By Andrew Wood, Convenor, Bulletin 02/2026, April
Glebe’s Hill
Members will recall that the Society has asked the City of Sydney to make The Hill a wildlife refuge. The Hill is the 0.6 hectare site of contaminated Crown Land––it was originally a garbage tip––between the light railway line and the Harold Park Tramsheds. In recent correspondence with the Society, the Lord Mayor said ‘the City will soon be engaging an environmental consultant to assess the site conditions on Glebe’s Hill. We will then develop an ongoing management plan for this area and determine whether we can act on your proposals, including exploring alternatives to major remediation and designating the area as a wildlife refuge..…we expect a review to take 6-9 months to complete.’ The Society is also planning to meet with Marcia Morley, the City’s Executive Manager Project Development and Delivery, to ensure that the City is aware of the five published contamination reports about the Hill as well as the University of Sydney’s report (Glebe’s Hill – unravelling its biodiversity secrets and potential).
Urban Ecology Strategic Action Plan
The Society submitted recommendations for updates to the City’s 2014 Urban Ecology Strategic Action Plan, as reported in last month’s Bulletin. The Lord Mayor has acknowledged our feedback, saying that they are currently reviewing the Plan and will begin hosting community meetings and workshops in May. Further feedback will also be sought from key stakeholders and community groups, including the Glebe Society.
Norma Disher Hawkins
On 23 February, Councillor Matthew Thomson kindly proposed a vale for Norma at the meeting of the Council of the City of Sydney. The motion was unanimously accepted and was followed by a minute’s silence. Deputy Mayor, Jess Miller, then proposed that a park or reserve in Glebe be named in Norma’s honour. We all hope that John Street Reserve, which Norma loved so much, can be the selected reserve.
Mary Holt OAM
It is with great sadness that we report the death on 27 February 2026 of Mary Holt (a member of the Society) at 87 years of age. Mary and her late husband, John, were very interested in the work of Subcommittee, regularly came to our Autumn Party for Glebe’s bushcare volunteers and were also generous financial supporters. They were Life Patrons of the Brandenburg Orchestra, Patrons of the Australian Museum and also supported many wildlife and environmental organisations. In 2014, the year after John’s death, Mary established the Dr John Holt Scholarship for Animal Welfare at the University of Sydney’s School of Veterinary Science and, in 2021, Holts’ long-eared bat (Nyctophilus holtorum) was named in their honour in a scientific paper published by the Australian Museum Research Institute. In 2024, Mary was awarded the Order of Australia for services to conservation and the environment. They lived in Wigram Road and then Glebe Point Road, Glebe, as well as Mount Wilson.
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