The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.
'Unions, residents and community groups took on a powerful government agency to thwart plans for the wholesale redevelopment of Australia’s oldest suburb, writes Jim Colman'
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
'This is the story of how an ordinary bloke from the bush became the key figure in a movement that would change the shape of our cities and bring about lasting political and legal reform. This is the story of the house that Jack Mundey built.
'Without the green bans movement of the 1970s, Sydney and many other cities would look very different. Pulling together an unlikely alliance of environmentalists and union players earned Jack Mundey a reputation as both the ‘best-known unionist and best-known conservationist in Australia’.
'Under his leadership, the movement fought against the slash-and-burn philosophy that almost saw The Rocks fitted out with high-rise buildings, a highway through the centre of Glebe and total development of Centennial Park. In this long-awaited book James Colman reflects on Jack’s remarkable life and his ongoing legacy. Mundey overturned the bulldozer mentality of the 1960s and 1970s and helped to persuade Australians everywhere to cherish and protect the hertitage of special buildings, places and sites.' (Publication summary)