‘My grandmother passed away when I was 18 on Valentine’s Day. I was off celebrating it and she died. That was really horrible.’
What’s one thing that sticks in your mind that your grandmother said to you?
‘If you lot don’t stop mucking around, I’m going to give you a bunch of fives!’
‘My train leaves in one minute…’
‘Recently I was on a train and I was in a lot of physical pain – I had a bad injury to my leg. I sat down in the area for disabled people and someone was actually racing me to the seat. I ended up getting there first b…ut they got very angry with me. The way that they talked to me was very sad. Looking at me, you couldn’t tell that I was injured and that person wouldn’t know. To be understanding of their anger as well while still feeling my pain and not lashing out at them was really difficult.’
What kind of message would you give to someone like that?
‘Think twice. There might be a reason as to why someone is doing something. Sometimes you don’t need to question them just go with it.’
What does that do for women?
‘Women are strong and we can protect one another. We can protect and defend ourselves. Derby’s not about violence. It’s a game about strategy. When I see two blockers protecting their jammer, I actually do get a bit teary. I get a bit emotional about it. It means a lot. I don’t want to paint Derby as a violent sport because it’s not. It’s about strategy.’
If you could describe Roller Derby as a person, how would you describe them?
‘I’d say they’re feisty and never say die but they’ve got a really big heart. They care about their friends but they’re dedicated and focused and they work hard.’
Do you think that ties in with Jackie O?
‘Yeah, I think it does. She’s an incredibly strong woman. She has amazing style. Derby is all about having your own style!’
How would you describe the partnership with the Inner West League and Young Henrys?
‘It’s just a really great opportunity for us to hook up with a crowd that know how to get the Inner West people together which is what we really want people to do as well . We just want people to understand what Derby is as a game and how much fun it is and come and support their local team.’
Thank you to Marrickville Council for picking this image as the winning pic in their Urban Photography competition tonight. I’m very humbled and grateful. I’m not one to post here about myself but I thought I’d share the pic as I love everything this photo says about Newtown.
‘The combination of cultures is the salvation of the planet.’
Seeing double in Newtown today.
What would you say has been the hardest part of being a mother?
‘Being able to see my son as somebody separate with his own sort of thinking and ideas because he is very different to me.’
How have you encouraged him to be different?
‘Hopefully through example!’
‘I’m kind of in a hurry…’
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.’
Humans of Newtown 