By Allan Hogan, Convenor, Bulletin 7/2024, September
The Bulletin
It’s now 54 years since the publication of the Glebe Society’s first Bulletin. ‘The Society will concern itself mainly with the problems threatening Glebe as a pleasant place to live’, that first issue proclaimed. Over five decades, the Bulletin has had that as its central concern but has widened its focus to include the history and culture of our suburb and its residents, and report the many social activities organised by the Society. It’s a tribute to all the volunteers who have worked on the Bulletin that it has never missed a publication date.
Over the years, the Bulletin has adopted a variety of formats. At the beginning of 2023 it took on a new look which reflected the preference of most members to receive their copy by email. But a print version is still delivered by the mailout team, and a digital copy can be downloaded from our website.
Since October 2023 the Bulletin has changed editors a few times. I took over from Virginia Simpson-Young, Tim Hesketh took over from me, and now Virginia has returned to the position she held for nearly a decade. The Society owes her a deep debt of gratitude for her dedication. Thanks also to Sarah Fogg and Tarny Burton for handling the website pages and the email mailout, and to Alex Byrne, Emily Booker and Lyn Collingwood, for their proofreading skills. Phil Young and Jude Paul head the team of volunteers who deliver the print version. Sadly, Edwina Doe, a former editor and one of our diligent proofreaders died in December 2023 – she is greatly missed.
There have been some hardy annuals in this year’s Bulletins including concerns about the Bridge Road cycleway, the Fish Market redevelopment and the housing crisis. Lyn Collingwood and Rodney Hammett have continued contributing their entertaining and informative stories about Glebe’s historical houses and personalities. The ‘Mystery Photo’ competition continues to attract members with a good memory and a keen eye for local landmarks. And the monthly competition for the best photo taken within the 2037 postcode generates some creative contributions.
The Bulletin has kept members regularly informed about the program of guided walks offered by the Society. These have included a tour of Rookwood Cemetery led by Glebe historian Max Solling, and Max also led the guided tours of the Glebe Estate and Forest Lodge. Robert Hannan led a tour of the Villas of Glebe, and the Radical Glebe Walk led by Meredith Burgmann was repeated due to popular demand. Dorothy Davis has been the driving force behind the organisation and planning of these walks with assistance from Katharine Vernon and Virginia Simpson-Young.
The March edition completed the listing of 21 sites nominated by the Society for Blue Plaques, the program run by Heritage NSW to share the hidden history and heritage of NSW. The nominations of the Glebe residences of journalist Dorothy Drain and cricketer ‘Tibby Cotter’ have been successful, and the Toxteth Park Hotel and Hartford, the gracious mansion on Glebe Point Road, have also been nominated.
The Glebe Society websites
Our main website was visited by over 30,000 people in the last financial year, 29,000 of whom were first-time users. Some of those people returned to the site at least once, as the site was viewed almost 65,000 times. 50% of the users looked at the website from a desktop computer, 46% were using a mobile phone and 4% were using a tablet. About 23,000 users arrived at the website after an internet search, 5,200 by directly entering the Glebe Society website address, 1,000 from referral sites and 500 from social media.
Bulletin stories are added to the website each month with links from the Bulletin email that most members receive. Member and non-member viewers of the site can see that the Glebe Society is an active, responsive organisation working on several fronts. Thanks to Sarah Fogg for her work uploading these posts. There is still a job to be done to make the website easier to search and navigate, as there is much valuable material on it that is not easy to find. This will probably be an ongoing endeavour! Recently, we have been tidying up the website pages to remove some redundant features and make the site easier to read.
The main website receives questions and comments from visitors to the site and these include inquiries about family histories and requests for support for a variety of causes.
Last financial year, almost 2,200 people viewed the Glebe Island Bridge website, most of whom were new users. Some of those people must have come back to the site, as it was viewed over 3,800 times. 1,300 viewers arrived at the site after actively searching with a relevant search term and 760 from directly visiting the site. 54% of views were from a desktop computer, 46% from a mobile phone or tablet.
Last financial year, almost 615 people viewed the Society’s 50th Anniversary Community Festival website, most of whom were new users. It was viewed over 1,700 times. 373 viewers arrived at the site after actively searching with a relevant search term and 250 from directly visiting the site. 66% of views were from a desktop computer, 34% from a mobile phone or tablet. A video produced for the Anniversary website, Panorama of Sydney 1873, has been viewed over 85,000 times on YouTube.
Social Media
We have Facebook, Instagram and YouTube accounts. We haven’t had the capacity this year to post our Bulletin stories regularly on Facebook. If we were able to, this would probably drive more traffic to the website. Similarly with Instagram. Volunteers to assist with social media would be very welcome.
There’s a vacancy for someone with creative energy
I will be standing down as Convenor of the Communications Subcommittee at this year’s AGM. There’s an opportunity for a member with communication skills to take on the role of leading a very talented team, reporting to the Management Committee, and formulating the Society’s communication activities. I extend my thanks to all those who have assisted me as Convenor.
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