Waverton bowls club was once a popular recreational spot - but what happened to the park after being handed back to Traditional owners has locals furious

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

The once bustling green lawns of an old Sydney bowling club are now an abandoned wasteland closed off to locals after it was handed back to Indigenous owners.
An Aboriginal land claim on the site - that sits within a large swathe of parkland from Waverton Park to Balls Head Reserve on Sydney's lower north shore - was granted by a court in 2022.
The old Waverton Bowling Club has been abandoned since the land claim was upheld, with the grass overgrown and the building which once housed the club left derelict.
Residents who used to frequent the park told Daily Mail they are struggling to understand why the site can't be put to use for the whole community to enjoy
Chair of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council (MLALC), which took control of the site, Allan Murray, a Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi man, had said at the time of the take-over the group intended to work with locals.
'We are thinking of creating a Cammeraygal cultural centre,' he said.
He added that the group wanted 'everyone to share' in the site, including 'local people [and] local businesses'.
However, the 'waste of space' it has become is even more stark due to its setting overlooking the Harbour Bridge and surrounded by Waverton Park, which is maintained by North Sydney Council and well used by the community.
One North Sydney resident explained the site was still being used by locals at one point 'when the lawn wasn't that unkempt' but then they were locked out.
'They started putting up warning signs and blocking access the area.
'And for the last couple of years, it's been left here in disrepair, which is a bit of a pity.
'I don't know what's gonna happen, if it's still going to be a bit of a space for a community or if it will be completely blocked off from the community.'
Gio recalled the old bowling club which now 'looks like a waste of space' is a far cry from its heyday when it would host concerts and bring people together.
Kerry, who regularly walks dog Ninja through the park, added: 'It was a thriving bowling club once upon a time and, it's really a pity that it can't be turned into something the community can enjoy.'
She said residents have been kept in the dark over the future for the site.
Kerry supports the MLALC's right to the site because 'we took the land from them in the first place', but suggested 'community sharing rather than isolating people more'.
'I think it would be really lovely if [the site] could be put to some use,' she added.
Ross, who played bowls at the club years ago, noted it was a 'pity' to have a green space 'so close to the city, not being used'.
'I can understand Aboriginal people deserve to take some of their land back,' he said. 'I just hope they can find an effective use for it.'
The north Sydney resident voiced his concern the space could be rezoned in the future for new housing.
'I think we're so lucky here,' he said. 'The city's over there, and here we are in peace and quiet, and it's green. What could be better?
'It would be unfortunate, if it was to be converted into more apartments. I think the simplest thing would be to knock the whole thing down and make it all green.
'Have a beautiful, big green park. Why not? What else? You can't always have cultural spaces everywhere, Sydney's only so big, it's not Paris.
'A little bit of appropriate cultural monuments to celebrate Aboriginal heritage would be the trick and just a bit of state government money to tidy the area up. It can't be that hard.'
Another local, Claire, echoed Ross's sentiment and stated 'the biggest concern for people around here is that it remains a green space'.
The old bowling club which has gone to 'rack and ruin' was used by the local community as an exercise space, especially during Covid.
'We're not allowed on it anymore, they have a lot of security signage up every now and then, telling us to keep out,' she explained.
A representative of the MLALC said they 'inherited a disused bowling club that is unsafe and has a major termite infestation'.
The building on the site also has 'infrastructure issues such as an unsafe balcony, non-functional windows and doors, a garage that was left open to the general public and severely damaged external fencing'.
The MLALC notes 'large numbers of trespassers, break-ins and more malicious damages' at the site.
'MLALC is as result of NSW Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 (the ALRA) currently undertaking a mandatory Non claimant Native Title application to potentially allow MLALC to use the premises into the future,' the representative said.
The ALRA was established to return land in NSW to Aboriginal peoples through a process of lodging a claim(s) for certain Crown lands.