By Megan Gorrey and Andrew Taylor
A prized parcel of green space housing an old bowling club in Paddington will be returned to the hands of Indigenous owners, ending a long-running battle over the eastern suburbs site’s future.
Once a lively institution, the Paddington Bowling Club sits on a neglected slice of Crown land on Quarry Street, adjacent to Trumper Park. The weed-strewn patch has sat largely dormant since the club closed in 2015 after complaints about unruly patrons led to a crackdown that eventually pushed the club into receivership.
Sydney MP Alex Greenwich and Woollahra councillor Harriet Price, pictured with Friends of Trumper Park coordinator Melinda Hayton at the site of the former Paddington Bowling Club in 2018. Credit: Nick Moir
State and local politicians have for years lobbied the NSW government to take control of the controversial site, which was also subject to two Aboriginal land claims.
In NSW, Aboriginal local land councils can apply for freehold title to Crown land and property that is unoccupied or not being used.
Outgoing Planning and Public Spaces Minister Rob Stokes last week determined the site could be claimed, clearing the path for the title to be transferred to La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council as freehold land.
La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council chief executive Chris Ingrey said members had yet to determine the future use of the site.Credit: Louise Kennerley
A spokesman for the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment said the NSW Aboriginal Land Council lodged a claim for the site which included the club building, bowling greens and the adjoining tennis courts.
“Future use of the land will then be a matter for La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council as the new landowner, in accordance with local planning requirements,” the spokesman said.
“Transfer documents will be lodged with Land Registry Services in January to transfer the land to the ownership of La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council.”
La Perouse Aboriginal Land Council chief executive Chris Ingrey said members had welcomed the determination.
“We’re pleased to have the land returned and happy to have a presence in the area,” he said. “It’s a significant one.”
Mr Ingrey said the land council had yet to determine the future use of the site.
Independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich said he “could not be more proud” that the land would be returned to the local Aboriginal land council.
“We have been working with the local community for over a decade to see this significant site no longer traded as a commodity from one investor to another,” Mr Greenwich said.
Woollahra Council had previously expressed interest in taking over land to use for public recreation, citing a high demand for access to green spaces and community facilities in the densely populated area.
Independent councillor Harriet Price said the determination was a long time coming but welcome. “This historic decision finally takes this important green space out of the hands of private commercial interests,” she said.
“The Paddington community will be proud of the recognition of the significance of this land to the local Indigenous community and be looking forward to its future use in connection with that significance.”
The bowling club site has had a chequered past, including being the subject of a corruption investigation by the Independent Commission Against Corruption.
A lease over the site is held by Quarry Street Pty Limited. The company’s sole director is Tasmanian businesswoman Jan Cameron, founder of the Kathmandu adventure wear company, according to Australian Securities and Investments Commission records.
The company was previously owned by flamboyant banker Jon Agdemis, who told the Herald in 2018 the site could be transformed into a wellness precinct.
Ms Cameron is fighting criminal charges brought by the corporate regulator over allegations she lodged a misleading statement regarding her interest in infant formula company Bellamy’s. She has pleaded not guilty and the case is ongoing.
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