Lakemba, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Lakemba is a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...

 in south-western
South-western Sydney
South-western Sydney is a general term which is used to describe the metropolitan area in south-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the Greater Western Sydney area....

 Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, in the state of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. Lakemba is located 15 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district
Sydney central business district
The Sydney central business district is the main commercial centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It extends southwards for about 3 kilometres from Sydney Cove, the point of first European settlement. Its north–south axis runs from Circular Quay in the north to Central railway station in...

, in the local government area of the City of Canterbury
City of Canterbury, New South Wales
The City of Canterbury, previously the Municipality of Canterbury, is a Local Government Area in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It lies southwest of the central business district and forms part of the Greater Sydney metropolitan area....

.

Lakemba is in the Cooks River
Cooks River
The Cooks River is a 23 kilometre long urban waterway of south-western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia emptying into Botany Bay. The course of the river has been altered to accommodate various developments along its shore...

 watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

. This river is tidal up to the edge of Lakemba. A bike and walking trail takes walkers and cyclists all the way from nearby Belfield
Belfield, New South Wales
Belfield is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Belfield is located 14 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Canterbury and partly in the Municipality of Strathfield.-Location:Belfield has...

 to the east along the Cooks River, to where it flows into Botany Bay
Botany Bay
Botany Bay is a bay in Sydney, New South Wales, a few kilometres south of the Sydney central business district. The Cooks River and the Georges River are the two major tributaries that flow into the bay...

. In the opposite direction the bike and walking trail goes north to Olympic Park and Homebush Bay
Homebush Bay, New South Wales
Homebush Bay was the former name of a suburb of western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia that took in the suburbs of Sydney Olympic Park, Wentworth Point and part of the neighbouring suburb of Lidcombe. Homebush Bay is located 16 kilometres west of the Sydney central business...

 on the Parramatta River
Parramatta River
The Parramatta River is a waterway in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Parramatta River is the main tributary of Sydney Harbour, a branch of Port Jackson, along with the smaller Lane Cove and Duck Rivers....

.

History

The area was at an early time in its colonial history originally known as Potato Hill because potatoes were cropped here. Land grants by the new colonial government began in Lakemba about 1810. Samuel Hockley was granted 50 acres (202,343 m²), which he called Essex Hill Farm, after his home county in England. The suburb was known as Belmore South until 1910.

Benjamin Taylor had a 22 hectare property in the 1880s. He named his property "Lakeba" after the Lakeba
Lakeba
Lakeba is an island in Fiji's Southern Lau Archipelago; the provincial capital of Lau is located here. The island is the tenth largest in Fiji, with a land area of nearly 60 square kilometers. It is fertile and well watered, and encircled by a 29-kilometer road. Its closest neighbors are Aiwa...

 island in the Lau Islands
Lau Islands
The Lau Islands of Fiji are situated in the southern Pacific Ocean, just east of the Koro Sea. Of this chain of about one hundred islands and islets, about thirty are inhabited...

 group of Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...

, where his second wife's grandparents, Rev and Mrs Cross, were missionaries from 1835. One of the original streets is Oneata Street, named after another small Fijian Island, close to Lakeba. Benjamin Taylor was variously an entomologist, town clerk, Alderman and Mayor of Canterbury Council. The railway line was built to the neighbouring suburb of Belmore
Belmore, New South Wales
Belmore is a suburb, of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Belmore is located 15 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Canterbury.-History:...

 in 1895 and extended to Lakemba and beyond, in 1909. The station was built on Benjamin Taylor's property and was named after his ‘Lakemba Cottage’.

The first school opened here as Belmore School in April 1869 and became known as Belmore South in September 1907 until it was changed to Lakemba Public School in June 1910. The post office opened on the 1st July 1879.

Lakemba Fire Station

The fire station was built in 1921 by the Board of Fire Commissioners of New South Wales. It was originally staffed by a combination of permanent and volunteer members. The station was built for a total cost of $13,950.00. It is located at 208 Haldon Street. It is designated as station number 64 and is crewed 24 hours a day by a Station commander of Officer rank and three permanent firefighters or in brigade jargon, SO and 3. There are four rotating shifts at the station and they are identified as "A", "B", "C" and "D" Platoons. The crews have attended many notable fires during its history.

The firefighters attached to "64" are kept very busy responding to numerous fires and other emergency incidents each shift. The station attends more fires resulting in damage to 'structure and contents" than any other fire station in Sydney.

Population

Lakemba has had a diverse demographic history. Like most of the rest of Australia, its first non-Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....

 inhabitants in the nineteenth century were British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...

 and Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

 settlers. By the mid-twentieth century, the suburb had absorbed large numbers of Greek and Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...

 arrivals. Local businesses and clubs reflected this in Mediterreanean delicatessens, take-away shops and the Greek Orthodox Club.

From the mid-1970s, Lakemba became very popular with migrants from Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...

 and by the mid-1990s the area was considered a centre of Lebanese Australian
Lebanese Australian
A Lebanese Australian is an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Lebanese descent. The community is multi-religious, and includes a Christian, mostly Maronite Catholic, majority, as well as a large Muslim minority of both the Shia and Sunni branches of Islam, and various other Christian and...

 life. The founding of the Lakemba Mosque
Lakemba Mosque
Lakemba Mosque, is one of the largest mosques in Australia. It is located in the suburb of Lakemba, New South Wales and is used mostly by Lebanese Australians. The construction of the mosque was completed in 1977...

 and the establishment of specialised restaurants, take-away shops, grocery shops, clothing and book sellers has encouraged a general perception of Lakemba as a predominantly Arab and Muslim suburb, particularly in the media. In fact — in common with most of the rest of Greater Sydney — Lakemba is best described as predominantly multi-ethnic and extremely diverse, but with an Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...

-speaking and Muslim
Islam
Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

 plurality.

According to the 2001 Census, 67.7 per cent of Lakemba residents (14,647 persons) stated they had been born overseas — one of the highest proportions in Australia. Nonetheless, the Australia-born still constituted the largest individual birthplace group, at 32.3 per cent (6,994 persons), followed by the Lebanon-born at 7.6 per cent (1,651 persons), the Viet Nam
Vietnamese Australian
A Vietnamese Australian is an Australian either born in Vietnam or is an Australian descendant of the former. Communities of Overseas Vietnamese are referred to as Việt Kiều or người Việt hải ngoại.-History in Australia:...

-born at 6.2 per cent (1,332 persons) and those born in the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

 at 5.7 per cent (1,234 persons).

In terms of ethnicity, the largest group in 2001 were those claiming Lebanese
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...

 ancestry with 14.8 per cent of the population or 3,183 persons, followed by those claiming Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....

 background at 11.0 per cent or 2,361 persons, and thirdly by those claiming "Australian" descent with 7.7 per cent or 1,654 persons. Although more recently there has been a large increase in people of Bangladeshi origin.

Census data reveals that Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...

 is the most common home language in Lakemba, used by a plurality of 22.1 per cent of residents (4,788 persons), followed by English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 only — the home language of 17.8 per cent (3,850 persons) — and the Chinese language
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...

s which are spoken by 9.9 per cent at home (2,136 persons). The English language was spoken exclusively or "very well" or "well" by 71.2 per cent of the suburb's overseas-born in 2001.

Lakemba maintains its characteristic diversity in terms of religion. According to the census, Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

 was the most followed faith in the suburb with 41.3 per cent of residents (8,926). However, Christians in the area belong to many sects, with the largest proportions being Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

 at 19.3 per cent or 4,185 persons, Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...

 with 8.3 per cent or 1,789 persons, and Anglican with 3.8 per cent or 823 persons. Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

 accounts for 30.5 per cent of residents or 6,596 persons — the census does not differentiate between Sunni and Shi'a. Those of no religion were the third largest grouping, with 7.3 per cent or 1,586 persons.

Transport

Canterbury Road winds its way along the ridge, which is the boundary of the watersheds of Cooks River
Cooks River
The Cooks River is a 23 kilometre long urban waterway of south-western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia emptying into Botany Bay. The course of the river has been altered to accommodate various developments along its shore...

 and Wolli Creek
Wolli Creek
Wolli Creek is an urban waterway of southern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The sub-catchment is 22 km².Wolli Creek rises at Beverly Hills, at Beverly Hills Park. It is a lined channel between Kingsgrove Road, Kingsgrove and Bexley Road, Bexley North where it then enters the Wolli Creek...

 to the south. The Lakemba railway station is on the Bankstown line of the CityRail
CityRail
CityRail is an operating brand of RailCorp, a corporation owned by the state government of New South Wales, Australia. It is responsible for providing commuter rail services, and some coach services, in and around Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, the three largest cities of New South Wales. It is...

 network. It is near the shopping centre on Haldon Street.

Lakemba is primarily served by the 450 bus from the Punchbowl Bus Company
Punchbowl Bus Company
The Punchbowl Bus and Coach Company operates public buses in the south and inner south western suburbs of Sydney. It currently operates routes 446, 450, 939, 940, 941, 942, 943, 944, 945, 946, 953, 954, 955 and various school specials...

 with services to Burwood via Roselands and Strathfield and to Hurstville via Roselands the other way.

Commercial area

Lakemba has a large shopping centre, on and around Haldon Street, where a wide range of international and local foods can be purchased. There are also commercial developments along Canterbury Road. The Lakemba Palms shopping centre, is located on the corner of Haldon Street and Lakemba street. On the 3rd December 2007, a fire gutted the Lakemba Palms shopping centre.

Places of worship

Lakemba has many places of worship to cater for the different faiths of its population, including St Therese Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

 Church, Lakemba Uniting Church, Lakemba Presbyterian Church and several Mosques including the Lakemba Mosque
Lakemba Mosque
Lakemba Mosque, is one of the largest mosques in Australia. It is located in the suburb of Lakemba, New South Wales and is used mostly by Lebanese Australians. The construction of the mosque was completed in 1977...

, Earnest St Mosque & akemba Musalla], Ahlus Sunnha Musalla.

St. Andrews Anglican Church, located at the corner of Quigg and Lakemba Streets. The church built in 1923 is a brick building with a significant collection of stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...

 windows. The original church was a wooden building, later extended to become the parish hall.

Schools

Lakemba contains a few schools including: Lakemba Public School, Hampden Park Public School, Wangee Park School, St Therese Primary School and Holy Spirit College, a Catholic Secondary school with an enrollment of approximately 1300.

Politics

Lakemba is the name of one of the parliamentary constituencies of New South Wales. The Electoral district of Lakemba
Electoral district of Lakemba
Lakemba is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales in Sydney's Inner West. It has been held by the Australian Labor Party since its creation in 1927...

 is currently occupied by Robert Furolo
Robert Furolo
Robert Anthony Furolo is an Australian politician. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly since October 2008, representing the electorate of Lakemba....

, from the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...

. The Federal Member of Parliament is Tony Burke
Tony Burke
Anthony Stephen 'Tony' Burke is an Australian politician representing the Labor Party, and the current Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities . He first entered public office in 2003 as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council...

.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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