Reported by the Editor, Allan Hogan, and Vice-President, Mark Stapleton, Bulletin 8 of 2023 (October)

The 54th Annual General Meeting of the Glebe Society was held at the Glebe Town Hall on Sunday 3 September.  Fifty-five members of the Society attended to elect the members of the Management Committee and to hear the guest speaker, Kobi Shetty, MP for the seat of Balmain.  The Meeting was also attended by Councillor Emelda Davis and Isabella Barker from the City of Sydney representing the Lord Mayor.

Ian Stephenson, the retiring President, reported on the Society’s activities over the past year, and a full account of that report can be found in this Bulletin. Ian thanked the current and immediate past convenors for their contribution to the Society’s valued reputation as a highly credible, representative community voice. (See our website for the 2022-2023 subcommittee annual reports.)

He noted that many people assist and contribute to the work of the Society as unsung heroes. Ian thanked Allan Hogan, Sarah Fogg, Virginia Simpson-Young and Tarny Burton for their work on the Bulletin, and the team of proofreaders, particularly Edwina Doe. He thanked Janet Wahlquist and Brian Fuller who are both standing down after many years of serving the Society in various roles. The Secretary gave a vote of thanks to Ian for his service to the Society and to the Glebe community in his term as President. This was unanimously applauded.

Duncan Leys was elected unanimously as the incoming President and thanked the Management Committee members, both those staying on and those stepping down, and expressed his enthusiasm for his new role. Secretary Jude Paul, Treasurer Jane Gatwood and Vice-president Mark Stapleton were re-elected with applause. The nominations of Angela Hallinan and Glen Powell to the Management Committee were accepted unanimously with applause.  Tim Hesketh was nominated at the AGM and was unanimously accepted following the Management Committee meeting on Wednesday 13 September.

The Secretary, Jude Paul, reported that, as at 30 June, the Glebe Society had 411 members.  She noted there had been 53 new memberships in the year. The Treasurer, Jane Gatwood,  reported an improved financial position for the Society since the previous year thanks to members’ generous donations and the success of the Guided Walks program and other events.

Kobi Shetty speaking to the AGM. Outgoing President Ian Stephenson is on the left. (Photo: Phil Young)

Kobi Shetty MP thanked the meeting for the invitation to speak. 

She reflected on the emerging priorities of the Minns Labor Government and said that it needed to take a more proactive role in its oversight and funding of public housing. She also noted that the current policy on  affordable housing required this classification to be maintained on any new development for only 15 years.  She believes consideration should be given to an extension of this time limit. 

Kobi noted the growing involvement of developers in policy formulation has encouraged the perception that the only way to address the housing crisis is to build more housing –  at any cost.  As an Inner West councillor, she reflected on worrying shifts in the way some local governments make planning decisions.

Noting that the lease on Wentworth Park expires in 2027 Kobi called for proactive action to prepare the argument that Wentworth Park should be retained as green space. In other remarks Kobi noted that the campaign  to extend the route of the Glebe Ferry is ongoing and reminded members of the importance to local children and families of the Centipede at Glebe Public School out of school hours care program.