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Clarence Slockey
visits the Block ( Clarence is the Aboriginal State Coordinator for the St Vincent de Paul Society ) How appropriate that NAIDOC day 2001 should fall on Black Friday the thirteenth. I suppose the Political Correctness Police may have something to say about the use of Black Friday within the context of NAIDOC day. However, before this day would end, Black Friday would come to have another use altogether. Over the years, 'the block' has become widely known throughout
Sydney and indeed New South Wales. This has been as a result On entering Eveleigh Street, you feel as though you've entered into another city entirely. Literally a stone's throw from the CBD, Eveleigh Street is a stark contrast to the thriving metropolis of Sydney city. Here, on what has traditionally always been aboriginal land, we see smashed up, burnt out houses bricked in to stop squatters from taking over. Right in the middle of the block and opposite the preschool we come to Aunty Joyce Ingram's house, one of the few left standing on this side of Eveleigh Street and it is situated just up from Tony Mundine's Gym. Aunty Joyce has been living in Redfern most of her life and she is now seventy-nine years old. Aunty Joyce understands better than most, the government and council inaction, when it comes to the block. 'This place here, this block is worth twenty million, that's why they let it get this way. So they can come in and knock everything down and start again." Redfern and particularly the block is now another area of Sydney that is intrinsically linked with drugs and junkies and dealers. People gravitate toward the block to 'score' and to squat in some of the derelict buildings, some of which have become "shooting galleries". People such as Aunty Joyce Ingram and Aunty Ali Goulding have worked tirelessly to turn the tide and to bring hope to some of the young people who they have known since they were babies. They have seen some of these young ones come, and go, way before their time and they continue to ensure the safety and well-being of the kids who live and play on the block today. Pastor Bill Simon and his wife Kaylene are another couple who have witnessed the changes to Redfern over the years. They now give their time and energies selflessly to the many homeless and destitute people found around the block. Their place is known as somewhere you can go to get a feed, and if you need someone to talk to you can always drop in. ( Published by St Vincent de Paul 2001 ) |
As
Aboriginal Co-Ordinator with the Saint Vincent de Paul Society,
I thought that it would be a great idea to take our Communications
Officer, Ms Lucy Limbers, on a tour of the infamous Eveleigh Street,
Redfern. As Communications Officer, she informs the Vincentians
of various issues, through society publications, and I had hoped
that that she would be interested in a story about 'the block'.
of
the intense media scrutiny afforded Redfern, particularly during
the lead up to the 2000 Olympics. Many politicized battles have
been waged over the years and a lot of propaganda and misinformation
fed to the masses. All that I was hoping to do was to introduce
Ms Limbers to some of the wonderful people who live and work in
the Redfern area and who have done and are still doing so much to
assist the community. 
People such as Aunty Joyce Ingram and Aunty Ali Goulding have worked
tirelessly to turn the tide and to bring hope to some of the young
people, who they have known since they were babies. They have seen
some of these young ones come, and go, way before their time, and
they continue to ensure the safety and well-being of the kids who
live and play on the block today. 