🔵 End of the line
Plus: Fake grass feuds, Laotian food and Ed Husic.
Huw Bradshaw
May 22, 2026
⏱️ The 106th edition of our newsletter is a four-minute read.
Morning all,
We’ve got a fun history video for you this Friday morning.
Have you ever taken a train to the Central Coast and admired the view of the Hawkesbury, as you stop at that very last station before Wondabyne?
That would be the Hawkesbury River Station — also known through the years as Hawkesbury, Brooklyn and Flat Rock — and it plays a really interesting role in the history of the local area.
Not to mention, an even more interesting role in the music video for Jimmy Barnes’ 1988 single “I'm Still On Your Side”.
Please note, there is one error we have amended: while State Heritage Register documents say the suburb of Brooklyn got it’s name from homesick New York construction workers, it appears that name predates the arrival of the yanks, and may have come from early settlers Peter and William Fagan.
However, the official NSW Geographical Names Board states the “construction of the bridge by the Union Bridge Company of New York, from Brooklyn, appears to have cemented the name for the locality”.
You can watch our full video below.
🗞️ With all that archive diving out of the way, let’s get into the rest of the news.
HEARD THIS WEEK👂
⚽️ Lane Cove councillors move against synthetic turf, with Blackman Park to remain unaffected
Controversy has shrouded Lane Cove Council in recent weeks, as a coalition of independent and Greens Councillors have moved to restrict the use of synthetic turf in the LGA.
What happened: A motion set to be debated by Lane Cove Councillors this Thursday would see the development of a synthetic turf policy that will “prioritise the use” of natural turf across the LGA.
The motion is authored jointly by Mayor Merri Southwood, Deputy Mayor Rochelle Flood and Councillor Helena Greenwell.
Second swing: It follows a previous, more strongly-worded motion — retracted before it went before council — from April, which called for synthetic turf to never be used, unless there was “no viable alternative”. This proposal saw significant pushback from local sports clubs and other councillors.
The new motion clarifies it will not affect existing synthetic fields, such as those at Blackman Park.
Turf war: While synthetic turf fields have been used for decades, only in recent years have the environmental and health risks posed by the surface come under close examination.
Among the concerns raised by the motion are loss of biodiversity and the introduction of microplastics into the local environment. The Lane Cove LGA includes many protected bush, wetland and river areas, including parts of Lane Cove National Park.
Recent studies from the NSW Environment Protection Authority found 16.67 percent of microplastics found in the Lane Cove River were from artificial turf. That’s against the state average of 5.5 percent.
Additionally, research out of Western Sydney University has suggested synthetic fields were a significant contributing factor to urban heat, an issue global warming will only worsen in years to come.
In the other corner: Local sports clubs argue they are struggling to service a growing sporting community on fields that can often be rained out.
They say with opportunities for construction of new playing grounds scarce, synthetic turf offers them a way to get more playtime out of existing fields.
Read the full story below.
🇹🇭 🇱🇦 Can you get Laotian food in Chatswood?
We visited a small eatery in the Mandarin Centre to ask them: what makes your food special?
See our full profile on Khao Kang Thai below.
LOOKING NATIONALLY 👀
“If the idea is to give me a job to shut me up, I'm not interested in that job”
— Chifley MP Ed Husic
🗣️ Why did he say that?
Ed Husic was a cabinet minister until factional reshuffling after the 2025 election sent him to the backbench.
Since then, he's been harder to ignore than most of the people who replaced him, vocal on issues like the gas tax, AI data centres and One Nation.
The National Account’s Archie Milligan decided to quiz him on these issues and ask if he thinks being so outspoken will impact any future within the Labor government.
Watch the full interview below:
That’ll be all from me today.
As always, if you have a hot tip, an idea for a story or think there’s something I should be covering, hit reply to this email or reach out at [email protected].
Cheers,
Huw