Wedding photos, La Perouse

The bridge to Bare Island, La Perouse

Taken from the Bare Island side.

Bare Island, La Perouse

Bare Island was part of the traditional land of the Gweagal and Kameygal Aboriginal tribes. In 1770, it was described as ‘a small bare island’ by early explorer, Lieutenant James Cook.

In 1877 it was decided that a fort was to be built on the island. Botany Bay was considered the back door into Sydney, thus making the city vulnerable to a seaborne attack. Russia was perceived as the main threat. Plans for the construction of a fort were drawn up by the Colonial Architects Department and tenders in 1880. Construction was completed in 1885.

In 1890 a Royal Commission found that construction of the fort was faulty due to the use of an inferior grade of concrete. The whole project started to crumble before it was completed. The Royal Commission was very critical of the material used and were reluctant to refer to the material as concrete. The two clerks who were responsible for the operation, Henry Purkis and Edwin Colley, were found to be neglectful in their duties of inspecting the site. The contractor responsible was asked to repay some of the money that was paid out to him. He was also banned from any other government contracts. The Colonial Architect Mr James Barnet who is more widely known for designing many of the beautiful sandstone buildings in Sydney was eventually blamed for failing to oversee the project and to limit the amount of extra funds paid out to the contractor. This led to his resignation in disgrace from government office.

Though bristling with guns, the fort was soon made redundant by advancing technology. By 1902 Bare Island was decommissioned and ceased to exist as a military fortification, with only a handful of military personnel manning the fort.

In 1912, Bare Island became a retirement home for war veterans from the Crimea, Sudan and China campaigns. It continued to operate as a retirement home until 1963, after this the Randwick District Historical Society became caretakers of the island. In 1967 it was passed onto the New South Wales Parks and Wildlife Service for use as a museum and tourist attraction. The Bare Island fort has now been declared an historical site, and can be visited by way of guided tours on Sundays.

It featured in the movie Mission Impossible 2.

Boatshed Cafe, La Perouse;site of Paragon Seafood Restaurant

Nick and Angelo Omeros, with their mother, Helen, emigrated to Australia from Greece in 1953. They, and their three older brothers, became restauranteurs.

Nick, Michael, Costa and Comino opened the Paragon Seafood Restaurant at La Perouse in November 1968. They transformed the Paragon Café and Boat Shed from a café, milkbar and take-away with boat hiring facilities. It was the second restaurant to specialise in seafood in New South Wales.

When diners turned up for lunch on the last Sunday in May 1974, they were horrified at the sight that greeted them. The collapsed restaurant building was literally slipping into the sea, a victim of the previous night’s storm. This was regarded as the worst in twenty years and caused a great deal of damage in Sydney. The restaurant was a total write-off, and the Omeros brothers moved on to success elsewhere.

Sea-green

Underwater, Little Bay

Reflections on change

January 1st - a time to reflect on changes which have taken place during the past year, and things you might like to change in the coming year.

As individuals, there are things we can change, and others we can't. We can make deliberate and conscious choices. I chose to eat less and lose weight and feel healthier.

As humanity,there's a whole lot we need to change. Seems there was a collective failure of will at Copenhagen. Let's see if we can do better in 2010. Individual effort may make individuals feel good about themselves, but it's not going to be enough to save the boat we're all in together!

(the pic is a changed image of me in the rockpool at Little Bay)

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Some of my favourite pics of 2009

Not necessarily the best, but some of my favourites from this year.
From top left:

Jan 31 - Bronte Baths
Sep 11 - Sunset, Sydney Park
Jan 07 - Dogs on Rosedale Beach
Feb 18 - Wedding reception, Wylie's Baths, Coogee
Oct 14 - Boatshed, Bedlam Bay
Mar 18 - Suilinn and Aggie
Feb 12 - Baths, Coogee Beach
Sep 25 - Sunrise, Arncliffe
Nov 07 - Sculpture By The Sea - Gilded Cage
Jan 16 - Rosedale Beach (this is my computer wallpaper)
Feb 03 - The Kiss
Dec 24 - Underwater world
July 27 - Repair shop man
June 28 - Cormorant and Opera House
Oct 24 - Woolwich Dock