Turning of the Sod
In an historic occasion, hundreds of community members led by Willoughby Mayor, Pat Reilly and Willoughby General Manager Nick Tobin with Civic Place Patron, the Honourable Bob Hawke turned the first sod of the Civic Place site on Tuesday 19 August.
More than 230 community members and others interested in the project attended the historic ceremony to mark the commencement of construction. The event was an important milestone for the entire North Shore community with eight years of planning and community consultation coming to fruition.
The proceedings opened with a Welcome to Country by Guringai Elder, Uncle Bob Waterer and a traditional indigenous smoking ceremony conducted by Budjari Elder, Uncle Max Eulo. Speeches from The Honourable Henry Tsang MLC, The Honourable Bob Hawke AC and Willoughby Mayor, Cr Pat Reilly were followed by the opportunity for all guests to place some earth from the site into a waiting excavator. The formalities concluded with the excavator pulling away and throwing the soil into the air.