Details

Latitude

-33.95787924623811

Longitude

151.2318192276528

Start Date

End Date

28R Matraville Sub of Sydney - named after James Mario Matra, a midshipman on the "Endeavour" in 1770. In 1783 he fostered the proposal for the establishment of a settlement in N.S.W. Ref: Stretch Ledger A9082 Note: Place Names Some appalling place names have been be- stowed on varius parts of Australia from time to time, but an all-time low has been reached in Sydney. Part of the suburb of Matraville is to be re- nemed Hillsdale. One reason is that it consists of "hills and dales", ac- cording to the depute mayor of Botany, which controls it; the other is to pay tribute to the N.S.W. Minister for Local Gov- ernment, Mr. Pat Hills. It should be said, in fairness to Mr. Hills, that he did not seek to have his name perpetuated in such a way. At the same time, as the Minister in charge he approved the name, when he could have vetoed it. The fact that Botany Council is Labor-control- led, and Mr. Hills is the Labor Minister, is not without some relevance. But the main point is that in an area heavy with history - Matraville is named after James Maria Matra, who was a mid- shipman with Captain Cook; Cook's River, Bot- any Bay, Bankstown and similar landmarks, are all nearby - it seems a pity that are more appropriate name was not chosen.

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