its rareness cannot be underestimated. [See also below – Has the Paperwork been done – REDWatch].
The Minister for Transport Mr John
Watkins MP has repeatedly refused to inspect The Large Erecting Shop – does he know anything about Rail Heritage,
who are his advisors, and what are their formal heritage qualifications? The
State Government’s answer to all rail heritage problems was the 2006 Vince O’Rourke
Report. It clearly states – “consideration needs to be given to
accessing layover facilities in the metropolitan mainline network”.
This is why The Large Erecting Shop
must be kept for Heritage Railway use.
The present State government is making it clear that it does
not want rail heritage in Sydney.
Their greed for the developer’s dollar sees them view the Large Erecting Shop as a piece of real estate not as the finest
heritage railway workshop in Australia.
They show no respect for our Australian Colonial Architectural Rail Heritage,
which must be saved for future generations; and they show no respect for the
people of New South Wales.
APRIL 17, 2008 – MORE CARRIAGES TO BE REMOVED?
The Large Erecting Shop
had a visit from officers from the Office of Rail Heritage to record all the
rolling stock and its position in the Large as well as gathering other information.
Displaying only a basic knowledge of the heritage environment they also arrived
without the mandatory safety vests even though they wanted to inspect items
across the running lines of the Eveleigh Yard.
Their attitude or lack of knowledge concluded that almost
everything in the Large was RailCorp’s unless proven otherwise. Strange – when
they suddenly claimed they owned even the nuts, bolts and washers.
When is the Office of Rail Heritage going to acknowledge the
absence of Heritage ownership records. It has been leaked that the Office of
Rail Heritage cannot produce ownership records of heritage rollingstock prior
to 2006. Is this correct? Would they like to comment? The Office of Rail
Heritage need to be publicly accountable for all their actions.
HAS THE PAPERWORK BEEN DONE?
AAH 19 – Old
Commissioner’s Car, AAH 8 – Commissioners’ Train – Officers Inspection Carriage
– PART OF THE Premiers
and Railway Commissioners Rail Car Collection – State Heritage Register Listing Number 01650
STANDARD EXEMPTION 17: MOVABLE
HERITAGE ITEMS
1. The temporary relocation of movable heritage items,
including contents, fixtures and objects, to ensure their security, maintenance
and preservation, for conservation or exhibition, to ensure health or safety,
the need for a controlled environment for those heritage items, or to protect
the place, and which are to be returned to their present location within six
months, does not require approval under s. 57(1) of the Act.
2. A person proposing to relocate a movable heritage item as
set out in paragraph 1 must advise the Director in writing of the proposed
location and the reasons for its relocation. If the Director is satisfied that
the temporary relocation meets the criteria set out in paragraph 1 the Director
shall notify the applicant.
Guidelines
Movable heritage items or objects which are listed on the
State Heritage Register must be specifically referred to in the gazetted
listing.
Unless specifically listed, the movable content of buildings
such as furniture, paintings and other decoration is not movable heritage for
the purposes of the Heritage Act which triggers approval requirements to “move,
damage or destroy it”. The permanent relocation of an item of movable heritage
such as listed ships or railway rolling stock will require the submission of an
application under section 60 of the Heritage Act.
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT
The Large Erecting Shop
has been in continuous operation for 128 years making it the oldest and longest
continuous operating railway workshops in Australia. It is still functioning
as workshops servicing steam railway locomotives, rolling stock and diesels. It
is part of the greater Eveleigh Workshop site but unlike all the other
buildings, it still retains its rail workshop context and skills.
The only way to keep the Large Erecting Shop Alive and Active is for the Federal Minister
for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts to grant a National Heritage
Listing. This is the only way to save this building from the path of the
wrecking ball of Frank $artor.
We urgently need everybody to write or email the Federal
Minister at the below addresses and request that he grant immediate National
Heritage Listing for Eveleigh’s Large Erecting Shop
and its contents.
Send your request to:
The Hon Peter Garrett AM MP
Minister for the Environment,
Heritage and the Arts,
PO Box
6022, Parliament House,
Canberra,
ACT 2600
or email your request to: Peter. Garrett.MP@aph.gov.au
On October 19, 2006 the Federal Government’s Dept. of
Environment & Heritage accepted a nomination for the National Heritage
Listing – The Large Erecting Shop
Eveleigh, Locomotive Street, Eveleigh, NSW.- Place ID 105945, Place File No. 1/12/003/0016.See www.deh.gov.au/cgi-bin/ahdb/search.pl
THE FORMAL “NATIONAL HERITAGE LISTING IS NOW REQUIRED
For your convenience www.redwatch.org.au
keeps you up to date with developments in the Eveleigh area.
Source: Friends of Eveleigh Media Release 17th April
2008 – All correspondence to: The
Secretary, FOE, PO Box
381, Belrose West NSW 2085
The PDF file with photos of the Commissioner’s set departing Eveleigh
for Rail Transport Museum for the second time can be downloaded here – Friends
of Eveleigh Media Release – 17th April 2008 147Kb PDF.