2016 Redfern

The suburbs I chose to visit are quite random in order but I must note my last post of Kiribilli and Milsons Point 2061 in North Sydney in contrast to this post being Redfern 2016 in South Sydney. They share numerical postcode digits but that is where the similarity ends.

Redfern is a suburb of Sydney I had never stepped into, yes travelled through many a time by train but never actually set foot into. Having some pre conceived ideas about what to expect, I underestimated and was surprised to find such a diverse range of colour, texture, atmosphere and history, that has been defined by the differences of the Redfern residents past and present.

Welcome to The Block

This mural depicting cultural diversity is along Hugo Street Reserve which currently hosts a basketball court. The historical sign-age tells that houses and a corner shop were built on the site in the late 1800s. Following the Great Depression in the 1930s the houses became vacant as owners defaulted on mortgages. Over time the vandalled properties were demolished and a playground was built. In 1977 a teenager by the name of Matthew Raschke approached Redfern council asking for a basket ball hoop to be erected. This solo hoop was later developed into a full basketball court.

Along from Hugo Street Reserve a derelict but colourful row of terraces line Louis Street in the vicinity of  'The Block'.

Looking through a vacant lot to Eveleigh Street. The Aboriginal Flag mural flies proudly on the rear wall of Tony Mundine's boxing Gym.

'The Block' - If these walls could talk what would you hear them say? 

Before these walls were even built back in the 1790s, members of the Gadigal tribe occupied the land on which 'The Block' now stands. These walls were built in the 1880s to house workers from the Eveleigh Railway Workshops. During the 1920s Aboriginal people from other parts of  NSW came to the Redfern area in search of work at the same railway yard. Over the next two decades the Aboriginal population of Redfern continued to grow. By the early 1970s a serious overcrowding and homelessness crisis had developed. To elevate the problem in 1973 The Aboriginal Housing Company made their first acquisition of housing in Redfern and by 1994 the final house on 'The Block' was purchased by the The Aboriginal Housing Company. During the early 1990s heroin had begun to infiltrate the community and 'The Block' gradually became so violent it was a virtual a no-go zone. By 1997 The Aboriginal Housing Company began demolishing houses that had become derelict and were frequented by drug dealers. More recently in 2004 'The Block' made headlines as riots erupted resulting from the untimely death of a teen who had been pursued by police. Last Monday when I visited it was a quiet sleepy place, besides seeing a handful of residents, the row of bins standing guard confirmed people dwell here.

'The Block' - If you listen to the residents along Caroline Street you can hear them say:

love, peace, belong, joy, life, respect, believe, magic, optimism, think

For the first time in 2008 you could hear our Australian nation say:

This mural hangs in the Redfern Community Centre

In Holden Street a disused Church can still be heard saying: Jesus Loves you

 

'The Block' is bordered by the railway line and Redfern Station, upon leaving the precinct crossing over to the other side of the tracks I was greeted by a multicultural mix of uni students, thriving urban coffee shops, mixed businesses, historical buildings and the manicured gardens of Redfern Park.

Redfern Post Office 1882

Historically the struggle between police and local aboriginal communities is synonymous with Redfern. Mum Shirl (Shirley Smith) was an advocate for aboriginal people in custody and she was integral in establishing the Aboriginal Legal Service (1971). This tribute to her is found on  the local Court House wall.

Redfern Park established 1891

RED doors, green FERNs