I’m holidaying in Rome as I write this column. If you’ve ever visited, you’ll know thousands of years of history are beaded through the city. Tourists contemplate archaeological wonders, all while the locals go about normal life. You can circle the Colosseum on your morning jog. Or receive a Papal blessing every Sunday in St Peter’s Square on the way to the shops.
It’s got me thinking about when I first started writing about Parramatta. Back in 2020, the place still felt in an awkward transition, marked by fierce parochialism. A footy team that just couldn’t jag a Grand Final. A new population nestling in amidst buildings dating back to British settlement. Venerable old churches and cemeteries where the ancestors of many present-day residents peacefully repose.
I remember escorting Nicola, the Parra News reporter at the time, on a tour of Willow Grove on Phillip Street. There was a spirited community campaign to save the Victorian-era maternity home, following the demise of the War Memorial Swimming Pool to make way for CommBank Stadium. Later, the Royal Oak Hotel would be demolished (it turned out, unnecessarily).
Few battles went the distance. In the contest between old and new, new won in a knockout. Today, the Powerhouse is taking shape. Parramatta Square and Phive have been landed. The stadium is a rip-roaring success. Meriton towers on Church and George Streets now top 60 storeys, part of a dynamic and rapidly evolving skyline. The CBD’s boundaries are expanding, supporting a burgeoning business ecosystem. Major institutions are headquartering, from the ABC to the Centre for Australia-India Relations.
With growth and change, come tensions. You see it in the creation of the Little India precinct, where some locals are unhappy about increased traffic and food trucks, not to mention the changing identification of Harris Park. Plans to turn Rosehill Racecourse into a mini-city have become a huge polariser. The voice referendum and same-sex marriage plebiscite, along with the war in Gaza, show us determinedly divided.
Peer into a crystal ball and you’ll see the future of Parramatta’s fault-lines. Above all, our city’s leaders must be wise stewards of change. Sometimes renewal is necessary. As I’ve written previously, it would be devastating if moves to revitalise Telopea went backwards, given how long residents have waited. We need to get stage one of Parramatta light rail open in order to begin stage two. Along with the upcoming Metro West, and inevitable push for links to the new airport, so many of our challenges involve better connecting our suburbs and communities.
Put simply, as many people as possible deserve to experience everything Parramatta has to offer.
Let’s always think about how we can make things better. Entering Parramatta from the north via Church Street, or over the Gasworks Bridge, is simply not inviting. Just a mottled hodgepodge of buildings. We need to work harder at not just building the city but improving its quality. With far more appealing and inventive architecture. More green spaces and tree canopy. Urban plazas and recreational zones that allow all those buildings – and the people inside them – to breathe. A Trevi Fountain would be nice.
And when the city’s bustle gets too much, to have sanctuaries and corners to which we can retreat. A river as old as time.
If I sound a wistful note, it’s because after an amazing run over the last four years, this will be my last Parra News column in its current form. Next year, I’ll be part of a rotation of regular contributors. As Parramatta’s story soars, opening up these pages to a broader range of perspectives and voices is a necessary evolution that I wholeheartedly support. The time, quite simply, is right.
I want to thank Troy Dodds and the entire Parra News team for inviting me to help you get off the ground. And to readers, I’m hugely grateful for your support. In fact, I can barely remember a single negative response to one of my columns – which means they are all probably going to the main office!
Columnists are people who need to renew, too. I’ll be taking the opportunity to refresh and extend my own contribution to the community in 2025.
For now, a Merry Christmas from Rome and I’ll see you back in Parramatta soon.
Alan is a journalist and communications specialist. He writes a weekly column for Parra News.