October 2024 Update
Positive progress has continued in October with confirmation that the Northern Beaches Council have accepted our Development Application for assessment.
This next step forward means that the submitted plans have now become available for public access on the Council website and can be found by anyone interested in learning more by clicking here.
Pictured: Proposed New Forestville RSL Club Facilities and Retirement Community
Humble Beginnings
As we look towards the future redevelopment of the Forestville RSL Club facilities and development of a boutique retirement community, we felt it was an opportune time to also reflect back on the rich history and growth of our Forestville community.
Prior to 1856 the area now known as Forestville was covered in a dense forest. When pioneer James French arrived in 1856 he began felling trees and eventually built a small wharf on Bantry Bay so he could transport timber to Sydney.
Later on French was also able to acquire additional land in the adjacent neighbourhood, which is today known as Frenchs Forest in his honour.
In 1916 voluntary workers assembled to start clearing 200 acres of virgin bush in preparation for the settlement of wounded and disabled soldiers on 38 small farms., known as solider colonies.
After many hours of voluntary work by many generous people the first cottage was formally opened by the Governor General in April 1916 and was built on the site that is now the Forestville Shopping Centre.
Unfortunately after a number of years, early in the 1960s, it was determined that a considerable percentage of the land, was unsuitable for farming and was instead developed for residential housing.
Town in the Woods
The French’s Forest Settlement Post Office opened its doors for the first time in 1920, and the community was renamed Forestville in 1947 with the literal meaning of the word Forestville being “town in the woods.”
In 1952 the Minister for Education approved a school to be built for the local children in Forestville and enrolments commenced in 1953.
On the 29th of March 1954, 13 local community members and prospective members attended the first recorded meeting of the Forestville RSL sub-Branch and in July 1957 the sub-Branch acquired a lease of 2½ acres of land to form a Club.
Today and Looking Ahead
Today the suburb of Forestville is a family-friendly, welcoming suburb renowned for its leafy green character and connection to the surrounding national parklands, beautiful outlook and buffer to the Sydney CBD.
As with all great places it continues to evolve and grow to meet the needs of the local community and we feel privileged to be a part of this wonderful community.
Looking ahead to our redevelopment planning we have received a terrific number of votes for the Naming Competition for the buildings in our proposed new retirement community and we encourage anyone who hasn’t yet done so to click here to place your vote.
Our winners will be announced at the start of December and prizes awarded to the community group or charity nominated by our valuable contributors.
As always, we encourage our members and local community to reach out to us if they have any questions via www.heartofforestville.com.au .
We look forward to keeping you updated on our progress in the months and years ahead.
Regards,
Tony Mooney, President and Ian Thomson, CEO
Forestville RSL