1994: When Tony Abbott was elected as MP for Warringah & Bronwyn Bishop won MacKellar

At the Federal election over a week ago, Tony Abbott's political career came to an end when he lost the seat to Independent Candidate Zali Stegall.

According to the results from the Australian Electoral Commission, Abbott lost a third of his vote from the 2016 Federal Election with a 20% swing to Stegall. 

While people will be talking about his loss for a long time, why not look back at when he won election as the MP for Warringah back in 1994.

Why was the by-election called?

The member for Warringah - Michael MacKellar announced on January 21, 1994, that he would resign from Federal Parliament to accept a role at Plastics, Chemicals and Allied Industries Association of Australia.

MacKellar had served the electorate for 24 years.

Selecting the Liberal candidate for Warringah

It was rumoured that Senator Bronwyn Bishop would run as she was building a support base within the electorate. She ended up contesting MacKellar.

Abbott won preselection for the seat of Warringah on February 20, 1994, for the Liberal Party,  defeating Peter King (later became MP for Wentworth from 2001-2004),

The result

The by-elections in Warringah and MacKellar was held on March 26, 1994. The Labor party did not field a candidate in either seat.

Abbott won Warringah with 55 % of first preferences and a two-party preferred vote of 59 %. He pledged his loyalty to Liberal Party leader John Hewson. Before contesting the seat, Abbott was a staffer to Hewson and head of Australians for a Constitutional Monarchy.

Bishop had a tougher battle, winning on preferences. She would remain as the member for MacKellar until 2016 when she lost preselection to Jason Falinski as the Liberal Candidate for the 2016 Federal Election. This came after she resigned as speaker in the Abbott after charging taxpayers $5 500 for a 2015 helicopter charter flight from Geelong to Melbourne.

Below is full coverage of the by-election results from the March 27, 1994 edition of The Sunday Telegraph. 

1982: The arrival of Sydney's Freshwater Class Ferries

The Manly Ferry Freshwater moored at Manly Wharf in 2011. Photo taken by the Author. 

The Freshwater Class Ferries at present are the pride of Sydney's ferry fleet as they operate on the Circular Quay to Manly run.

They have served us proudly since 1982, and acted as the replacements for the aging steamers which had served the run for nearly 70 years.

But how did we end up with them?

It began in 1971. The Manly run was privately run by the Port Jackson & Manly Steamship Company and not part of the Sydney Ferries Network. The company was bought by Brambles Industries. Brambles increased fares, reduced services and retired the Bellubera. It was intended that the Baragoola would also be retired during this time. For regular commuters, it was feared that Ferry services from the city to Manly may be scrapped altogether.

At the time, patronage on the Manly run was decreasing due to increased car ownership, completion of new Spit Bridge in 1958 and the introduction of direct bus services from the Manly-Warringah region to the city.

Two years later (1974), the NSW Government assumed control of the Manly run.

However the Government wanted only two of the three steamers to operate - Baragoola, North Head and South Steyne. When the South Steyne was destroyed by a fire in August 1974, only two steamers were left.

During the decade, the cost of servicing the steamers had become a concern. With two steamers, no ferries were available in the event of a breakdown or if withdrawn for maintainence. Two Lady Class Ferries - Lady Wakehurst & Lady Northcott (both now retired) were reconfigured for the Manly run during their construction.

In 1975, it was announced by NSW Transport Minister Wal Fife that two new Manly Ferries would be in operation within three years.

The election of the Wran Government in 1976 led to the ideas that would shape the Freshwater Class Ferries, though construction did not begin until 1980:

• Twin hulls to allow for an easy turnaround and to accommodate the swells as they cross the Harbour Heads.
• Capacity for 1200 (slightly lower than the steamers).
• Mechnical Gangways (Required upgrades to wharves at Circular Quay and Manly to accomodate them. It meant that they could be configured according to tide levels.

The Freshwater was the first ferry to enter service in December 1982. This was followed by the Queenscliff (1983) , Narrabeen (1984) and Collaroy (1988). The remaining steamers were withdrawn with the Baragoola in 1983 and North Head in 1985. 

The Collaroy was unique in that was configured to operate ocean cruises, which it did between 1988 and 1991. It has since been reconfigured for harbour services only. The Collaroy also managed to have open air decks on its second level, which were eventually phased onto the remaining member's of the fleet in the early 2000's.

The anticipated growth in patronage did happen and has established itself as it as "must do" for any tourist to Sydney, providing a cheap way to explore Sydney Harbour. On board, one will receive a comfortable experience. Recent renovations have resulted in contemporary furniture, free Wifi and even TV screens to catch up on your favourite show.

Upgrades to the Freshwater Class have improved commuter comfort. Photo taken by the Author (2011) onboard the Freshwater. 

As for when they will retire? Thats unknown. Will we see a 5th member join or will they ultimately be taken over by a new class. The old steamers lasted up to 70 years before they sailed into history.

1970: The Origins of Shorelink

I was having a look at the proposed corridor for the proposed Shorelink tunnel and noticed that the route is virtually identical to that proposed by the NSW Government in 1970.

The only difference between the 1970 and 2017 is that the 1970 proposal was above ground whereas it will be tunneled under this plan.

1970



Source: Anon. 1970. "Bridge for Middle Harbour". The Daily Telegraph, April 3: 3.

2017



Source: NSW Government (2017). [image] Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-18/spit-bridge-tunnel-map/8718496 [Accessed 20 Nov. 2017].

Below is the full article on the 1970 scheme as covered by The Daily Telegraph. This included a proposal for a double-decker bridge over Middle Harbour. The estimated cost was $70 million ($781 million in today's money). Compare it with the estimated $3 billion to be spent with the 2017 scheme which is tunneled. Estimated completion - 1980.

Source: Anon. 1970. "Bridge for Middle Harbour". The Daily Telegraph, April 3: 3.

1974: The end of the Manly Harbour Pool

Manly's famous Harbour Pool had served the people of Sydney well since 1931, but in May 1974 it fell victim to the 'Sygna' Storm.

The bathing closure was located to the west of Manly Wharf and its walkway allowed a person to walk directly from the wharf to Marineland (Oceanworld). It even had a popular diving board and floating platforms for swimmers.

On the Weekend of May 25 and 26 1974, the harbour pool was battered by strong swells as the 'Sygna' Storm pummelled the NSW coast. The swells had surged through the heads causing chaos in harbourside suburbs.

The damage occurred during the evening of May 25 when the worst of the storm unleashed its fury. It was not until daylight that the magnitude of the damage became apparent. Page 1 of The Manly Daily on May 28 1974, summarises the carnage.

Much of the walkway had completely collapsed into Manly Cove and had washed up onto the beach. Whatever was left had buckled. Within weeks, the remnants had been demolished. Page 16 from the same edition of the paper published the famous photo of the buckled remains of the walkway.

  

 A netted swimming enclosure replaced the harbour pool which remains to this day.

There have been calls to rebuild the harbour pool such as in 1984 but was deemed to be "cost prohibitive". However in 2012, a group lodged their case for the rebuilding of the harbour pool, but with an eco-friendly twist that preserved the aquatic environment yet encouraged tourism.

1966: The (new) Roseville Bridge Opens

This month marks a milestone for a Sydney bridge - The Roseville Bridge. It was officially opened on April 2, 1966, by NSW Premier Sir Robert Askin.

Source: Anon. 1966. "New Bridge to North:  6-lane link". The Sunday Telegraph, April 3: 7.

It was built to replace the original low level, single lane bridge which had opened to traffic in 1924. The original bridge would not be demolished until 1974, though there were calls to preserve the bridge for historical purposes.

The new bridge was six lanes wide, spanned 377 metres and was supported by six pylons.

It would allow for further development of the Northern Beaches, particularly Forestville, Frenchs Forest & Belrose, but also would open another route for commuters to travel into Sydney from the north and avoid the congestion around the Spit Bridge.

Property Advert of the Week: Killarney Heights Program Homes Ad (1967)

Program Homes had a small display village at Killarney Heights in 1967 with four model homes on offer featuring four bedrooms, yet there were 23 variations that you could have to the plans.

 

And yes, they were still allowed to advertise in pounds in 1967 as part of the two year transition to decimal currency from February 1966.

Program Homes. 1967. "Visit the new Program 4 bedroom at Killarney Heights this weekend." (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph, July 29: 24.

Property Advert of the Week: Elanora Heights Land Sale (1965)

Sydney's northern beaches may be out of reach for those who want their dream home, but half a century ago, a seventy-five pound deposit got you a block of land in Maralinga Avenue, Elanora Heights.



Source: Argus Estates Pty. Ltd. 1965. "Elanora Heights Land Sale" (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph, April 24: 38.