Government House - the outside

NSW Government House was built between 1837 and 1845 in the Gothic Revival style. The porte cochère at the front, providing shelter for carriages, was built in 1873.















I particularly liked the verandah along the eastern side, and so did many of the visitors who took advantage of the raffia and cane chairs to relax for a chat or a catch up with the Sunday paper. There are expansive views across the gardens to the harbour.

Meet the Governor

NSW Governor, Professor Marie Bashir, at yesterday's bushfire fundraiser at Government House. At left, she drinks a cup of coffee or tea, and above meets the volunteers at the Country Women's Association lamington and tea stall. The lammies were VERY nice!

Marie Bashir was appointed Governor of NSW in March 2001. She was born in Narrandera in the Riverina district of NSW, and educated at Narrandera Public School and Sydney Girls High School. She gained her bachelor degrees in medicine and surgery in 1956 from the University of Sydney. She taught at the Universities of Sydney and NSW, working in the areas of children's services, psychiatry and mental health, and indigenous health programs. At the time of her appointment as Governor of NSW, she was Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Sydney; Area Director of Mental Health Services Central Sydney; and Senior Consultant to the Aboriginal Medical Service, Redfern and to the Aboriginal Medical Service, Kempsey. An impressive list of achievements!

What struck us was that Professor Bashir arrived without fuss or fanfare, and without an obvious security presence. She was riding in the front of the car, and carried her own change of clothes into the house. Then, she mingled freely with the vistors, saying a casual "hi" and "welcome" and "thankyou for coming" as she passed people. She seems very at ease with people.

Here comes the Guv - on International Womens Day.

Today there was an open day at NSW Government House, which is located in the Botanic Gardens. It was a fund-raiser for the support of victims of the bushfires in Victoria. The Governor, Professor Marie Bashir arrives in her Genral Motors (Holden) car. She doesn't use Government House as a residence, instead using it for ceremonial purposes, state dinners, and opening it to the public.

That's the Governor's leg appearing in the top photo. Can anyone suggest to me something quintessentially Australian about this picture, and I'm not thinking of the flag.

State governors are Vice-Regal representatives of the Queen (hence the crown instead of number plate). They are appointed by the Premier of the day (with the assent of the Queen), not elected as Governors in the US are. They have mainly ceremonial power, but have to assent to Bills passed in Aprliament, before they become law.

Tomorrow, we will meet our lovely Governor.

And, best wishes for International Womens Day! Marie Bashir was the first woman Governor of NSW, and Quentin Bryce the Governor-General (she is the Vice-Regal rep in the federal arena) is the first female filling that role.

Mosaic food

The Westfield shopping empire's "flagship", the Centrepoint complex, has been closed for re-development. You can still wander through because it houses the entrance to Sydney Tower. In the food court on the bottom level, I noticed, for the first time, these colourful food tile mosaics decorating pillars and walls. I guess they'll all be gone soon, smashed to smithereens. I love mosaic art, and have sought out classic examples in various parts of the world (Ravenna, Monreale, Istanbul for example), and seeing these in Central Sydney, I thought they deserved documenting before they disappear. It's also amazing what you notice when the crowds have gone and you're not intent on getting a belly-full. When the lunchtime workers and shoppers are milling around, they are merely part of the overall ambience.

Somewhere over the rainbow

Taken at sunset in my street after rain.

It's also a reminder that The 3-week long Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney finishes on Saturday night (at sunset) with the spectacular parade, watched each year by tens of thousands of spectactors. Have a look at skies all over the world.

Dawn Fraser Baths, Balmain

Dawn Fraser was one of Australia's greatest competitive swimmers. She was the 100m freestlye at three successive Olympic Games - Melbourne (1956), Rome (1960) and Tokyo (1964).

Dawn was born and raised, and still lives in, the harbourside suburb of Balmain. It used to be a rough-and-tumble working class suburb, the home of many waterfront workers. It's full of little cottages from the Victorian and later eras.



Nowadays, Balmain is very upmarket indeed. But one feature which has survived all the changes is the tidal flow salt water harbour pool in Elkington Park, named since 1968 after "Our Dawn", who swam and trained here as a girl.

The pool has existed since the early 1880s, and is a listed Heritage Building on the National Trust and on
the Register of the National Estate.

Its swimming club, Balmain Swimming Club, formed in 1884 is probably the oldest in Australia, and meets for all ages, from juniors to 'Golden Oldies', every Saturday afternoon during the summer season.

There are several harbourside pools in Sydney, but none (?) / not many (?) of this heritage status. It's a great way to swim in the harbour without risking being bitten by a shark!

Thames St Wharf, Morts Bay, Balmain

Thames St Wharf at Morts Bay, Balmain, again. The huge sandstone blocks were being "protected" by that keep-off orange plastic, awaiting landscaping duties.

Left: And there's that bridge again: what a tart - always getting in Sydney shots!

New friendships

I recently received a message on one of my Bronte pics from Anne, who lives near Avignon. She is a great friend of former super Sydney photoblogger, now re-established in Avignon , Nathalie. Anne was visiting her stepdaughter and family in Bronte and had been taken with some of my shots of Bronte pool. Anne, it was a delight to meet you, and I hope we can spend longer next time you pass this way!

Sorry about the quality of the photo. We enlisted a passer-by, and unfortunately it was taken into the afternoon sun (in the interests of a more interesting backdrop, and one Nathalie would recognise!)

Balmain

Sydney Harbour and Bridge across Mort Bay from near Thames St Wharf.

An accident waiting to happen?

I looked up from my desk at work, and out the window, to see this window-cleaning effort in operation in the apartments across the street.
I've previously photographed the abseiling window cleaner cleaning my office windows, and I was astounded to see this operation, with ladder on a lean, no safety harness, and a rather loose grip at times on the ladder.

PS 1 March: I completely forgot that today is City Daily Photo Theme Day, and the theme this first day of autumn (sorry, northern hemispherers!) is Glass. As Jilly commented inside, perfect! So I moved the date and re-posted for yesterday.

Check out the Glass Theme around the world ~
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants