By Jeremy Sollars
Debate is raging over calls to move a set of historic gates from Warwick’s Leslie Park back to their original home at Glengallan Homestead to coincide with the homestead’s 150th anniversary this year.
Dozens of readers have contacted the Free Times over the last week to point out that the gates – which the Glengallan Homestead Trust refers to as the Glengallan Gates – are, in fact, officially known as the Leslie Memorial Gates.
The four sandstone pillars and the iron gates – which stand in the south-west corner of Leslie Park opposite the Warwick Courthouse – were gifted to Warwick council in 1940 by the then owner of Glengallan Homestead, Oswald Slade, to mark the centenary of the Leslie brothers settling in the Warwick district.
At that time the homestead, which is now a restored and notable tourist destination, was in disrepair and the gates were clearly not missed at the time of their donation by the Slade family.
When they were installed in Leslie Park, the council heritage listed gates were mounted with commemorative insets recognising the Leslie Brothers which remain in place today.
A special council meeting on Monday 13 March considered a formal request from the Glengallan Homestead Trust to have the gates shifted back to the homestead – at the trust’s expense – with the council deciding to put the issue out for public comment.
Last week Glengallan Homestead Trust chairwoman Donna Fraser announced that a Toowoomba businessman with family links to Glengallan, Warwick and Allora had donated $10,000 to Glengallan’s 150th anniversary projects, including return of the gates.
Posts in recent days on the Free Times Facebook page have attracted several thousand hits, with the vast majority of those commenting expressing the view that the gates should stay where they are.
After the special council meeting, planning and property portfolio councillor Neil Meiklejohn said the gates were “not a building” and therefore the planning scheme did not apply.
“While the planning scheme does not apply to this proposal, and there is also no particular requirement for public notification, given the prominence of the gates and the length of time they have stood in Leslie Park, coupled with the knowledge that there are differing opinions in the community about whether the gates should stay or be relocated, the council has decided to invite feedback from the public to inform its decision,” he said.
“The Glengallan Homestead Trust has indicated that if the proposed relocation proceeds, they would cover all costs associated with the relocation of the gates to the Glengallan Homestead and the reinstatement of the Leslie Park memorial site, along with interpretive signage.
“The council encourages the community to get on board and have a say about the proposed relocation by making a submission during the public consultation period.”
A council spokeswoman said the council had received previous requests for the gates to be relocated back to Glengallan Homestead.
“Previous council decisions to retain the gates in Leslie Park were based on factors including that the gates were gifted to the Warwick community, the condition of the gates and whether they would be damaged during the relocation process,” the spokeswoman said.
“Other factors are the extensive period of time that the gates have been in Leslie Park and are now part of the heritage of Leslie Park, and the impact that the removal of the gates would have on the aesthetics of the park.
Mrs Fraser told the Free Times that the “once-derelict Glengallan is now a real asset to the local community and to future generations”.
“The 150th anniversary celebrations will centre on Glengallan House, built in 1867, unoccupied since 1927 and rescued from ruin by a 2001 Centenary of Federation-funded restoration,” Mrs Fraser said.
“Celebrations will culminate with the anniversary dinner on 16 September at which items long-removed from the deserted property will be presented for permanent display.
“Anniversary projects include a move to have the original gates and sandstone pillars reinstated after relocation to Leslie Park in the 1940s when Glengallan head station buildings were being dismantled.
“It is a miracle that anything survived.”
The public consultation period closes on Friday 14 April.
Comments should be sent to Southern Downs Regional Council at PO Box 26, Warwick, Queensland, or via email to mail@sdrc.qld.gov.au.
