Seeing double in Newtown today.
Quotes
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…’
‘What do you want us to do?’
Strike your best pose.
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.’
‘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.’
Spotted in Newtown.
Spotted in Newtown.
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.’
Spotted in Newtown.
‘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.’
Humans of Newtown 