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October 2022 Issue 17
News and views for North Sydney’s residential and business communities
www.northsydneysun.com.au
Plan for new 1500 student school in McLaren St Plans have been revealed for a new 1500 student K-12 school in North Sydney backed by the global prestige education provider Inspired Schools. The school campus would be housed in Harry Seidler-designed Simsmetal House, a 1972 8 storey office block in McLaren St between Walker St and Miller St opposite the Rydges Hotel site. Inspired describes itself as a “leading global premium schools group operating in Europe, AsiaPacific, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America educating over 65,000 students across a global network of more than 80 schools.” It claims that 30% of its students gain sufficient scores to enter Oxbridge and Ivy League universities. Inspired is already present in the Sydney market with Reddam branded early learning centres in Hornsby and St Leonards as well as a K-Year 9 campus in Woollahra and Year 10-12 in North Bondi, ranked as the 6th highest school for HSC results last year.
“Inspired is actively seeking to expand this network and has targeted Sydney’s North Shore through an extensive site selection process,” it said in a submission to the NSW government’s State Significant Projects approval system. It added: “The adaptive reuse of this asset will breathe new life into this prominent North Sydney Centre site and enable Inspired to continue to educate and empower students and deliver world class education in line with the Inspired vision. Being a coeducational and non-denominal school, Inspired will deliver a unique and prestige academic experience within an area that predominantly consists of single-sex schools.” The project is being developed in partnership with Built, a national, diversified general contractor and one of Australia’s largest private construction and development groups. The 2,400 sqm site is located just 50 metres from the proposed northern entrance to the Victoria Cross Metro
The proposed school site in McLaren St, North Sydney station. The proposal says that under a ‘Do Nothing’ scenario, the existing commercial office asset will continue to age and depart from current workplace standards required to attract and retain premium commercial tenants. “This option does not provide a
desirable outcome as it fails to adequately plan for future growth and opportunities to integrate a leading educational establishment into the North Sydney Centre,” the submission says. The school is projected to open for classes in 2024.
Vale Peter Kingston 1943-2022, artist extraordinaire of Lavender Bay By Lowell Tarling Peter Kingston didn’t mince words. Kingo handed back his AM medal when Margaret Court was awarded one. He regularly chalked the pavement with messages for John Howard when the Prime Minister went on his morning jogs from Kirribilli House. Born in Sydney in 1943, Kingo attended Cranbrook School where Blake Prize winner, Justin O’Brien was art master. After this he attended the University of NSW where he studied commerce and architecture. Kingo started his public art as a cartoonist for Tharunka and OZ: magazines considered radical in the early 60s. He coproduced films and was a founding member of live-in art gallery, the Yellow House, in Sydney’s Potts Point. Being a ‘Yellow House artist’ was like adding a diploma to one’s name. Everyone went there – Pink Floyd, Marty Feldman, politicians, opinionmakers, artists and musicians who later became household names. In the mid-70s, Kingo was an artist working on the restoration of Luna Park alongside Martin Sharp, Richard Liney, Garry Shead and Tim Lewis. He worked on Pirate Pete’s Sea Battle,
Coney Island and eventually the illfated Ghost Train. This was his first taste of Lavender Bay, which is where Garry lived and ran a charcuterie. Artists John FirthSmith and Brett Whiteley lived there too. Peter’s house and studio overlooked Lavender Bay and was in close proximity to Luna Park. His first solo exhibition was at Hogarth Gallery Sydney in 1978, after which he spread into many art forms including sculpture, filmmaking, printmaking, modelmaking, creating chess sets, book designs and occasionally architecture. Kingo painted and drew what he saw. He travelled to NZ, Europe, America, Africa, Asia, and also to many Australian country towns – like Mount Murchison, Hill End, Cairns… sketching the whole time. He liked beaches, trees, groups of people and of course Sydney Harbour, especially the Great Triumvirate – the Bridge, the Opera House and Luna Park. The fate of the Park lay in the balance after the 1979 Ghost Train Fire that killed six children and one male adult. The old things were auctioned. What wasn’t sold went to the tip. And
Peter Kingston. Photo courtesy of Australian Galleries Kingo – along with other artists – was appalled. They salvaged what they could, stored and restored the old Arthur Barton paintings, which were ultimately brought back to Coney Island two decades later. In the interim, the North Sydney Council had several major develop-
ment proposals for the site - a trade centre, a major housing development, even a casino. Along with Martin Sharp, architect Sam Marshall and others, Kingo formed Friends of Luna Park. They Continued on page 3