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The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) has joined the CFMEU NSW and North Parramatta Residents Action Group to campaign against the demolition of two heritage buildings in Parramatta.

The 19^th century villa Willow Grove, an iconic former maternity hospital, and neighbouring St George’s Terrace are slated for the wrecking ball, as part of the Berejiklian Government’s $1.17 billion Parramatta Powerhouse proposal.

NSWNMA Assistant General Secretary, Judith Kiejda, said the planned demolition of the two sites was devastating for the Parramatta community and the colonial history of maternity services.

“Western Sydney is rich with heritage, yet the Berejiklian Government appears hell bent on stripping that history away and burying it under a multi-million dollar monument,” said Ms Kiejda.

“Instead of prioritising hard hat and high-vis ribbon cutting opportunities, the government should be preserving these properties and their historical significance for future generations.

“Parramatta light-rail project has been enough of a circus for the nearby Female Factory Precinct and efforts to obtain its world heritage listing. We won’t stand by and watch Willow Grove and St George’s Terrace go under a bulldozer without a fight.”

Ms Kiejda said the NSWNMA was supporting North Parramatta Residents Action Group’s local campaign to save Willow Grove and St George’s Terrace, along with the CFMEU NSW’s petition and green bans.

Unions, including the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association, are supporting a campaign to save historic buildings, Willow Grove and St George’s Terrace, after the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union NSW (CFMEU) branch placed Green Bans over the site.

The sites have been earmarked for demolition by the Berejiklian Government, to make way for the proposed new Powerhouse Museum in Parramatta.

The two heritage sites have played key roles in Parramatta’s post-colonial history. For example, the Italianate Villa, Willow Grove, served as Western Sydney’s maternity hospital for the first half of the 20th century.

CFMEU NSW Branch Secretary Darren Greenfield has committed his union to supporting the preservation of the sites.

“We will not stand by and watch as more local heritage is destroyed,” he stated, announcing the union’s Green Bans.

Other organisations involved in the campaign to preserve the historic sites include the North Parramatta Residents Action Group, the National Trust of Australia, and the Historic Houses Association.

You can show your support for the campaign here.

Maternity history facing demolition in Sydney’s west

Unions back campaign to save Parramatta heritage buildings