Friday 25 September 2015

The Macquaries were "greenies" ...


To my way of thinking, this pair left an indelible mark upom the structure, and the style, of Sydney. They lodged at the first government house from 1810-1821. He reorganised the layout of the streets, no mean feat considering the topography with which Sydney is blessed. And yes, he named one of them Macquarie, and another Elizabeth.


He confirmed Hyde Park as a leisure ground for the peopke, and set aside bothThe Domain, and the botanic gardens.

She, by her perambulations, set in concrete the road from Bridge Street to the point named after her. She also was heavily involved with both the orphans home, and the female factory out at Parramatta.

Given the social structures of their time, they wee progressives, who gave transgressors another chance after they served their time.

6 comments:

freefalling said...

Well...he certainly had an interesting face/head.
Recently, my psychologist told me he has a friend who has a head the same shape as a kerosene tin.
I reckon Gov. Macquarie could give him a run for his money!
No matter what the shape of his head, I wonder what he would think of his legacy.

Joe said...

They left a lot to be admired Julie.

Joan Elizabeth said...

I admire people who putinplace stuff they will never see in maturity. Like the people who planted the trees in my garden.

diane b said...

They were a good pair to have around in those days, ahead of their time.

William Kendall said...

Quite a legacy to leave behind.

Julie said...

Letty, There are a number of portaits of Macquarie out there, and in some he looks attractive, and "powerful". I choose this one because it doesn't carry any agenda (IMO). There was an exhibition in the State Library for the 200th year of the start of Macquarie's tenure, and it addressed the issue of the totally different portraits. I will try to find it.