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SATURDAY HISTORY TALK

Time and date: Saturday 21 February 2026 at 1.00 – 2.00pm

Title of talk: The Federation House revealed – How it Really Came to Be

Speaker: Mark Salboch

Venue: Vonnie Young Auditorium, Bowen Library,669/673 Anzac Parade, Maroubra NSW 2035

Summary:

As Australia looks ahead to the 125th anniversary of Federation in 2026, this is the perfect time to rediscover the charm and significance of the Federation house — a defining feature of our national heritage. These much-loved homes are more than beautiful architecture; they are living reminders of a moment when Australia was shaping its identity.

Join us for an illustrated talk that explores the origins of the Federation period house in Sydney and traces its evolution from the ornate Victorian Italianate style. Learn how the social and cultural changes of the 1890s helped create a uniquely Australian architectural expression.

Art critic and former Glebe resident Bernard Smith first coined the term “Federation” to describe this style, replacing the misleading “Queen Anne.” His insight helped redefine how Australians saw their own built environment — and their place in history.

Speaker Bio: Mark Sabolch is a member of the Ashfield and District Historical Society and author of the ‘Hawthorne Canal – the History of Long Cove Creek’. Recently Mark has been researching the origins of the architectural house styles prevalent in Sydney’s inner west.

Bookings: 9349 3572 or email:randwickhistory@outlook.com 

Christine Yeats
President
Randwick & District Historical Society

 

Exploring Personal Links to Historic Local Buildings

Members of the Society have recently participated in a research project being undertaken by a group of Master of Architecture students from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).

The three students (Adelina, Mia, and Phillipa) are identifying older buildings in the Eastern Suburbs that have a special personal significance for people. They are documenting the history of the buildings and their value to people, as well as looking more deeply into why people have a special relationship with certain buildings and want to preserve them against the threat of demolition.

When they contacted the Society hoping to meet people in the area with personal stories about specific buildings, we emailed all our members. Of those who expressed an interest, eight were able to make it to a two-hour meeting with the students in our centre on 7 October 2025.

In the first part of the meeting, each person spoke about why some buildings were important to them. Over twenty buildings and areas were mentioned, notably:

• Blenheim House, the original home of Simeon Pearce built in 1848, which is currently being restored to become a local arts centre.
• 62-64 Carr St, Coogee, built in 1909, with 62 once the home of the Grand Pacific Hotel and 64 now the home of the Barzura café, two Coogee icons from the past and present, and the subject of a Newsletter article by Rona Wade in September, 2021.
• The Towers at 18 Alison Rd, Randwick, the subject of a recently published booklet written by two RDHS members, Maureen Norbury and Colleen Malone.
• The Wirths family home, near the top of Arden St, Coogee, built in 1916 as the home of the Wirth circus family, and now being restored to its earlier state.
• A house in Baden St, Coogee, built in 1925, which has very interesting links to James Joynton Smith (co-owner of the legendary Smiths Weekly newspaper) as well as architectural significance.
• The old Coogee Aquarium and Swimming Baths, originally built in 1887 and now the site of the Pavilion Restaurant.
• The Maroubra Fire Station, opened in 1924
• The Garden House Estate in Daceyville

Other buildings raised by interested members unable to come to the meeting included the Gower Galtees (a ‘striking example of art deco architecture’ built in 1940 at the top of Coogee Bay Rd), the old Randwick Tramways Workshops (King St, Randwick), and the Grotta Capri Restaurant (Anzac Pde, soon to be demolished).

The discussion highlighted the large array of great old buildings in the Randwick area. Some of the above have a long history central to the development of the area. Some have heritage listing, some do not. Some are leading examples of earlier styles of architecture (such as art deco). Some were the homes of famous people. And some are symbolic of valuable public services with a long presence in the area. Together, they present a marvellous picture of a history we should all be aiming to preserve.

Members were then asked to complete a survey form developed by the students aimed at stimulating memories and drawing out more precisely what is important to them about the buildings. Is it a personal connection, the wider historical significance, the architecture, or something else? A lot of thinking and analysis had clearly gone into preparing the survey questions, and some members commented that it had made them think more deeply about why they are committed to maintaining our heritage.

There was an enthusiastic and collegiate atmosphere in the meeting, and everyone seemed to agree it was a great success. Adelina, Mia, and Phillipa said they had got the sort of information and insights they were after and will come back to us about their future action.

We were all impressed with their knowledge, understanding, commitment, and capacity to help us protect the heritage of our area. For the members present, it was a chance to pass on their knowledge of subjects for which they have an interest and passion, and potentially get the assistance of trained architects to document this.  For everybody, it was also an excellent inter-generational activity.

Finally, this exercise once again showed what a valuable resource the Randwick and District Historical Society is for researchers and the community more broadly, not just in our collections of written material, photos, maps, objects, and artifacts, but also what is in the minds and experience of our members.

Bob Davidson, R&DHS Volunteer