It’s been a while since we held a meeting (thanks Covid!). We are holding our next meeting at the Alexandria Town Hall on Wednesday 12th October at 7pm.
Come along and get updates on major projects in our neighbourhood, including
Have your say about what matters most to you, and meet people from your local community.
As you may know, ARAG along with Friend of Erskineville and Redwatch have been campaigning for a bridge to connect the North and South Eveleigh precincts. For some reason, even with the proposed massive redevelopment of North Eveleigh, a bridge is not part of the plan. We feel it would connect the communities and facilities that are currently a world away “over the train tracks”.
You can find out about the proposal and how to write a letter here (it’s really easy!)
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/build-a-bridge
Our good friends at FoE are holding a stall outside Carriageworks on Sep 10th from 8am to 1pm with the aim of picking up more support for the proposal.
If you’re able to help them on the stall, please contact them at friends@friendsoferskineville.org
We are looking to getting our regular meetings up and running again soon, and would like to add some new members to the ARAG committee. If you would like to join and help, please email info@arag.org.au !
It is with great sadness that we advise that Eric Jackson has passed away after a short illness.
We extend our sincere condolences to Patti and his family – he will be greatly missed.
Eric was a long time Alexandria resident who was often found walking his beloved dog, the latest one being Harley who is quite a character.
He had an extraordinary memory for the history of Alexandria and many of the memorable things that have happened in our neighborhood.
Eric was a great supporter of the Alexandria Residents Action Group and helped out by delivering the flyers for the monthly meetings and the Alexandria Sunday Funday.
He was a man who enjoyed life and I know that we will miss his smiling face and willingness to share a story.
Vale Eric!
Join us at the federal election candidates forum for the seat of Sydney at Alexandria Town Hall, 73 Garden St Alexandria.
Candidates will respond to the top 3 topics selected by residents. To take part in the survey, please visit
The forum is being jointly hosted by ARAG, Redwatch and FoE.
A message from Alexandria Scouts
What’s next for Alexandria Scouts – Register now for 4th April
On Mon 4th April we’re hosting a presentation on the future of Alexandria Scouts.
Please save the date and come along to hear about what’s next for the Group.
It’s only because of people like you and your support that we’ve been able to come so far since 2016 when we re-opened the hall.
Since then Alexandria Scouts has provided leadership training and outdoor activities for dozens of Leaders, Parent Helpers, Cubs, Scouts and Venturers.
Last year we upgraded the front of the building with a grant from Tanya Plibersek, our local MP.
We replaced the 60-year old window, upgraded the fence and put in new skirting. The Hall is a community asset for our kids, for the community.
Now we want to invite parents, carers, all interested people in the Alexandria/Erskineville/South Eveleigh/Green Square community to a presentation at the hall on 4 April, 6-7pm. Come and show your support for the future of Alexandria Scouts.
6 – 7pm, Monday 4 April 2022
Alexandria Scout Hall
130 Henderson Road Alexandria
Refreshments will be served!
To help us estimate attendance for refreshments, please use this link to let us know you’re coming. https://www.trybooking.com/BXQBQ
We look forward to seeing you there.
Sandra Kemp, Group Leader,
Isabel Mcintosh, Chair, Support Committee
alexandriascouts@gmail.com
The Alex will officially open it’s doors again on Friday 12th November at 6pm. However for locals there is a special early session from 4pm with half-price drinks.
It has been a long time coming, but we are very excited and think it will be worth the wait.
Thanks to everyone who contributed to this victory. With so much going on, we have to savour the rare wins. Hope to see you all there on Friday (and regularly thereafter)
JOIN THE City of Sydney LORD MAYORAL CANDIDATES FORUM THIS WEDNESDAY 10 NOV, 7PM.
The results of our Resident Survey are in. The top 3 topics that the Lord Mayoral candidates will talk about are
This forum will be held online using zoom. The Zoom link for the forum is http://tinyurl.com/2021cosforum
Hope to see you all there!
Good news! The Alexandria Hotel is soon to re-open! While this has probably been apparent to locals watching the recent activity on site, it’s great to now have official confirmation from Merivale, the owners.
It was back in 2015 when The Alex was sold to a property developer who lodged a Development Application to demolish it and build 28 apartments. A concerted campaign by locals to save this historic hotel from the wrecking ball resulted in more than 500 written objections and thousands of signatures on a petition to City of Sydney council. The application was refused and an interim heritage order was placed on the hotel.
Of course it didn’t stop there – the developers took the matter to the Land & Environment Court and over 100 people turned up to the hearing to object. In the face of such overwhelming community opposition, the developers withdrew the proposal. Over the next year they attempted several compromise proposals, including one which would have had a 7 story apartment building in the rear yard of the hotel! Continued community and council pressure led them to give up and sell the hotel to Merivale.
This has definitely been a great example of people power, but it’s been a somewhat bittersweet victory to date – the hotel was saved from the wrecking ball, but has sat idle due to logistical difficulties.
But that’s all about to change! Merivale has told us they are excited to reopen the hotel as “Backyard at the Alex”. The first stage of the re-opening will be a vibrant outdoor space to allow the ongoing restoration of the interior to continue.
The focus is on the return of the community hub that we fought to retain, rather than the destination venue that might have been expected from Merivale. Taking inspiration from a classic backyard, the hotel will be a family and dog friendly outdoor space where locals can socialise over great food and drinks in a fun, lively setting. The outdoor viewing screen will once again be available to cheer on the Sydney Swans and for other sporting events.
Backyard at The Alex will play host to rotating food trucks serving dishes from some of Sydney’s much loved food operators. The first two to take up residency will be Wholly Schnit serving a range of handmade chicken schnitzels and sides, and Firepop, specialising in Yakitori style bamboo skewers. Merivale will also be serving their pub favourites from a popup kitchen.
The opening hours will be:
○ Monday: CLOSED
○ Tuesday: CLOSED
○ Wednesday: 1200-0000
○ Thursday: 1200-0000
○ Friday: 1200-0000
○ Saturday: 1200-0000
○ Sunday: 1200-2200
The big question is WHEN? The only answer we can currently give you is SOON. As in quite soon. Stay tuned for another update when the opening date is announced.
Thank you all for your support over the last 6 years, and we hope to see you back at The Alex soon!
ARAG, REDWatch and Friends of Erskineville are running a new campaign: to build a bridge from Carriageworks to South Eveleigh. This project has been talked about for decades and now is the time to get it done.
If this is something you’d like to see, please sign the petition!
Alexandria Residents' Action Group 