THE DOORS
1965
In December
2003, Ron Cuskelly visited the now vacant site of the Adastra office at Vickers
Avenue, Mascot. In reporting on the visit, he wondered what had become of the
ornate glass doors from Adastra's head office. Nobody knew and it was feared that
they had been destroyed with the building.
In yet another demonstration of the value of having the Adastra history on the
web, we were contacted recently by Warren Ide who had worked in the building in
the photogrammetry section from 1956 until the company closed its doors (these
doors!) in 1976. Not only did Warren provide us with sixteen additional names
to go on the list of Adastra personnel, but he also brought the startling news
that the glass doors had been saved!
In a display of remarkable prescience, Jack Townsend had suggested that Warren
and Madeline Ide save the doors from the clutches of the demolishers back in 1976.
Although the woodwork had deteriorated in the twenty years that the doors were
stored by Warren and Madeline, the ornate glass panels survived intact and these
were gifted to the Botany Council's George Hanna Memorial Museum in the mid nineties.
This revelation prompted Kevin Pavlich to contact Joanne Sippel at the Botany
Bay Library Service on 5th August 2004 to enquire about the disposition of the
doors. This brought the comforting news that the glass panels are still in good
condition and displayed in the care of the George Hanna Memorial Museum. Joanne
Sippel has kindly supplied several photographs of the panels and given us permission
to publish them on the Adastra website.
The George Hanna Memorial Museum is housed at the Mascot Library in Hatfield Street,
Mascot (behind the Mascot Shopping Centre in Botany Road). Museum staff advise
that visitors who wish to view the panels will be welcome to do so on request.
Adastra may have closed their doors in 1976 but at least those doors survive.
All photos on this page are linked to larger versions. The photos of the glass panels displayed in the George Hanna Memorial Museum are copyright City of Botany Bay Library Service.
2004
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Left Panel |
Right Panel |
2007
| Graeme Parsons recently visited the Botany Bay Library to view an exhibition on the history of Sydney Airport. He was pleasantly surprised to find that the display features the glass panels from Adastra's Vickers Avenue office. The panels have now been incorporated into a replica door structure which greatly enhances their appearance and chances of survival. The Library is located at at 2 Hatfield Street, Mascot and the exhibition will be on show until February 2008. Thanks to Graeme Parsons for the image. |
Special thanks to:
Joanne Sippel of City of Botany Bay Library Service
Jack Townsend
Warren and Madeline Ide
Graeme Parsons