As theHerald recently explored in a series marking 10 years since the redevelopment began,Barangaroo is not perfect and weighed down by some missed opportunities. But if not for Keating’s involvement,Sydneysiders would have been deprived of the very best aspect of the project – Barangaroo Reserve,the six-hectare park that seeks to recreate the shoreline that existed before European settlement.
Keating also argues that we have him to thank for the Cutaway,the cavernous space beneath the reserve’s artificial hill. He claims that he successfully resisted pressure from developers to dump the foundation excavations from nearby skyscrapers onto the headland site,which would have robbed Sydney of such a unique underground void.
As one of the brains behind this special space,Keating is understandably protective of its future. However,theHerald is disappointed bythe course of events which led to the abandonment of work on a dedicated Indigenous cultural centre known as Buruk.
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The absence of a dedicated Indigenous cultural facility in Sydney is unacceptable,and many believed the Cutaway was the ideal place to correct this wrong. The vision for Buruk included a performance space seating up to 600 people,a welcome entrance,exhibition hall and studios.
An all-Indigenous taskforce comprising eminent cultural and political leaders had been appointed in 2019 to bring to reality the vision for the centre,co-designed by the community and managed in equal partnership with the state government.
It was an exciting project with real potential to be a place everyone in Sydney could be proud of and enriched by.