By Janice Challinor

A photo of Sadie King near her plaque outside the former Glebe Post Office, taken at the dedication ceremony on 30 August (Photo: Janice Challinor)

A group of Glebe locals gathered on the corner of Glebe Point Road and St Johns Road Glebe on Monday 22 July to welcome the arrival of a plaque recognising well-known Glebe identity, Sarah Murdoch King, aka Sadie, who died on 17 January 2022, just one month after her 100th birthday. (Due to a glitch, the plaque wasn’t installed until the following Saturday, 27 July.) The Hon. Tanya Plibersek and Cr Linda Scott, as well as many Glebe residents, had requested this recognition for Sadie as a fitting tribute to a woman who contributed so much to our community over her lifetime. City of Sydney concurred and the plaque was commissioned. 

Some of the gathering welcoming Sadie’s plaque on Monday 22 July  (Photo: Eva Rodrigues Ruiz)

As little advance notice had been given of either of these occasions, a dedication ceremony was arranged for 30 August in front of the old Glebe Post Office. The ceremony began with Pastor Ray Minniecon from Sadie’s last church, St John’s, acknowledging elders and welcoming us to Country. Following this, I briefly reviewed Sadie’s life and Kobi Shetty, MP, and Glen Powell from Wesley Mission also said a few words. Marla Priest and Marie White related their experiences of Sadie’s involvement in supporting Glebe’s social housing community. Scottish bagpiper Rob McLean played Scotland the Brave in honour of Sadie’s heritage. 

The Hon. Tanya Plibersek visits Sadie’s plaque on 6 September  (Photo: Tanya Plibersek’s office)

Following the ceremony, on invitation from the Rev. Julie Brackenreg, we moved to the Old Fire Station for a cuppa and storytelling of Sadie’s interactions with Glebe and Glebites. I could not help but wish I’d been entrusted with these reminiscences when writing Sadie’s biography; they would have enriched it considerably.

The Hon. Tanya Plibersek could not join us that day but paid her respects on site on 6 September when she was back in Sydney. Sadie, who had known Tanya from her earliest days in politics, was proud of their association and felt that Tanya was continuing the socially responsible work Sadie herself had undertaken. 

Sadie had been a Glebe resident for over 75 Years. During that time, she became a staunch unionist, advocating for the rights of women in the workplace, and a Labor Party member who represented people living in social housing.

For those interested in learning more about this indomitable woman and her contribution to Glebe, you may enjoy the book Glasgow to Glebe: Sadie King’s Life Story, which was published by the Glebe Society at the time of the Glebe Society Community Festival in 2019. The book will soon be available through the Festival website and is available now from Gleebooks for $15.