The Home of Robin Askin

29 Talfourd Street

Robin Askin (1907-1981), NSW Premier (1965-1975)
The NSW Premier whose vision for Glebe was its partial disappearance under a network of freeways lived for nearly 30 years in the suburb, here at 29 Talfourd Street and at 11 Lyndhurst Street, and attended Forest Lodge Infants and Glebe Primary schools.

Robin was born on 4 April 1907, the oldest of three sons born to Ellen Halliday and William Askin. There has been some confusion over his birth year (sometimes given as 1909) possibly because his parents did not marry until 1916 and Robin’s birth was not registered until 1922. He spent his early years near Wellington where his mother’s family worked. Robin, his mother and brother joined his father’s family living at this house in about 1914 – a household of six adults and two children.

Askin joined the Liberal party in 1947 and led his party to power in 1965. His government aggressively supported industrial and commercial development. He advocated expressways cutting through Glebe (and Newtown). It was during his premiership that the Glebe Society was formed (1969) to fight the proposal to

• destroy the distinctive Victorian character of the suburb by demolition of terrace houses to make way for three-storey flats,
• cut the suburb into three to make way for freeways, and
• destroy Lyndhurst, a fine Regency villa.

Robin Askin changed his name to Robert before receiving a Knighthood (KCMG), on his own recommendation, in 1972.

His public life (including evidence of corruption) is well documented, notably in a lengthy article in the Australian Dictionary of Biography and Divid Hickie’s The Prince and the Premier, published in 1985.