Brennan Park in Wollstonecraft is a much-loved local green space which was opened in 1913.
North Sydney’s neighbourhood parks act as the community backyard, especially where population density is high and private open space is limited. Brennan Park is particularly valued by locals since it was created, developed and maintained largely through community effort.
The land on King Street, Wollstonecraft, that now constitutes Brennan Park was once part of the Berry Estate, one of the first and largest North Shore land grants. North Sydney’s first resident action group, the Bay Road and District Progress Association, was formed in 1911 with the aim of securing a public recreation area from the Berry Estate. When this five-acre Wollstonecraft plot was auctioned in 1913, four local residents, led by retired policeman (and subsequent Alderman) Richard Brennan, petitioned North Sydney Council to acquire the land as a reserve. The Council agreed, provided the residents contributed a portion of the purchase price. On 7 November 1913, Brennan Park was dedicated by the Mayor of North Sydney, Charles Alexander Walker, in recognition of Mr Brennan’s efforts.
Brennan Park had a less than salubrious beginning. Alderman Brennan described it as being ‘cut in two by an abyss. There was no foliage of any kind growing there. I saw as many as three dead dogs in a water hole and on another occasion a dead donkey left by a circus proprietor’. The council decided that this ‘abyss’ should be filled with street sweepings and wood chippings, with a view to raising the level then creating terraces.
The site soon became a dumping ground for more than just organic material. Local resident Rosalie Faulkner-Camden recalled that ‘the boys (collected) treasures of old car parts, nuts and bolts, and so on’. By 1918, the Progress Association and other residents were complaining of unsightliness and vermin. The council responded by employing a ranger and erecting a fence, but the debates still raged for over a decade.
During the 1930s, North Sydney Council focused on ‘beautification,’ spending £15,000 in 1934 on improving parks, equivalent to approximately $1.5 million today. An extensive relief work scheme gave employment during the Depression to as many as 1,400 men at one time. Many worked in local parks. Brennan Park’s improvements included two avenues of ornamental trees on each side.
The pergola entrance was opened on 7 November 1932, by Bertram Sydney Stevens, Premier of New South Wales. The ceremony included tree plantings of Queensland Fire Trees, Cape Chestnuts, Illawarra Flame Trees, Oaks, Hill’s Figs and Bottle Brush.
Nature has also impacted dramatically upon Brennan Park. In January 1996, a tornado tore through North Sydney, reaching speeds of more than 120 kilometres per hour. Wollstonecraft and Waverton were the worst affected suburbs. Mature fig trees in Brennan Park were uprooted, and the cost of clean-up operations ran to tens of thousands of dollars. The council removed 27 mature trees made unstable by the storm, including coral trees, brush box and jacarandas. Many locals were devastated by the loss but succeeded in saving one brush box by wrapping a white band – symbolising peace – around the trunk. The community organised a healing and replanting ceremony with the council in the wake of the disaster.
Today Brennan Park is a vital urban green space. In 2013, award- winning community group the Waverton Hub was officially launched here, marked by the planting of a commemorativewWollemi pine tree. Many community members help to maintain the park’s natural beauty, through volunteering on North Sydney Council’s Streets Alive Program. The park is an excellent example of how community dedication and passion can provide a lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy.
Historical Services, North Sydney Council.