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What’s one of the saddest moments in your life?
‘That would be when my father died. I was 11 years old and he had cancer for basically all of my life. I guess I’m still kind of coping with it a bit.’

Are there any words he shared with you that really stick in your mind as advice that you’ve taken on for life?
‘Once when I asked about what the meaning of life was, he said, “People have wasted their lives trying to answer that’. That’s a decent philosophy I think.’

So what would be your main philosophy in life?
‘I try to be happy regardless of what people say or do. Happiness is a choice. If you accept yourself then you will find happiness.’

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What’s one memory in your life you hope you never forget?
‘Leaving my abusive relationship.’

How have you felt since?
‘I’m free and a survivor!’

What was the hardest part about leaving?
‘Fear of being violated by him and fear for my life. I’m safe now.’

What advice would you give to other people that are in the same position?
‘Leave. Don’t take it. Be strong.’

 

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‘We met at a hoop class about a year ago and have been coming to the park to practice our moves and learn a few new ones. I’m now going to help her with the Sunday Streets project.’

‘Sunday Streets is a little plan that some colleagues and I are hatching to close down parts of Enmore Road to recreation on a Sunday morning every couple of months. I’ve asked her if she’d like to be involved and maybe run a hoop workshop.

‘The biggest part of it is about transforming the roads that are usually for cars and making sure that it’s a community space for a while we’re people can come out and meet each other and transform the space. It’s got so many benefits – health, environmental, economic and for the community. The businesses do really well out of it too. It gets people out on the streets alfresco shopping.

‘It’s something that happens in 100 capital cities around the world including Chicago, New York, Cape Town and Jakarta. Los Angeles closes off 25km of roads every couple of months. It’s an international movement but it’s not happening in Australia yet.

‘We plan to connect up some existing cycle routes so cyclists can get a good ride in with activity stations along the way. So it’s very safe for families as well as rollerbladers and skateboarders.

‘The plan is to bring people together from different communities and interest groups. It’s about celebrating diversity and subcultures.’

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‘I want to go to England and open a gallery in London with the world’s largest painting. It’s a magical portal between the worlds with a very magical subject.’

How big is the painting?

‘About six storeys. We’ll paint it on canvas in Dublin and offer it to the English as a peace offering. I can’t say right now which building we plan to put it on but it’s an old power station. …

‘We’re going to bring some of Princess Diana’s energy back to a world that needs it.

‘The whole ethos behind the gallery is to take art away from the elitist club and to celebrate and promote art of ordinary people. Such as exhibitions of portraits painted with materials of canvas provided by the gallery to the disabled, the homeless, elderly, people with terminal illness – anyone you can think of who Diana supported during her time here.

“’he idea is to bring art to the public through the people who popular culture likes to sweep under the rug and pretend that they’re not there. The gallery is more about infusing our culture with a sense of self-worth based upon what we can create within ourselves as an individual but also as a collective.

‘It will be called the Princess of Whales Gallery (as in dolphins and whales). If Sea Shepherd or anyone else wants to come along and offer their support and be supported in return then they’re welcome to approach us.’

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What’s one memory that you hope you never forget?

‘It’s more of a feeling than a particular memory. I hope I can remember forever the feeling of being on stage and making people laugh. Definitely.’