Our History
Home to the Gadigal people for over 40,000 years, the land was a dairy and market garden in the mid-nineteenth century; an Army Depot from 1916; a site of protest against military conscription in the 1960s; and a leader in multiculturalism from the 1970s.
On Gadigal land
The land on which Addi Road sits was once a seasonal wetland on the edge of a tall ironbark and turpentine forest, cared for by the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. A freshwater creek ran through the land into the Gumbramorra swamp, and on to the Cooks River. With the arrival of British settlers, the land was cleared and farmed with a dairy and market garden, then gradually enclosed by subdivisions for residential development.
Army depot era
After Federation, the search for a suitable space to train the Citizens Military Forces brought the Army to the Addi Road site. The freshwater creek that ran through the land was diverted underground in 1913, and a short time later, when World War One broke out, the depot became a recruitment centre for ANZACS heading to France and the Western Front. Seven army buildings from the First World War remain today, including two Drill Halls.
Between the World Wars the depot was a social hub with dances and neighbourhood gatherings, while the army horses stabled here provided some distraction and purpose during the Depression.
In World War Two, the depot was used as a leave and transit depot. Thousands of service men and women came through on their way to and from military assignments. Many of the “temporary” buildings built in this period now house artists’ studios and other community services.
During the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the site saw many National Service troops came through, supplemented by conscripts after the draft was introduced for the Vietnam War. The gates of the army depot were the focus of anti-war and anti-conscription protests led by women from the Save Our Sons network, foreshadowing the peace-making and social justice purpose the community centre would champion just a few years after the Vietnam war ended.
End of an era
When the army pulled out of Addison Road in 1975 the idea of a community centre was born, the ‘child’ of an era led by Prime Minister Gough Whitlam with a vision of arts and culture, reconciliation and multiculturalism as drivers of community health, cohesion and wellbeing.
The origins of the Addison Road Community Organisation
In 1976 the Commonwealth handed over a tired and dilapidated army depot in Marrickville for public use as a community centre and recreational space. After considering many proposals and an extensive survey of local residents, the call for a place where people could maintain and share cultures brought to Australia from all over the world was answered with the creation of the Addison Road community centre.
Hundreds of volunteers, from ethnic welfare groups and children’s services to artists, environmentalists, social workers and activists, pulled together to renovate and transform the old army huts and create a green, welcoming and supportive place. In its early years, the community centre was supported by local council and received federal funding under programs for arts and multicultural development, thanks to Marrickville’s status as one of the most ethnically diverse and under-resourced regions in the country.
Addi Road Today and Tomorrow
Today, Addi Road is one of the largest and longest-running community centres in Australia, proudly managed by the Addison Road Community Organisation and its fund-raising arm, the Addi Road Foundation, an independent, non-government-funded charity. (check?)
Fifty years on, the vision of a community centre celebrating arts and culture, reconciliation and multiculturalism as drivers of community health, cohesion and wellbeing are as relevant as ever.
Our food justice program, which includes two busy food pantries, ready-made-meals, school breakfasts, community cook-ups and Wednesday Night Lights community dinner are providing a lifeline for many people struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, as well as creating a sense of belonging at a time when people are feeling increasingly disconnected and alone.
Addi Road, a green heritage gem, is an accessible community resource in an increasingly dense and expensive urban area, with a growing gap between the financially secure and the vulnerable and socially isolated.
Everyone is welcome here, and our community is like a family.
History Projects
‘Many little voices’ podcast
Vietnam Moratorium
On the historic role of Addison Road multicultural childcare centre
When Sydney filled the streets to stop a war