DARLINGTON: The fundraising event held by the South Sydney Herald on Friday October 18 in Darlington saw 45 guests gather at The Settlement Neighbourhood Centre to share a meal and listen to live music as well as a talk about mental health by Dr Anthony Harris, president of the Schizophrenia Fellowship NSW.
REDFERN: Redfern Station is one of the busiest in Sydney, with over 40,000 commuters using it every day to access Sydney University, the Australian Technology Park, North Eveleigh, or simply to transfer to one of numerous suburban lines ... The need for an upgrade has seen several plans considered by the previous state government. These plans have only just been released to the public.
As of September 25, Redfern organisation Koori Job Ready, founded in 2006 under the Redfern-Waterloo Authority, then working under the Australian Technology Park since 2011, will operate under the umbrella of the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence.
The 19th Annual Deadly Awards, celebrating the Australian Indigenous community’s highest achievements in the fields of the arts, entertainment, sports and community services, were staged last month. The awards, based on more than 76,000 votes from the public, saw thousands of glamorously clad award nominees and spectators converge at the Sydney Opera House for the ceremony.
Award-winning ABC series Redfern Now is returning to our screens from October 31 for six new episodes. The critically acclaimed show, produced by Blackfella Films, has again brought together the best Indigenous writers, producers and actors to tell these powerful inner-city stories. It won a string of awards last year, including Logies and more recently the TV Series of the Year title at the Deadly Awards. “It’s really exciting to be given this second opportunity to tell more stories of ordinary people put under extraordinary pressure, we’re really thrilled,” says Blackfella Films producer Miranda Dear.
REDFERN: Concern has been growing among parishioners of the St Vincent’s Catholic Church, as the mural painted behind the altar has deteriorated to an alarming state. Members of the Church have asked for a quote from professional restorers to have the mural fixed and have expressed to the Parish Priest, Father Melvin Llabanes, their wish to pay for the restoration themselves, but it has yet to be approved by the Church authorities.
REDFERN: The members of the Lift Redfern group were delighted to hear the announcement by the Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian on August 15 that Redfern station would finally get a lift, as part of the $770 million Transport Access Program. As the Minister’s official announcement stated: “A tender has been issued for a concept design to provide lift access to one platform at Redfern, allowing customers to access all train lines via Central station.”
REDFERN: While film director and photographer Ben Lawrence didn’t grow up in Redfern he developed a keen interest in the suburb and the people living there when his company relocated from Surry Hills. His own grandmother, born in 1920 on what was to become The Block, grew up and worked in Redfern, and he became really interested to find out more about her story.
World Environment Day is celebrated annually on June 5 to raise global awareness of the need to take positive environmental action. This year’s theme was “Think.Eat.Save”, as the amount of food wasted all over the world is growing, while millions of people go to bed hungry every day. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), every year 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted, the equivalent to the same amount produced in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. In Australia alone, 4 million tons ($8 billion worth) of food per year is thrown out, most of which ends up in landfill. Australians waste about 20 per cent of the food they buy.
Redfern is home to many artists and creatives, which is reflected by local businesses like antique and vintage shops, art galleries, film and music production companies. The Sydney Film School was established in 2004 by a group of filmmakers and educators from the University of Sydney who wanted to take a step towards a more practical education, in industry-recognised facilities. Saturday April 13 saw the school’s Open Day, where potential students could discover the facilities, watch students’ works and talk with educators.
Almost three years ago, acclaimed Danish Chef, Rene Redzepi, was invited to talk on food philosophy at the Opera House for the Sydney International Food Festival. His restaurant, Noma, several times named World’s Best Restaurant, was at the forefront of the foraging movement and Redzepi encouraged Australian chefs to look at using more of the native ingredients that were right under their eyes. “It was a little bit hard to swallow,” says Chef Raymond Kersh, who, with sister Jennice, has been championing the use of native Australian ingredients for more than 30 years.
REDFERN: Back in 1985 Redfern Station won the Best Station Garden competition over 90 other railway stations. It took nine months for its dedicated Station Master, Hilton South, to create the beautiful flowerbeds, and he and his staff worked long hours on their own time to maintain them.
REDFERN: On Saturday March 23, Eora Journey (“the People’s Journey”), a public art program celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander culture and heritage, was launched at the Redfern Community Centre.
Early this March, several horror stories emerged in the media about pregnant women who were turned away from a Western Sydney maternity ward and had to give birth unattended by a health professional, one in the hospital car park and another one at home. These stories shone a light on the deficiencies of the hospital system, overworked midwives, a lack of staff and resources that leave some women frightened and looking at alternative options for giving birth. In order to receive the continuity of care they can’t find in maternity wards, some women choose to hire a private midwife and give birth in their own home, while others choose to use the services of a doula (birth attendant) to have a support at the hospital when giving birth, as well as throughout their pregnancy.
Ms Zeina Daccache, a clinical psychologist, drama therapist, actress and filmmaker, was born during the Civil War (1975-1990) in Lebanon, a country that counts...
There are not many professions that can boast having the general respect of the whole community: doctors, nurses, vets, lifeguards ... When kids are asked what they want to be when they grow up, one of the most recurring answers would be: “A firefighter!” There is nothing quite like the appeal of the shiny red fire engine, the powerful water hose and the heroism of saving lives from house fires to ignite the imagination and admiration of children and adults alike.
Back in 2001, a collective of young artists eager to offer a more low-key approach to art decided to take over a run-down workshop in Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills, which came to be known as the Knot Gallery & the Frequency Lab. But after five years of hosting art exhibitions, concerts (hip-hop band The Herd played there, amongst many others), spoken word performances, and generally being a social and gathering place, the team had to drop the curtain and was left without a space.
REDFERN: With the opening of several small bars on Redfern and Regent streets in recent months, such as the Dock or Arcadia Liquors, Redfern has developed a reputation as the new small bar hotspot. But what draws these bar owners to Redfern and what does it say about Redfern and its inhabitants?
REDFERN: Amy Porter is a bright, blue-eyed and dark-haired young woman who loves camping and leading rover scouts on adventures. Her occupation, however, might surprise you. At 20, she is a Funeral Director at Joseph Medcalf Funeral Services in Redfern Street and has been working in the industry since she was 16.
On August 23 the 11,000-signature petition initiated by Lift Redfern was brought to NSW Parliament for debate. Lift Redfern, representing local businesses and residents, Aboriginal groups and arts groups, had worked tirelessly over recent months to create awareness and push for lifts to be installed at Redfern station. Group members observed the debate from the public gallery.
Calls to install lifts at Redfern station, one of the busiest stations in Sydney, have become more and more vigorous in recent months thanks to the Lift Redfern: Make Redfern Accessible Now campaign, launched in January by a group of local residents.
