Lidcombe, New South Wales

Infobox Australian Place | type = suburb
name = Lidcombe
city = Sydney
state = nsw


caption = Lidcombe Post Office
lga = Auburn Council
postcode = 2141
est =
pop =
density =
area =
propval = $ 450,000
stategov = Auburn
fedgov = Reid
near-nw = Silverwater
near-n = Newington
near-ne = Silverwater
near-w = Auburn
near-e = Homebush West
near-sw = Berala
near-s = Rookwood
near-se = Strathfield
dist1 = 17
dir1 = west
location1= Sydney CBD

Lidcombe is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales Australia. Lidcombe is located 17 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Auburn Council. Lidcombe is colloquially known as ‘Liddy’.

Lidcombe is located north of Rookwood Cemetery, the largest cemetery in the Southern Hemisphere. Suburbs next to it are Homebush West (eastern side), Newington and Silverwater (north), Auburn (west) and Berala and Rookwood (south).

History

Lidcombe was named in 1914 by combining the names of the previous mayor Mr Lidbury and the current mayor Mr Larcombe. Thus, Lidcombe was born.

A railway station called Haslam’s Creek was opened in this area in 1859, on the railway line from Sydney to Parramatta. Samuel Haslam owned various grants beside the creek from 1804. It had not been intended to construct a station at Haslam's Creek, however the then owner of the land where the station now stands, Father John Joseph Therry, together with nearby landholders Potts and Blaxland, agreed to pay £700 to enable its construction ["John Joseph Therry - His Lidcombe Property" Mitchell, John Australian Railway History, September, 2008 pp308-310] .

Haslam’s Creek was the site of the first railway disaster in New South Wales in July 1858 which resulted in two deaths. [Book of Sydney Suburbs, Frances Pollon (Angus and Robertson) 1990]

When the necropolis opened in 1867 it was known as Haslam’s Creek Cemetery. Residents disliked the association with the burial ground and in 1876 the suburb was renamed Rookwood from a title of a novel by William Harrison Ainsworth (1805-1882). The name of the railway station was changed to Rookwood in 1878 and by the 1880s shops were established in the area. In 1891, the municipality of Rookwood was incorporated. Over time, the necropolis had become known as Rookwood Cemetery and by 1898 residents were again agitated about the association of their suburb with the cemetery. In 1913, a new name was suggested to honour two mayors that had served the community and the station name was changed on 1 January 1914. The municipality amalgamated with Auburn in 1949. ["The Book of Sydney Suburbs", Compiled by Frances Pollen, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia ISBN 0-207-14495-8 ]

The two main streets are John and Joseph, named after the early colonial priest John Joseph Terry.

Transport

Lidcombe railway station is a junction for six railway lines, the Western line to Parramatta, Richmond and Emu Plains, the Bankstown line, the Southern line to Liverpooland the Blue Mountains line A railway line leading to the nearby cemetery originally ran from Mortuary railway station, near Central railway station but has since closed. Lidcombe station is also a hub for special events, with a sprint platform to the Olympic Park line (opened prior to the 2000 Sydney Olympics).

Landmarks

* The Minda Detention Centre, at Rookwood Road, is a juvenile facility for girls. Minda is the only detention facility of its type catering for juvenile female offenders in New South Wales. The Centre was also used as a filming location for the UK-Australian TV mini series, 'The Leaving of Liverpool'.
* The heritage-listed Lidcombe Hospital was closed in the 1990s. It is now being developed as a residential estate. The complex was designed by Walter Liberty Vernon, the Government Architect of the day, and built in 1906. It is now listed on the Register of the National Estate. [The Heritage of Australia, Macmillan Company, 1981]
* The Gables is a historic home in East Street, opposite Rookwood Cemetery, that is now used as a function centre.

Churches

Due to the proximity of the suburb to the cemetery, it comes as no surprise that Lidcombe has many places of worship including:
* [http://stjoachim.hankfacer.com/ St. Joachim's Catholic Church on John Street]
* The Armenian Catholic Church on John Street
* The magnificent Ukrainian Orthodox Church on Church Street
* An Orthodox Church on Joseph Street
* The Baptist Church on Kerrs Road
* The Presbyterian Church on Yarram Street (now closed and being sold off)
* A Pacific Island Christian Church at Martin Street
* St Stephens Anglican Church on Mark Street
* A Christian Church on the corner of Olympic Drive and Vaughan Street
* A Russian Orthodox Church on Vaughan Street

chools

Lidcombe Public School was established in 1879 making it one of the oldest in the Sydney suburbs. The school is located on John Street.

A Catholic school, called [http://www.sjps.lidcombe.syd.catholic.edu.au/ St Joachim's Parish School] , is located on Mary Street. The Sisters of St Joseph founded the school in 1885 and remained active in the school until 1984. After that time the Sisters handed the Principalship over to lay staff who have continued to uphold the traditions and spirit of Blessed Mary MacKillop, who walked the playground and worked at the school, and her Josephite Sisters. The school caters for children up to Year 6.

There used to be a Marist Brothers boys-only school located on Keating Street, behind St. Joachim's Catholic Church. It closed down after the amalgamation of several Catholic schools in the area. The school catered for boys up to Year 6. This site is now the location of various Catholic Church enterprises, including the Inner Western Regional Office of the Catholic Education Office, Sydney, the Catholic Adult Education Centre (run by the Opus Dei movement) and a bookstore specialising in Catholic publications("The Mustard Seed").

Lidcombe Public School holds upwards of 600 students. It caters for special education children with trained teachers in that field. The school provides extra-cirricular education facilities such as a choir, dance group, PSSA sports team.

Commercial Area

Lidcombe has a mixture of residential, commercial and industrial developments. A small shopping centre is located close to Lidcombe railway station. Commercial and industrial developments are located along Parramatta Road and surrounding areas.

Industry

* Macquarie Goodman own a couple of business parks on Parramatta Road and Birnie Avenue.
* The Dairy Farmers' distribution centre is located at Birnie Avenue. Dairy Farmers is a milk co-operative and supplied most of NSW's milk before competition was opened to milk suppliers from other states.
* Masons servicing the nearby Rookwood Cemetery are located on Railway Street
* Arthur Street business park just on the border with Strathfield Municipality.
* Dooley's Lidcombe Catholic Club (there is a franchise in Silverwater too)
* McVicar's Bus Service depot was located at the corner of Joseph and James Streets. It closed in 1978.
* Phil Gilbert Toyota (Parramatta Road and Bombay Street)
* The Tooheys Brewery is located on the corner of Parramatta Road and Nyrang Street. The brewery site was bought in 1955 and the company is now part of the Lion Nathan conglomerate. The smell of the hops is noticeable around the area as it wafts through the air, especially during the night.
* The NSW Rural Fire Service headquarters is on Carter Street. Carter Street was part of Lidcombe before the 2000 Sydney Olympics. This area is now part of Homebush Bay. The Olympic site was once a stockyard and abattoir.

port and Recreation

Lidcombe Oval

Lidcombe Oval, situated in Church Street, on the northern side of the railway line, was the home ground of the Western Suburbs Magpies from 1967-1986. The playing surface is enclosed by a cycling track. The ground earned a reputation as a fortress for the home side, particularly in the late 1970's to the early 1980's when the Magpies were at their most competitive. Games against rivals Parramatta and Manly would usually draw large crowds during this era. The attendance record for the venue is 21,015 (Wests vs Parramatta, 30.7.78).

Carnarvon Golf Course

The Carnarvon Golf Course, located at Nottinghill Road and Joseph Street, has had a varied history reflecting the social history of Lidcombe. The first site was in use from 1927 to 1932 and occupied an area running east and west on the northern side of Parramatta Road, Lidcombe between Wetherill Street and Hill Road in an area currently covered by the M4. The “Old Course” was in an area of three paddocks north of Fariola Street in an area owned by the Newington State Hospital (now Silverwater Prison) which consisted of nine holes in the top paddock (holes one-eight and eighteen). Seven holes in the bottom paddock, now Wilson Park, and the sixteenth and seventeenth holes in a paddock leased from Lidcombe Council on the southern side of Holker Street. This course was in use from 1932 until early 1943 when the top paddock and the Clubhouse were taken over by the U.S. Navy during World War II.The Silverwater Course was used from 1942 to 1949 and was a nine-hole course where the bottom paddock held holes one-two and five-nine with the third and fourth holes in the Council paddock. The present site which originally consisted of Lidcombe Sports and Showground and the western grazing paddock of Lidcombe State Hospital was obtained in 1947 and officially opened in December, 1949. [http://www.carnarvongolf.com.au/carnarvonhistory/Sites.htm]

Population

Demographics

It is a traditional working-class suburb that has, particularly in the northern part of the suburb, experienced the processes of gentrification in recent years. Today, the suburb is a multicultural one reflecting the waves of immigration of postwar Australia. It features a large multicultural population, particularly people of Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Lebanese, Ukrainian, Croatian and Filipino heritage.

Notable Residents

* [http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hanstrans.nsf/V3ByKey/LA19971118 John Ernest Sullivan] . A longstanding member of the Australian Labor Party, he went to the Marist Brothers school (now closed, since turned into the Catholic Education Office) located on Keating Street.
* Rod Taylor. For some years after his Hollywood success, his mother still lived at a local street (reference: Schoolfriends messageboard, now inactive). He went to Parramatta High School.
* Michael Wenden. An Olympic swimmer, attended Marist Brothers Lidcombe, he won gold in the 100m and 200m freestyle, silver in the 800m freestyle relay and bronze in the 400m freestyle relay at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
* Alberto Dominguez. A Qantas baggage handler who was on holiday in the USA. He died on board American Airlines Flight 11 on September 11, 2001 which crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Centre.

References

* Stafford, Ted (1991) "Living in Liddy" Ettalong Beach, NSW ISBN 0-646-05153-9
* NSW Parliament (2003) [http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hanstrans.nsf/V3ByKey/LA20030626 Legislative Assembly Hansard Full Day Trsnacript: Parramatta High School]

External links