All streets in Catherine Park Estate take their names from honourary Australians who made a difference to the life, culture and values of modern-day society.
Astley Road
Thea Beatrice May Astley AO (25 August 1925 – 17 August 2004) was a highly awarded novelist and short story writer whose works were distinctly Australian. She was awarded 4 Miles Franklin Awards, won the Patrick White Award and was granted an honorary doctorate from the University of Queensland. She was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1992 and a Creative Fellow of the Australia Council in 1993.
Bell Street
Charles Hamilton "Charlie" Bell AO (7 November 1960 – 17 January 2005) was an Australian business executive for fast-food chain McDonalds. He was the first non-American and the youngest person to serve as CEO during his term from April to November 2004. He was forced to retire early to fight colon cancer, which eventually claimed his life. He was made an AO in June 2005, which was made retrospective to June 2004.
Churcher Street
Elizabeth Ann Dewar "Betty" Churcher AO (11 January 1931 – 31 March 2015) was an Australian arts administrator, especially known as the Director of the National Gallery of Australia from 1990 to 1997. In her earlier life, she was also a painter and won a travelling scholarship to Europe, where she attended the London Royal College of Art and received a Master of Arts from the University of London in 1977. She was appointed AO in recognition of service to art and to the community as Director of the Australian National Gallery.
Wilhelm Parade
Eileen Vimy Wilhelm (1919 – 2004) was a dedicated social activist, health worker and volunteer. Vimy became a nurse in Adelaide before travelling to London to train as a family planning nurse. She returned to Australia and joined the Family Planning Association of Australia (FPAA), eventually serving as President and CEO, on a full-time, volunteer basis. She elevated the association’s profile and built a medical credibility that it had never before experienced. She was later appointed Patron of the Australian Federation of Family Planning Associations (AFFPA), and in 1976 was awarded the Order of Australia in recognition of her pioneering work in family planning. Between 1976 and 1997, Vimy was President of the NSW Committee of UNICEF and was elected a Life Member in 1994. After leaving UNICEF at the age of 78, Vimy joined the University of New South Wales alumni association as a volunteer.
Helsham Street
Michael Manifold Helsham AO (30 November 1921 – 13 November 2002) was a distinguished jurist, QC and former Chief Judge in Equity of the NSW Supreme Court. Always humble and modest, it was only after his death that his own children learnt of his heroic World War II accomplishments that led to his Distinguished Flying Cross award in 1943.
Helsham was a member of the Royal Australian Air Force Reserve from 1964, as Judge Advocate from 1964 to 1968 and Judge Advocate General from 1969 to 1983, for which he received his AO. He was Chairman of the Australian Vietnam Veterans Trust and for several years in the early 1990s, was president of the Fiji Court of Appeal. In retirement, he became a volunteer radio DJ, wrote a number of self-published books and was an active chairman for the Technical Aid for the Disabled.
