Municipality of Strathfield
Encyclopedia
The Municipality of Strathfield is a Local Government Area of Sydney
, New South Wales
, Australia. The Municipality incorporates the suburbs of Flemington
, Homebush
, Homebush West
, Strathfield South
entirely, and shares the following suburbs with other Councils, Belfield
, Greenacre
, and Strathfield
. The Municipality was formed in 1885 and originally included the suburbs of Redmire, Homebush and Druitt Town. The name Strathfield was adopted by the new council in 1885 when the suburb of Redmire was renamed Strathfield at this time. Druitt Town was renamed Strathfield South in the early 1890s. Only Homebush survives as an original location name. Since that time, Strathfield has become an important multicultural centre (for Korea
n, Chinese
and Sri Lanka
n minority populations). The Strathfield Municipal Council today has jurisdiction over 14.1 km² of land and has circa
36,000 inhabitants.
The Municipality of Strathfield was proclaimed on 2 June 1885 by the Governor of NSW, Sir Augustus Loftus, after residents of the Redmire area petitioned the New South Wales State government to form local government. This move was opposed by residents of Homebush and Druitt Town, possibly fearing the dominance of the more affluent and politically connected residents of Redmire. Despite counter petitions, the Municipality was incorporated in 1885.
The Council built the current Council Chambers in 1887, between 1885 and 1887 the Council operated from various private homes in Strathfield, pending the building of a permanent Council Chambers. Until 1923, when the current Strathfield Town Hall was built, the Council Chambers building was used between meetings of Council as a community hall.
The Strathfield Municipality has expanded in geography and population over time and now includes the suburbs of Strathfield, Homebush and Homebush West (1947), Flemington (1892), Greenacre, Enfield (1949), Strathfield South, Chullora (part) and Belfield (part).
Traditionally, the municipality has fought amalgamation of their area with other councils, though additional land has been added to the Municipality since 1885 such as annexure of the unincorporated area of Flemington, merger with the west ward of the abolished Enfield Council in 1949 and merger with the Municipality of Homebush in May 1947. However, they strenuously objected to a push to amalgamate the councils into one mega-council, known as The Greater Sydney Movement, that happened from the early part of the 1890s till the later half of the 1930s. In 1983 it was recommended by the State Boundaries Commission that Strathfield be amalgamated into Burwood, however a great deal of uproar greeted this plan and after the then mayor, Clarrie Edwards, spoke in well attended public meetings the state government abandoned the plan due to a great deal of opposition from residents of the area. In 1999 another proposal was made to merge the Municipality of Burwood with the Municipality of Strathfield. However, the residents of Strathfield did not support this proposal and the merger never proceeded. A proposal was lodged by Auburn Council for a boundary change, which had the effect of a takeover of Strathfield Council. This was heavily objected to by residents of Strathfield and did not proceed.
On 20 December 2004, the mayor, Alfred Tsang
of the Unity Party
was forced to step down over allegations of corruption. Pictures had been published in The Australian of him accepting a $200,000 of $100 bills from a developer, Michael Saklaoui. This resulted in an inquiry by the ICAC, which implicated his successor as mayor, John Abi-Saab. Both resigned from the council in June 2005.
See also: List of mayors of Strathfield
was added in 1949.
In 1974 two reports, one by J.C. Barnett and the other from the State Boundaries Commission, recommended that Ashfield
, Drummoyne
, Burwood
and Concord
should amalgamate with Strathfield. This was energetically opposed by residents and council alderman and this amalgamation also did not come to fruition.
In 1992, a section of the northern part of the Municipality was transferred to the Auburn Council
area. In return, the area of and between Boundary Creek and the railway line, occupied by the former Ford factory building, was transferred from Auburn to Strathfield Council.
The current council, elected in 2008, is:
n and Russian speaking
background and disseminates information to remote and offshore areas on a number of issues. STRC provides resources to Tamil
immigrants.
In the 90s, a large number of Korea
n migrants settled in Strathfield. This was mainly due to its proximity to Campsie
– which had been a de facto centre of Korean people. The boom in Korean International Students and establishment of the Strathfield Korean Uniting Church on Homebush Road were other factors. Strathfield now boasts a large number of shops selling Korean food and cultural items.
Strathfield also has a number of community centres, including a Rotary club, Latvia
n theatre, Lantern Club, and libraries. The local Rotary club provides support to the community and has a number of projects in the area, as well as a Musical Society (part of Rotary?), which normally produces two shows a year in the Latvia
n Theatre in Strathfield. Their main social activity is rehearsing twice weekly and they present seven performances of their musical production over two weekends. Strathfield Lantern Club Voluntary is located in Strathfield and provides fundraising organisation for raising funds specifically for the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children
in North Rocks
.
The Council operates two libraries: the Central Library in Homebush and a Branch library in Strathfield South. The central library, located in Homebush, was demolished in 2002 and a new library was built and opened in 2004. The Branch Library in Strathfield South was rebuilt and opened in 2008.
Whilst not perhaps basking in quite the same popular musical glory as neighbouring Burwood
with its links to the formation of the Easybeats and AC/DC
, Strathfield has made its own unique contribution to pop
. Strathfield was home during part of the 1960s to The BeeGees (Redmyre Road) and several Australian indie rock
and indie pop
bands have emerged from Strathfield including Prince Vlad & the Gargoyle Impalers, Lunatic Fringe
, The Upbeat
, Women of Troy member Paul O'Reilly
, and The Mexican Spitfires
. Grant McLennan
of The Go-Betweens
also lived in Carrington Avenue, Strathfield for a number of years in the 1990s.
The lyrics of the song by Radio Birdman
, "Murder City Nights" refers to Woodward road in Strathfield :
Strathfield has also been home to a number of famous sporting identities including cricketers Bobby Simpson
and Alan Davidson
and three Prime Ministers, Frank Forde
, Billy Hughes
and George Reid
.
, Santa Sabina College
, Sydney Adventist College
, Meriden
and Chalmers Road Public School. A campus of the Australian Catholic University
, Mount Carmel Campus, is located in Strathfield. There are some 8 Public and Independent Primary Schools in the area.
, Strathfield South, Homebush
, Homebush West, Greenacre, Flemington
, part of Enfield
and part of Belfield
(in Australia, a Local Government Area, or LGA, incorporates many suburbs into its area). Homebush Bay Drive bounds the Municipality of Strathfield to the north, Powells Creek, The Boulevarde and Coronation Parade bounds it to the east, Punchbowl Road and Juno Parade form the southern border and Roberts Road, Chullora rail yards, Rookwood Cemetery
and the Sydney Olympic Park
Rail line bound the Municipality to the west.
For NSW state elections, the Municipality of Strathfield is divided between the Electoral district of Strathfield
, Electoral district of Drummoyne
and Electoral district of Canterbury
and for Federal elections it is in the electorate of Reid
. From the next federal election (2010), the municipality will be located in the electorate of Reid (formerly Lowe) and electorate of Watson.
.
The estimated resident population as of June 2003 was 30,220 (Aust. Bureau of Statistics
). The Strathfield Local Government Area is a culturally diverse
region. The 2001 Census recorded the population of the Municipality as 27,956 – an increase of 8.1% since the 1996 Census. Of the total area, the census showed that 46% of the people stated that they were Australian-born. The number of people born overseas was 13,521 (48% of the total population) compared with 11,386 (44% of the total population) in 1996 and 10,176 (40% of the total population) in 1991. Of those born overseas the three main countries of birth were the Republic of Korea (South) – 1750 people (6.3%); China
(excluding SARs and Taiwan) – 1632 people (5.9%) and Sri Lanka
– 1544 people (5.5%).
who identified with a religious tradition. 63% of the population identified as Christian
, 54.29 per cent of those (or 34.2 per cent of the total population) as Catholic
, and 14.9 per cent of those (or 9.4 per cent of the total population) as Anglican. 10 per cent identified with no religion, while 8.9 per cent were Hindu
and 5.7 per cent Buddhist.
in the Strathfield Plaza shopping mall, and then turning the weapon on himself. This is commonly known as the Strathfield Massacre
and it shocked the nation. A Memorial plaque is located at Churchill Avenue, Strathfield.
In 2004 the then Mayor of the Municipality of Strathfield, Alfred Tsang
, stepped down after he was caught on film accepting money from a property developer. This resulted in an inquiry by the ICAC, which found against Tsang, former Councillor John Abi-Saab and other associates.
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...
, 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. The Municipality incorporates the suburbs of Flemington
Flemington, New South Wales
Flemington is an inner western suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Flemington is located 16 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield.-Commercial area:...
, Homebush
Homebush, New South Wales
Homebush is an inner western suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Homebush is located 15 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield. Homebush West and Homebush Bay are separate suburbs...
, Homebush West
Homebush West, New South Wales
Homebush West is an inner western suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Homebush West is located 16 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield...
, Strathfield South
Strathfield South, New South Wales
Strathfield South is a suburb, in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Strathfield South is located 14 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield....
entirely, and shares the following suburbs with other Councils, 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...
, Greenacre
Greenacre, New South Wales
Greenacre, a suburb of local government areas City of Bankstown and the Municipality of Strathfield, is located 17 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the state of New South Wales, Australia, and is a part of the South-western Sydney region.-History:This area was once...
, and Strathfield
Strathfield, New South Wales
Strathfield is an Inner West suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Strathfield is located 14 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield...
. The Municipality was formed in 1885 and originally included the suburbs of Redmire, Homebush and Druitt Town. The name Strathfield was adopted by the new council in 1885 when the suburb of Redmire was renamed Strathfield at this time. Druitt Town was renamed Strathfield South in the early 1890s. Only Homebush survives as an original location name. Since that time, Strathfield has become an important multicultural centre (for Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n, Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n minority populations). The Strathfield Municipal Council today has jurisdiction over 14.1 km² of land and has circa
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
36,000 inhabitants.
History
A disastrous attempt in the 1790s by the first settlers to farm the land around the current locality of Homebush, resulted in the land being abandoned. However, by the 1870s, the district started to develop as a residential area. The central location, halfway between Sydney and Parramatta, the establishment of rail services (from 1855 at Homebush) and availability of land, initially at low costs, attracted many wealthy merchants to build country style mansions within reasonable access to their City based businesses. Strathfield was also promoted as a healthy environment, away from owercrowded City conditions and diseases. Early land advertisements speak of the inland location as away from the 'injurious sea conditions'. With the relocation to Strathfield of many prominent families including the heirs of retailer David Jones, chemist Washington H Soul and many others, Strathfield became an elite and wealthy area. Its development differed markedly from the more working class areas of surrounding districts like Canterbury, Auburn and Concord.The Municipality of Strathfield was proclaimed on 2 June 1885 by the Governor of NSW, Sir Augustus Loftus, after residents of the Redmire area petitioned the New South Wales State government to form local government. This move was opposed by residents of Homebush and Druitt Town, possibly fearing the dominance of the more affluent and politically connected residents of Redmire. Despite counter petitions, the Municipality was incorporated in 1885.
The Council built the current Council Chambers in 1887, between 1885 and 1887 the Council operated from various private homes in Strathfield, pending the building of a permanent Council Chambers. Until 1923, when the current Strathfield Town Hall was built, the Council Chambers building was used between meetings of Council as a community hall.
Politics
Australia has three tiers of government: the Federal government (responsible for national matters such as external trade and commerce, quarantine, currency, patents, marriage, immigration, defence, telecommunications, and the provision of welfare and other assistance payments), State government (responsible for provincial matters such as policing, public schools, roads and traffic, public hospitals, public housing, and business regulation) and Local government (responsible for town planning, building approvals, local roads, parking, public libraries, public toilets, water and sewerage, waste removal, domestic animals and community facilities). The Municipality of Strathfield is part of Australia's local government system.Traditionally, the municipality has fought amalgamation of their area with other councils, though additional land has been added to the Municipality since 1885 such as annexure of the unincorporated area of Flemington, merger with the west ward of the abolished Enfield Council in 1949 and merger with the Municipality of Homebush in May 1947. However, they strenuously objected to a push to amalgamate the councils into one mega-council, known as The Greater Sydney Movement, that happened from the early part of the 1890s till the later half of the 1930s. In 1983 it was recommended by the State Boundaries Commission that Strathfield be amalgamated into Burwood, however a great deal of uproar greeted this plan and after the then mayor, Clarrie Edwards, spoke in well attended public meetings the state government abandoned the plan due to a great deal of opposition from residents of the area. In 1999 another proposal was made to merge the Municipality of Burwood with the Municipality of Strathfield. However, the residents of Strathfield did not support this proposal and the merger never proceeded. A proposal was lodged by Auburn Council for a boundary change, which had the effect of a takeover of Strathfield Council. This was heavily objected to by residents of Strathfield and did not proceed.
On 20 December 2004, the mayor, Alfred Tsang
Alfred Tsang
Alfred Tsang was the former mayor of the Municipality of Strathfield in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.- Early career :Tsang was formerly a staff at IBM, and also ran his own chain of restaurants known as "I love sushi". After Tsang became leader of the Unity Party, he was elected to...
of the Unity Party
Unity Party (Australia)
Unity Party is a small multiculturist party in Australia, formed in 1997 with the aim of opposing the rise of controversial anti-immigration politician Pauline Hanson. Initially billed as a party to unite Australians of all ethnicities against racism, in practice it has never managed to draw...
was forced to step down over allegations of corruption. Pictures had been published in The Australian of him accepting a $200,000 of $100 bills from a developer, Michael Saklaoui. This resulted in an inquiry by the ICAC, which implicated his successor as mayor, John Abi-Saab. Both resigned from the council in June 2005.
See also: List of mayors of Strathfield
Political movements for amalgamation
Throughout its history, there have been movements to amalgamate local councils in the Sydney area: the first major 'threat' was with the 'royal commission for a greater Sydney (1913)', known as 'The Greater Sydney Movement'. The Royal Commission brought together British Politician Sidney Webb and Australian Politician John Fitzgerald , amongst others, who believed that Sydney should be merged into a single local government area. This was extremely unpopular with both residents and many councils, including Strathfield council, and though bills were raised in State parliament in 1912, 1927 and 1931 they failed to gather any real support and the attempt to force amalgamation failed. In 1947 Homebush and Strathfield councils merged and part of EnfieldEnfield, New South Wales
Enfield is a suburb, in the Inner-West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Enfield is located 13 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Burwood Council.-History:...
was added in 1949.
In 1974 two reports, one by J.C. Barnett and the other from the State Boundaries Commission, recommended that Ashfield
Ashfield, New South Wales
Ashfield is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Ashfield is about 9 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Municipality of Ashfield.The official name for the...
, Drummoyne
Drummoyne, New South Wales
Drummoyne is a suburb in the inner west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 6 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Canada Bay....
, Burwood
Burwood, New South Wales
Burwood is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Burwood is located 12 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of Burwood Council....
and Concord
Concord, New South Wales
Concord is a suburb in the inner west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 15 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Canada Bay....
should amalgamate with Strathfield. This was energetically opposed by residents and council alderman and this amalgamation also did not come to fruition.
In 1992, a section of the northern part of the Municipality was transferred to the Auburn Council
Auburn Council
Auburn Council is the governing body of a local government area in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, about 15 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district...
area. In return, the area of and between Boundary Creek and the railway line, occupied by the former Ford factory building, was transferred from Auburn to Strathfield Council.
Council
Strathfield Municipal Council is composed of seven councillors elected proportionally. The mayor is not directly elected. The current makeup of the council is as follows:| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| 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... |
3 | |
| Liberal Party of Australia Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office... |
3 | |
| Independents Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... |
1 | |
| Total | 7 | |
The current council, elected in 2008, is:
| Councillor | Party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keith Kwon | Labor 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... |
||
| Bill Carney | Liberal Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office... |
||
| Helen McLucas | Liberal Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office... |
Replaced Independent Councillor Danny Lim in a by-election, 23 October 2010 | |
| Hope Brett-Bowen | Labor 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... |
Deputy Mayor | |
| Tony Maroun | Liberal Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office... |
Mayor | |
| Paul Barron | Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... |
||
| Sundar Eswaran | Labor 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... |
||
Culture
The population of Strathfield is made up of a number of ethnic groups, and about 48% of the population born overseas. As a result there are a number of services for newly arrived immigrants and overseas students who live in the area. Two such organisations are the Russian Ethnic Community Council of NSW Inc (RECNSW), and the Sydney Tamil Resource Centre Inc (STRC). RECNSW provides access to information and referral to mainstream services to recent immigrants of RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n and Russian speaking
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
background and disseminates information to remote and offshore areas on a number of issues. STRC provides resources to Tamil
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
immigrants.
In the 90s, a large number of Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n migrants settled in Strathfield. This was mainly due to its proximity to Campsie
Campsie, New South Wales
Campsie is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Campsie is located 13 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, on the southern bank of the Cooks River. Campsie is the commercial and administrative centre of the City of...
– which had been a de facto centre of Korean people. The boom in Korean International Students and establishment of the Strathfield Korean Uniting Church on Homebush Road were other factors. Strathfield now boasts a large number of shops selling Korean food and cultural items.
Strathfield also has a number of community centres, including a Rotary club, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n theatre, Lantern Club, and libraries. The local Rotary club provides support to the community and has a number of projects in the area, as well as a Musical Society (part of Rotary?), which normally produces two shows a year in the Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n Theatre in Strathfield. Their main social activity is rehearsing twice weekly and they present seven performances of their musical production over two weekends. Strathfield Lantern Club Voluntary is located in Strathfield and provides fundraising organisation for raising funds specifically for the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children
Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children
The Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children in Sydney provides a range of educational services for students with vision and/or hearing impairment, including specialist schools for signing deaf students, oral deaf students, and students with sensory and intellectual disabilities.RIDBC offers...
in North Rocks
North Rocks, New South Wales
North Rocks is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. North Rocks is located 26 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of The Hills Shire, in the Hills District.-History:...
.
The Council operates two libraries: the Central Library in Homebush and a Branch library in Strathfield South. The central library, located in Homebush, was demolished in 2002 and a new library was built and opened in 2004. The Branch Library in Strathfield South was rebuilt and opened in 2008.
Whilst not perhaps basking in quite the same popular musical glory as neighbouring Burwood
Burwood, New South Wales
Burwood is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Burwood is located 12 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of Burwood Council....
with its links to the formation of the Easybeats and AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
, Strathfield has made its own unique contribution to pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
. Strathfield was home during part of the 1960s to The BeeGees (Redmyre Road) and several Australian indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
and indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
bands have emerged from Strathfield including Prince Vlad & the Gargoyle Impalers, Lunatic Fringe
Lunatic Fringe
Lunatic fringe is a term used to characterize members of a usually political or social movement espousing extreme, eccentric, or fanatical views. It was coined by the 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt , to describe some American anarchists, especially those who engaged in...
, The Upbeat
The Upbeat
The Upbeat was formed in 1985, in the small beach-side community of Carpinteria, CA. Heavily influenced by the 2 Tone Ska of the late 70s and early 80s, the group was formed by rhythm guitar player, Eric "Scaric" Vallen, bass guitar player Brandon "Hossinn" Seider, lead singer Mike "Oreo"...
, Women of Troy member Paul O'Reilly
Paul O'Reilly
Paul John O'Reilly is a former English cricketer. O'Reilly was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm fast-medium. He was born in Watford, Hertfordshire....
, and The Mexican Spitfires
The Mexican Spitfires
The Mexican Spitfires were a Sydney, Australia-based indie rock–indie pop band formed in suburban Strathfield in the Strathfield Municipality in the mid 1980s...
. Grant McLennan
Grant McLennan
Grant William McLennan was an Australian singer-songwriter with the alternative rock band The Go-Betweens, which he co-founded with Robert Forster in Brisbane, Australia in 1977...
of The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens were an indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Australia in 1977 by singer-songwriters and guitarists, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan. They were later joined by Lindy Morrison on drums, Robert Vickers on bass guitar and Amanda Brown on violin, oboe, guitar, and backing vocals,...
also lived in Carrington Avenue, Strathfield for a number of years in the 1990s.
The lyrics of the song by Radio Birdman
Radio Birdman
Radio Birdman was one of the first punk bands in Australia along with The Saints. Deniz Tek and Rob Younger formed the group in Sydney, Australia in 1974...
, "Murder City Nights" refers to Woodward road in Strathfield :
- Cruising down Woodward gotta find me some action
- Looking for a lover with a power reaction.
Strathfield has also been home to a number of famous sporting identities including cricketers Bobby Simpson
Bobby Simpson
Roberta "Bobby" Marshall is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Nicolle Dickson. She was introduced in the pilot episode by executive producer Alan Bateman. Nearly four hundred actresses auditioned to play Bobby, with Dickson taking the role...
and Alan Davidson
Alan Davidson
Alan Davidson is the name of:*Alan Davidson , also British diplomat*Alan Davidson , Australian cricketer*Alan Davidson , British author...
and three Prime Ministers, Frank Forde
Frank Forde
Francis Michael Forde PC was an Australian politician and the 15th Prime Minister of Australia. He was the shortest serving Prime Minister in Australia's history, being in office for only eight days.-Early life:...
, Billy Hughes
Billy Hughes
William Morris "Billy" Hughes, CH, KC, MHR , Australian politician, was the seventh Prime Minister of Australia from 1915 to 1923....
and George Reid
George Reid (Australian politician)
Sir George Houstoun Reid, GCB, GCMG, KC was an Australian politician, Premier of New South Wales and the fourth Prime Minister of Australia....
.
Education
Strathfield also has a number of High Schools, Primary Schools and a University campus. The High Schools include Strathfield Girls High, Homebush Boys High, St Patrick's CollegeSt Patrick's College, Strathfield
St Patrick's College is an independent, Roman Catholic, day school for boys, located in Strathfield in the inner west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
, Santa Sabina College
Santa Sabina College
Santa Sabina College, is a Roman Catholic, Dominican, day school for girls K-12 and boys K-4, located in Strathfield, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
, Sydney Adventist College
Sydney Adventist College
Sydney Adventist College is an independent, co-educational, Seventh-day Adventist, day school, located in Strathfield, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, Meriden
Meriden, Strathfield
Meriden, An Anglican School for Girls is an independent, Anglican, day school for girls, located in Strathfield, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
and Chalmers Road Public School. A campus of the Australian Catholic University
Australian Catholic University
Australian Catholic University is a national public university. It has six campuses and offers programs in five faculties throughout Australia.-History:...
, Mount Carmel Campus, is located in Strathfield. There are some 8 Public and Independent Primary Schools in the area.
Business and Academics
- John SymondJohn SymondJohn Symond is an Australian businessman. He is best known as the founder of Aussie Home Loans. -Early life:John Symond was born on 17 August 1947 in Crookwell, New South Wales and raised in Sydney, Australia. Growing up he spent most of his time between Brisbane, where his mother's family lived,...
- Founding and Managing Director of the Aussie Group - attended Homebush Boys High - Richard Collins - Emeritus Professor of Physics, University of Sydney - attended Homebush Boys High
- Tom Keneally - Author and Historian - attended St Patrick's College, StrathfieldSt Patrick's College, StrathfieldSt Patrick's College is an independent, Roman Catholic, day school for boys, located in Strathfield in the inner west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
Politics
- Bob DebusBob DebusRobert John "Bob" Debus AM , a former Australian politician, has been a member of the Australian House of Representatives and the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing the Australian Labor Party. Debus has been a minister in both the Australian and New South Wales governments...
- Australian Federal Minister for the Environment and Minister for the Arts - attended Homebush Boys High - Jim LloydJim LloydJames Eric Lloyd JP , Australian politician, was a Liberal Party of Australia member of the Australian House of Representatives from the March 1996 election until the November 2007 election, representing the Division of Robertson in New South Wales.Born in Sydney, New South Wales, Lloyd was...
- Federal Liberal PartyLiberal Party of AustraliaThe Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
Politician and Federal Minister - attended Homebush Boys High - John Brogden - Former State Opposition Leader - attended St Patrick's College, StrathfieldSt Patrick's College, StrathfieldSt Patrick's College is an independent, Roman Catholic, day school for boys, located in Strathfield in the inner west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
- Tony BurkeTony BurkeAnthony 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...
- Federal ALPAustralian Labor PartyThe 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...
Politician and Federal Minister - attended St Patrick's College, StrathfieldSt Patrick's College, StrathfieldSt Patrick's College is an independent, Roman Catholic, day school for boys, located in Strathfield in the inner west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
Sports
- Cynthia Mitchell, Paralympian (skiing), attended Santa Sabina CollegeSanta Sabina CollegeSanta Sabina College, is a Roman Catholic, Dominican, day school for girls K-12 and boys K-4, located in Strathfield, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
- Gordon BrayGordon BrayGordon Bray AM has risen to prominence as one of Australia's leading sports commentators, earning himself the title, "The Voice of Rugby"....
- Australian sports commentator, 'Voice of Rugby' - attended Homebush Boys High - John BallestyJohn BallestyJohn Patrick Ballesty in Strathfield, New South Wales is an Australian former national representative rugby union player who also played first-grade rugby league with the Eastern Suburbs club.-Rugby union:...
- played Rugby Union and League for Australia - attended St Patrick's College, Strathfield - Rodney BlakeRodney BlakeRodney Blake is a professional Australian rugby union footballer. He plays prop for the Melbourne Rebels. He previously played for Bayonne in France. He is sometimes referred to as Rodzilla. His father Paul is a former Otago flanker. In June 2006, Blake made his debut for the Wallabies.- Career...
- Rugby Union player, Queensland RedsQueensland RedsThe Queensland Reds represent Queensland in the sport of rugby union in the Southern Hemisphere Super Rugby competition. Prior to 1996 they were a representative team selected on merit from the rugby union club competitions in Queensland...
and Australia - attended Homebush Boys High
Geography
The Municipality of Strathfield is located at 33°52'10" North, 151°5'59" West (33.8717, 151.0899). It covers a total area of approximately 14.1 square kilometres and includes the suburbs of StrathfieldStrathfield, New South Wales
Strathfield is an Inner West suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Strathfield is located 14 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield...
, Strathfield South, Homebush
Homebush, New South Wales
Homebush is an inner western suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Homebush is located 15 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield. Homebush West and Homebush Bay are separate suburbs...
, Homebush West, Greenacre, Flemington
Flemington, New South Wales
Flemington is an inner western suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Flemington is located 16 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield.-Commercial area:...
, part of Enfield
Enfield, New South Wales
Enfield is a suburb, in the Inner-West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Enfield is located 13 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Burwood Council.-History:...
and part of 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...
(in Australia, a Local Government Area, or LGA, incorporates many suburbs into its area). Homebush Bay Drive bounds the Municipality of Strathfield to the north, Powells Creek, The Boulevarde and Coronation Parade bounds it to the east, Punchbowl Road and Juno Parade form the southern border and Roberts Road, Chullora rail yards, Rookwood Cemetery
Rookwood Cemetery
Rookwood Cemetery is the largest multicultural necropolis in the Southern Hemisphere, located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
and the Sydney Olympic Park
Sydney Olympic Park
Sydney Olympic Park is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sydney Olympic Park is located 16 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Auburn Council....
Rail line bound the Municipality to the west.
For NSW state elections, the Municipality of Strathfield is divided between the Electoral district of Strathfield
Electoral district of Strathfield
Strathfield is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It was first created in 1988, and derives its name from the suburb of the same name. Strathfield is an urban electorate, covering 17.94 km² and taking in the suburbs of Strathfield,...
, Electoral district of Drummoyne
Electoral district of Drummoyne
Drummoyne is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by John Sidoti of the Liberal Party of Australia.-History:...
and Electoral district of Canterbury
Electoral district of Canterbury
Canterbury is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Linda Burney of the Australian Labor Party.-History:...
and for Federal elections it is in the electorate of Reid
Division of Reid
The Division of Reid is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It is located in the western suburbs of Sydney, and includes the suburbs of Abbotsford, Auburn , Berala , Breakfast Point, Burwood , Cabarita, Canada Bay, Chiswick, Concord, Concord West, Croydon , Drummoyne,...
. From the next federal election (2010), the municipality will be located in the electorate of Reid (formerly Lowe) and electorate of Watson.
Demographics and statistics
See also: Demographics of the Municipality of StrathfieldDemographics of the Municipality of Strathfield
The following are a variety of statistics for the Local Government Area of Strathfield.-Summary:-Overseas born residents' birthplace:-Religion:-Crime:-Notes:...
.
Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It was created as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of Australia...
). The Strathfield Local Government Area is a culturally diverse
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
region. The 2001 Census recorded the population of the Municipality as 27,956 – an increase of 8.1% since the 1996 Census. Of the total area, the census showed that 46% of the people stated that they were Australian-born. The number of people born overseas was 13,521 (48% of the total population) compared with 11,386 (44% of the total population) in 1996 and 10,176 (40% of the total population) in 1991. Of those born overseas the three main countries of birth were the Republic of Korea (South) – 1750 people (6.3%); China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
(excluding SARs and Taiwan) – 1632 people (5.9%) and Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
– 1544 people (5.5%).
Religions
According to the 2001 census, 82.2% of people in Strathfield, identify with a religious tradition.(Demographics of the Municipality of Strathfield#Religion) This is up against 72.86% of the total population of AustraliaAustralia
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...
who identified with a religious tradition. 63% of the population identified as Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, 54.29 per cent of those (or 34.2 per cent of the total population) as 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"...
, and 14.9 per cent of those (or 9.4 per cent of the total population) as Anglican. 10 per cent identified with no religion, while 8.9 per cent were Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
and 5.7 per cent Buddhist.
Incidents within Strathfield
On 17 August 1991, seven people were killed, when Wade Frankum stabbed a fifteen year-old girl to death, before running amok with a rifleRifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
in the Strathfield Plaza shopping mall, and then turning the weapon on himself. This is commonly known as the Strathfield Massacre
Strathfield Massacre
The Strathfield massacre was a shooting rampage in Sydney, Australia on Saturday, 17 August 1991. The shooter was Wade Frankum, who killed himself as police arrived at the scene. The incident left eight dead and six wounded.-Perpetrator:...
and it shocked the nation. A Memorial plaque is located at Churchill Avenue, Strathfield.
In 2004 the then Mayor of the Municipality of Strathfield, Alfred Tsang
Alfred Tsang
Alfred Tsang was the former mayor of the Municipality of Strathfield in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.- Early career :Tsang was formerly a staff at IBM, and also ran his own chain of restaurants known as "I love sushi". After Tsang became leader of the Unity Party, he was elected to...
, stepped down after he was caught on film accepting money from a property developer. This resulted in an inquiry by the ICAC, which found against Tsang, former Councillor John Abi-Saab and other associates.
Further Reading
- Australian Bureau of StatisticsAustralian Bureau of StatisticsThe Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It was created as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of Australia...
(2003). The people of New South Wales. Statistics from the 2001 Census. Joint publication of the NSW State Government (Community Relations Commission) & the Australian Federal Government (Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs). - Davies, Anne (21 December 2004). Design rules for developments won't block out ground-floor corruption. The Sydney Morning HeraldThe Sydney Morning HeraldThe Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
. - History Records of Australia, 1/1
- Jones, Cathy (2004). Strathfield - origin of the name, Strathfield District Historical Society. Retrieved 4 October 2004.
- Jones, Michael (1985). Oasis in the West: Strathfield's first hundred years. North Sydney: Allen & Unwin Australia. ISBN 0-86861-407-6.
- Mayor stands down over cash wad claim (20 December 2004). The Sydney Morning Herald.
- Sexton, Jennifer (20 December 2004). Video cash mayor steps down. The Australian.
- Sexton, Jennifer (5 February 2005). Machinations and the mayor. The Australian.
- Strathfield Municipal Council, About our Local Government Area. Retrieved 8 October 2004.
- "Strathfield pair resign" (1 March 2005). The Sydney Morning Herald.
- New South Wales State Electoral Office. State Electoral District Of Strathfield. Retrieved 17 October 2004.
- Bureau of Crime and Statistics, NSW Recorded Crime Statistics - Strathfield LGA, as PDF, or as Excel spreadsheet.
- Strathfield councillor Danny Lim resigns http://inner-west-courier.whereilive.com.au/news/story/danny-lim-resigns/