Redfern is kick'n

LET ME TELL YOU A STORY
One of the things characteristic of this community is the telling of stories. The stories can be anything - the sublime, terrible, funny, shocking, sad or too long, every story is received and acknowledged. Chatting to the hardware owner about his retail neighbour I heard the story about the shoeman and how he had changed. Ever since his wife died 5 years ago he has never been the same. "If you ask to interview him he will be cranky and abusive - I warn you now" said the shopowner. Hand in hand with storytelling goes laughter. Beneath and through the overwhelming heaviness of past injustices in Redfern is a constant river of laughter. It can break out at any time, suddenly, unexpectedly.

GLORY, GLORY TO SOUTH SYDNEY
Founded in 1908 at Redfern Town Hall, South Sydney football club has been a personified member of the Redfern community. People talk about the team as if it were a character that they knew, an old friend...someone that their father, grandfather and their father knew.

Like horseracing - a popular community activity in colonial Sydney - barracking for the Rabbitohs is a social leveller. Supporting the South Sydney Football team is a common bond shared amongst people living in the area as well as with people outside of Redfern. When you ask a local about the Rabbitohs they always have an in depth opinion on the game, Russell Crowe, the players or the good old days. This subculture is encapsulated in sites that exist around Redfern such as "The Raging Bunny" a pub near "the block".

Wearing supporter gear may be a great way to connect with the the local community in your interventions, just as in the video we saw of interventions with the construction workers connecting with the students wearing hardhats.

STRONG HEARTBEAT BENEATH THE SURFACE
"Redfern has a REAL...STRONG heartbeat beneath the surface" - Debbie Anne Evans, Manager Redfern City of Sydney, One Stop Shop.

Chatting to Debbie about the local community, herself a resident, it became evident that a strong community spirit where people really look out for each other exists in Redfern. The number of local community groups and organisations that cater for all sectors of the Redfern community and the frequency of activities came as a shock. Whilst there are various community groups in other suburbs of the inner city I have not heard of a community so 'activated'.

On surface value, which is often the impression you get when you 'visit' a suburb, Redfern can be violent, people are dislocated and disadvantaged. These surface conditions are regularly on display in prominent public areas such as outside Redfern railway station.

MAPPING THE LOCAL
Putting an ear to the ground - what do the locals say about Redfern? What are the daily rituals witnessed, what are the idiosyncracies that people notice in the comings and goings of Redfern... who are the characters, what aspects do locals acknowledge and celebrate with humour. This list for a map bookmarks the local...

"Cheapest meat in Sydney" - butcher shop claiming to sell the cheapest meat in Sydney (also the cheapest display in Sydney)
"Last legs" - fruit and vegetable shop that stocks very cheap produce that only lasts for a day when you take it home.
The unspoken rule of the "alley giveth and the alley taketh away". If you want to throw something out - leave it at your back entrance to the laneway. If you want to find something you might need - walk the laneways to see what there is.
Russian Women - group of elderly women that live in the waterloo towers. Every week on pension day they catch the bus to go shopping. It holds the bus up because they take a while to get on and off. Thanks to this small demographic though there is a continental deli nearby stocking Russian fare.
The shoeman in the main street of Redfern - will tell you that the sole he puts on will outlive your shoe.
The resident that hates dogs - everytime he sees one he yells out "Doggggcatcher!" I think he also suffers from dementia.

DEVELOPER GREED
This is a big issue in Redfern. People are seeing the planning practices of local community involvement become merely token. In the end it doesn't really matter what locals say because decisions are being made at higher levels and out of control of local council. The perception is that Developers want to put skyscrapers everywhere. The most recent approved proposal was for a tower to replace the Redfern rsl club behind the TNT tower.

Last week I saw a program on the ABC about the Blacksmith located at The Eveleigh Railywards. The business owner has been there for 18 years and maintains and runs the original blacksmith works of Technology Park. Now the managing authority want to end his lease and not replace his services... no doubt a higher rent can be obtained with development of this part of the site.