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ABC News: The fight to save Kelly's Bush, 1971

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ABC News: The fight to save Kelly's Bush, 1971

SUBJECTS: History

YEARS: 9–10


Discover why a determined group of residents in one of Sydney's wealthier suburbs stood up to their local council, the New South Wales government and a big property developer.

This ABC report explores the controversy surrounding the planned development of Kelly's Bush, situated beside Sydney Harbour at Woolwich, and the beginning of the 1970s campaign to save it.


Things to think about

  1. 1.What would you do if an area of natural vegetation in your community was threatened with destruction? Kelly's Bush is the only substantial tract of natural bushland on the lower Parramatta River in Sydney. In 1967, the land was bought by property development company AV Jennings, who planned to build houses on the site. The development was opposed by local women who, in 1970, formed a committee called Battlers for Kelly's Bush.
  2. 2.What traces of earlier Aboriginal occupation of the land exist in Kelly's Bush? What other important reasons were there for preserving this bushland? Why were local residents protesting after the land was sold to AV Jennings? What was the attitude of Hunters Hill Council and the New South Wales Government? What outcome did the Battlers for Kelly's Bush hope to achieve?
  3. 3.Cities require the clearing of land to build houses, shops, factories and other essential infrastructure. However, most people agree that in urban areas some places should be preserved in their natural state. Discuss why this is important and how governments and local councils can find the right balance between development and conservation.
  4. 4.The story of Kelly's Bush did not end when this video was made. Use the internet and other resources to conduct research on the fight for Kelly's Bush from 1971 to1983. In your research, give particular attention to the crucial role of the Builders Labourers Federation (BLF) and its use of Green Bans to save Kelly's Bush from development. Find out more about the Aboriginal people of the Kelly's Bush area. The ABC's 'Indigenous language map' may help you .



Date of broadcast: 3 Jun 1971


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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