Parra News June 21 2022

LOCAL NEWS
Cheryl’s special OAM honour is
one for the local history books
ELLIE BUSBY
Cheryl Bates speaking with Parra News journalist Ellie Busby. Photo: Melissa Stevens.
Cheryl Bates, branch president of
Parramatta’s National Trust of
Australia (NSW), has been awarded a
Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her
service to community history preservation.
When Ms Bates found out she was nominated
for an OAM, she was surprised to say
the least.
“It was really unexpected but I was delighted
to receive it,” she said.
“I’ve just been working towards saving heritage
and having it protected, so it’s not just all
about saving a building it’s about having it in a
context and setting that presents it correctly.”
From her early days studying to be a registered
nurse at Sydney Hospital to becoming
Parramatta’s National Trust of Australia
(NSW)’s branch president, preserving history
has always been something of a passion for
Ms Bates.
“When I look back on it I’ve always chosen
things throughout my life that have heritage
in it. I did my nurses training at Sydney Hospital,
that’s the oldest hospital in Australia, and
I lived in an 1858 building on site,” she said.
Despite being a city steeped in history,
Parramatta’s heritage has taken a hit the last
few years with the deconstruction of iconic
buildings like Willow Grove. It’s her frustration
at heritage buildings being removed to
make way for new developments that spurs
Ms Bates on to continue to advocate for
Parramatta’s history
“I think it’s the actual disrespect for the
history of Parramatta, that’s what saddens
me the most. We have lost a lot of heritage
buildings,” she said.
“We’ve been identified as the second city,
which has bought in a lot of developers, and
because of that there appears to be no respect
for heritage buildings. They’re very much
seen as an inconvenience.”
Although she now lives in Concord, Ms Bates
is still heavily involved in a number of organisations
that fight to protect and maintain
Parramatta’s history. And she doesn’t have
plans to stop any time soon, as she focuses her
attention on St John’s Anglican Cathedral in
Centenary Square, Parramatta.
If approved, the redevelopment of Centenary
Square will result in the demolition of the
church hall and see two towers “overshadow”
the cathedral.
“This St John’s development, they’re looking
at delisting and demolishing yet another
heritage building, all [because] it’s inconvenient
for the developer to leave it there,” she
said.
“If we have a 45 storey building to the west of
Centenary Square, the square will be in shadows
a great deal of the day. I don’t want it to
be like that and I don’t think the community
wants it to be like that.”
Ms Bates is also hoping to encourage more
young people to join the fight to protect
Parramatta’s history.
“At the moment we have a very aged cohort
of people looking out for heritage [and] we
need younger people to get involved” she said.
Retirement Units From $299,000
At Cardinal Gilroy our refurbished units offer comfortable
seniors living with on-site community facilities, social events
program, and transport links with close proximity to Merrylands
and Parramatta.
These bright and airy 1 and 2 bedroom units are spacious and
well-appointed, featuring generously proportioned rooms,
modern kitchens, ensuite bathrooms, built-in cupboards and
access to the outdoors.
We’ve also incorporated considerate features such as air
conditioning, shower grab-rails and level flooring throughout
With your lawns and general maintenance taken care of, you can
spend more time doing what you love.
These comfortable, well appointed apartments feature:
• 1 and 2-bedroom units
• Air conditioning
• Modern appliances
• Energy efficient LED lighting
• NBN-ready
• Maintenance included
• Gardening included
• Level flooring throughout
• Emergency call system
• Public bus stop onsite
• Home Care onsite
• Aged care onsite
PN48273
Cardinal Gilroy Village
45 Barcom Street, Merrylands
1800 572 327 | sccliving.org.au
You may have to pay a departure fee when you leave this village.
Tuesday, June 21, 2022
« parra news 5