Lo c a l St o r i e s | Gi g Gu i d e | Mu s i c | Ar t | Cu l t u r e | Fo o d | Fa s h i o n & Co m m u n i t y
Spring 2019
No. 10
urbanvillage.com.au
Ronni Kahn NOURISHING OUR COMMUNITIES
Crown Street School Fete TONY MOTT SNAKE PIT SEDITION FESTIVAL QUEERSCREEN MOODY BEACH BANKSY EXHIBITION SPRING GUIDE & MORE
From the Editor
W
elcome to the Spring edition of Urban Village magazine, and if you’ve read us before you’ll see we’re now in a bigger format. We are two years into our publishing venture, focussing on our local communities in Surry Hills, Redfern and Darlinghurst, and our magazine has been very well received. The new format is a sign of our confidence in our future, and – we hope – will give our local advertising partners a more effective platform to communicate with our readers, who we hope will enjoy the visual impact of bigger images and graphics. In terms of themes, this Spring edition has emerged to have a focus on food. As our cover story interviewee, OzHarvest’s Ronni Kahn, points out, we do waste an awful lot of food and the statistics are
damning. Food waste costs Australia an estimated $20 billion a year and a massive five million tonnes ends up in landfill. Ronni is fighting back strongly against this, with the goal of halving food waste by 2030. Some of the OzHarvest initiatives are in the Urban Village backyard, such as the orange juice dispenser at the Surry Hills supermarket, and the rescued food supermarket at Randwick – the first of its kind in Australia. Outside of OzHarvest, the good work continues locally with the kitchen at the Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre delivering what food should deliver: health and community. But those of us who enjoy food and dining – and of course Surry Hills is a national epicentre for this – don’t need to feel guilty, we just need to respect food a little more.
Food waste costs Australia an estimated $20 billion a year and a massive five million tonnes ends up in landfill...
Contents
We may even need to respect it by paying a little more for it. Not only does that mean supporting excellent local restaurants, and we showcase them in this edition, but also being more onto what we throw away. Research shows that around one third of the household bin is wasted food and one in five shopping bags ends up in the rubbish. Not only is this wasting resources, it wastes money. Think of the money you would save if you were more onto your waste, and imagine spending that at some of the great restaurants and café’s in our neighbourhood. That’s a win for the environment, the consumer and local business. Bon Appetit Surry Hills! Lachlan Colquhoun Editor, Urban Village
Spring 2019
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Crown Street Celebrates, a cookbook we all need
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Meet the locals, Joyce Regowski
24 Dinner Date with Tony Mott
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Connecting Sydney, Maree Sheehan and her adopted city
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We say farewell to Doris Goddard, a true local legend
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Cooking with Matt, shop local and cook at home
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Surry Hills & Valleys: Kelly, Volunteer at Northcott
Q & A with Snake Pit
Cover story; Ronnie Kahn solving 27 the food waste problem 30
Pottery is the new self-care, Stephan Gyory tells us why
Fiona McIntosh and the new 39 urban village at South Eveleigh 44 Banksy Comes to town at the EQ
Editor Lachlan Colquhoun Words Tess Scholfield-Peters, Peter English, Lachlan Colquhoun, Sean Masters, Fiona McIntosh, Glen Hare, Mike Galvin, Liam Barrett and Dr Nima Rahmani, Matt Clark
Images James Ervine, Sean Masters, Tamara Dean, Tim Ritchie, Dan Boud, Walter Maurice, City of Sydney Archives, Anthony Geernaert, Livia Giacomini, NikkiTo, Brett Boardman, Mark Pokorny, Nell and Cave Urban,
Design & Layout Ben Eckersley Creative Consultant Sean Masters Publisher Urban Village Media Pty Ltd ABN 68 623 934 609
Cover Ronni Kahn Cover Photo Anthony Geernaert All Enquiries Tel: 02 7904 5979 Email: info@urbanvillage.com.au Office: PO Box 644 Surry Hills NSW 2010 ISSN 2208-6242
Urban Village is published by Urban Village Media Pty Ltd in co-operation with the Surry Hills Creative Precinct, Potts Point Partnership and the Darlinghurst Business Partnership to strengthen relationships and co-operation between the business community, residents, visitors and workers of Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, Potts Point and the surrounding neighbourhoods. While all efforts are made to ensure information is accurate, Urban Village Media and our co-operating chamber partners, take no responsibility for errors or omissions.
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heads
up!
Save
the Date
QUEER SCREEN FESTIVAL 2019
18 – 22 September at Event Cinemas George Street 29 films from 12 countries, including 22 Sydney Premieres and a focus on romantic films. “With our theme of ‘Light Your Fire’ we are asking the audience to engage their hearts and minds and join us in witnessing passion on screen in a variety of circumstances,” says Festival Director, Lisa Rose.
Also look out for...
SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL 1–30 September
Celebrate a decade of local stories, new artists, activations, adventures and experiences.
SEDITION FESTIVAL 5–28 September
A mini festival based on the flourish of creative arts and ideas during the 1970s.
ANTENNA FESTIVAL 7 – 27 October
Established in 2011, Antenna is Australia’s international documentary film festival.
CROWN STREET FETE 3 November
The biennial fundraising fete in the heart of Surry Hills will celebrate the school’s 170th anniversary
MELBOURNE CUP 5 NOVEMBER
Local venues like The Forresters and The Winery are throwing race day celebrations not to be missed
...more in our Events Guide, page 42/43
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“We’re not only investing in the local community with this cookbook, but its future. These kids are its most important asset” said Colin Fassnidge, Chef and TV presenter. Curated by the acclaimed chef Jane Strode and bar owner Jeremy Blackmore (both Crown Street parents), CROWN STREET CELEBRATES™ includes recipes from The Dolphin Hotel, Hotel Harry, Bills, Poly, Alberto’s Lounge, Fred’s, Don Peppino’s, Spice I Am, Belles Hot Chicken, Bad Hombres, El Loco, Butter, Bar Ume, Jillian’s Cakery, Epic Pizza, 6 | urbanvillage.com.au
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Meet the Locals
Joyce Regowski Joyce Regowski recently turned 93 and still lives in the house in Riley Street where she was born in 1926. After her mother and husband passed away she lived alone until she adopted 9 year old rescue dog Rex about five years ago. Joyce spoke with Lachlan Colquhoun. By
Lachlan Colquhoun
J
oyce Regowski has had to stop her regular walks around Surry Hills for the time being, but it has nothing to do with her own health. It is because Rex has developed a sore leg and can’t go with her. “I think walking is the best thing,” she says, explaining her health and longevity. “I usually do four walks a day, but poor Rex can’t do it at the moment.” At 93 and because she has never lived anywhere else, Joyce may well be Surry Hills most longstanding continuous resident. Her father bought the house in Riley Street after a big windfall at the Randwick Racecourse in the early 1920s, and moved in with his four sons from another marriage. Joyce was born in the front room of the house in 1926, and while her brothers all eventually moved away she stayed, and lived there with her parents. “Back when everybody lived here you almost had to have a roster to go to the toilet, it was that busy,” she says. “Of course we only had one toilet, and I used to have to share
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the bath with my mother.” After a brief seven week marriage, which she broke off in mysterious circumstances, Joyce then met her second husband-tobe Harry in the days after World War 2. Originally from Poland, he had served in the US Army and was on the verge of emigrating to America when someone told him about Australia. They talked it up so much that he emigrated to Sydney, but then spent two years living in a tent at MacDonald Town. “He was friends with my friend who ran the grocers on Riley Street,” she said. “He was always asking me to go to the pictures or whatever but I always said no.” That was until her friend the grocer invited her to dinner and she arrived to discover Harry was the other guest. Although a non-drinker and non-smoker, she did however have several glasses of vodka that night which helped move things along. “After dinner he walked me home, but we had to take the long
Photo credit: James Ervine
At 93 and because she has never lived anywhere else, Joyce may well be Surry Hills most longstanding continuous resident. way round so I would sober up a bit and my father wouldn’t know I’d been drinking,” says Joyce. “So Harry walked me home, and I have to say that yes he did kiss me goodnight.” Soon they were married and Harry moved in. He had a career on the Sydney railways while Joyce worked in a rag trade factory in Surry Hills and then in a chocolate factory in Zetland. She and her co-workers used to take the imperfect chocolates and hide them in their bras to take home. Harry passed away around 40 years ago and Joyce’s mother passed away at 95. Although she
lives alone she says she has many friends who come and visit and “check up” on her. So what does she think of Surry Hills now? “I still love it, it’s so beautiful here, but I am a bit confused by the young people,” she says. “Every time I see them they have a phone in one hand, and a coffee in another. It seems rather strange to me.” Raised a Catholic, she still attends mass regularly at 10.30 on a Sunday. “I go then because the choir is there,” she says. “They are absolutely wonderful, it really sends me.” What is annoying her, however, is “all this talk about abortion” at the Church, and the pressure people are under to sign petitions against legislative change. “I don’t go to Church for anything about that,” she says. “I go for God and to listen to the singing.”
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Photo credit: James Ervine
Feeling the Sydney Connection Maree Sheehan is founder of The Sydney Connection, one of the city’s leading food and wine walking tours. Auckland-born Maree came to Sydney twenty years ago, fell in love with the city and never left.
By
Tess Scholfield-Peters
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Since 2013 she’s been showing out-of-towners the best of our inner city suburbs. Now, she is collaborating with the Surry Hills Creative Precinct to bring you Al Fresco Festival, a long-table lunch event in Shannon Reserve in March next year. How did you get started? My background is in events management, but the idea to start hosting walking tours actually came from a date. This guy from Texas I’d been chatting to was visiting Sydney and asked if I’d take him around. I thought it would be more interesting than having a coffee, so I said yes. I took him to the Galleries of Victoria for a bowl of ramen, we walked through Hyde Park and then to the Art Gallery of NSW. The whole way we talked about Sydney’s history, and I gave him transport tips only a local would know. At the end of the day he said,
‘Wow, you’re really good at that. You should do that for a living.’ I started researching and saw there were lots of shopping and history tours, but there wasn’t a local-focused tour about food and wine. What does The Sydney Connection offer? We curate dining walks around Surry Hills, Darlinghurst Potts Point and Manly. On each walk we’ll visit 3 – 4 venues and enjoy a course at each one, paired with a matching wine or cocktail. We also stage food events as part of big Sydney festivals like Good Food Month, Sydney Craft Week and Mardi Gras. What do you love about the dining walks? I love sharing travel stories and food knowledge, and the ritual of sitting down with people. I feel quite privileged sometimes to meet people I would never have
I love showing off my adopted city... met otherwise. I also enjoy the relationships I’ve built with local restaurants and bars, and being part of the hospitality community. What can we expect from Al Fresco Festival? I’m envisioning an informal lazy lunch atmosphere on a Sunday afternoon in Shannon Reserve. We’ll have local venues offering food and drinks at their own stalls, and the idea is that people can come and go as they like throughout the festival. Visit: thesydneyconnection.com.au for more info about Maree’s dining walks, and like the Surry Hills Creative Precinct on Facebook to stay up to date with Al Fresco Festival
Spring has sprung at
Dead Ringer By
Tess Scholfield-Peters
T
he scent of spring is in the air and the heat of summer will be upon us before too long. With the temperature rising we decide to take a stroll down Bourke Street after work to Dead Ringer, the heritage town house turned restaurant bar. Dead Ringer is a bit away from well - trodden Crown Street, which works to its favour. Front seating is a rarity in Surry Hills and Bourke Street affords Dead Ringer an atmospheric front garden terrace, fairy lit at night and bathed in sun during the day. We take a seat on the terrace amidst the vine leaves and fellow patrons already sharing cheese boards and frosty glasses of rose. We order some cocktails from the Knock Off menu, available between 5pm and 7pm – a Negroni and Yuzu Vermouth Spritz for $10 each. I’m eager to try the Meat Free Monday menu, but I’m informed that it won’t be released for another few weeks. On Mondays throughout summer Dead Ringer’s menu goes entirely vegetarian, in
Photos by Walter Maurice
keeping with their strong sustainability values. Instead we choose a few dishes from their current menu: chickpea fritters with radishes and basil cream ($16); baked dutch carrots with Meredith goats feta and red harissa ($18); cured salmon with labneh and pickled fennel ($20); and the double baked gruyere soufflé with spinach and walnuts ($18). Each dish is thoughtfully plated and the portions are well sized. The standout is the gruyere soufflé, while the chickpea fritters lack a bit of flavour but are saved by the accompanying basil cream. Dead Ringer’s attention to wastage is clear in the clever use of the usually discarded radish and carrot stalks. With Ronni Kahn on our cover it’s worth mentioning that Dead Ringer has partnered with Oz Harvest by giving customers the option to add $1 to their menu in support of the organisation. We’ll definitely be back to the terrace, the perfect spot for an evening cocktail and light bite.
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Doris Goddard, photographed by Tamara Dean in the Hollywood Hotel in Surry Hills, 2009
Farewell to a Surry Hills Icon
Doris Goddard 1930-2019 Doris Goddard appeared in around a dozen films and played roles from a Danish shot-putter to a Cold War spy, but few would dispute that her best role was as herself: the colourful and engaging owner at the Hollywood Hotel.
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D
oris passing in early August prompted a wave of tributes, which hailed her unique bohemian style and her achievement in maintaining the Hollywood’s idiosyncratic identity in an increasingly bland and corporatised Sydney pub scene. You just had to be called “darling” by her the once and you were hooked, and she called a lot of people “darling.” And how many publicans would hold forth in the front bar of their pubs, accompanying themselves on the guitar as they performed an eclectic set of old tunes from the 1940s and 1950s? Born in Forest Lodge in 1930, Doris enjoyed a genuinely international film career playing opposite Bob Hope and Katherine Hepburn in The Iron Petticoat (1956) and British film icon Alistair Sim in Georgie (1955). There were also roles in later Australian films Caddie (1976) and Tim (1979), which starred a young
The Hollywood has always welcomed alternative, diverse and bohemian culture and this is a precious and endangered thing in Sydney in 2019. Mel Gibson. Film wasn’t her only milieu. Doris also had a love of horse racing and was one of the first women to stand for election to the Australian Jockey Club and Sydney Turf, paving the way for women in that long standing male bastion. The Hollywood also wasn’t her first pub, but she and her late husband Charlie Bishop paid $175,000 for the pub back in 1977 and made their home upstairs. Charlie, who had had his own colourful career as a fighter pilot
flying off aircraft carriers during the Korean War, died in 2004. With the passing of Doris Sydney has lost not just a colourful and well loved personality, but a whole era of pub culture where the publican set the tone and made the establishment a unique destination. The Hollywood has always welcomed alternative, diverse and bohemian culture and this is a precious and endangered thing in Sydney in 2019. Media reports are speculating that the Hollywood is worth $12 million or so, and it’s not clear what Doris has provided for in her will. We can only hope that the Hollywood continues to carry on her tradition, which would not only honour the contribution Doris has made but also remain a small beacon of hope in our pub scene. At Urban Village we can only add our voice to the stream of tributes for Doris over the last month. Vale Doris Goddard: thank you to a true icon of Surry Hills.
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When in Surry Hills,
Cook as the Locals do Matt’s Toulouse Sausage and Tomato Pasta MATT CLARK has been living in the neighbourhood for two years now. He worked for six years as a chef before deciding to study interior design... We stopped by his Fitzroy Street terrace, where he lives with his girlfriend Jac and two dogs Solo and Mouse. He was preparing his go - to dinner for two plus the next day’s lunch, Toulouse sausage and tomato pasta. All the ingredients were sourced from Maloney’s on Crown Street, and the accompanying wine was the Mother Hen Chardonnay from the Mornington Peninsula, purchased at the El Loco bottle shop. He spent around $50 all up. “It’s easy and super tasty. You can’t go wrong with chilli, tomato and garlic.” Wise words, Matt.
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Ingredients
4 eshalots 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 small birds eye chillies 1 punnet grape tomatoes 440g Romeo’s Fine Food Pork Toulouse Sausages 80 g butter 100g halved green olives 3 tbsp olive oil A generous splash of white wine ½ tsp salt ½ tsp pepper 1 packet Barilla Farfalle or preferred pasta type ½ cup basil to finish Parmesan to finish (add as desired)
Method • P ut a large pot of water on to boil and salt the water generously.
• F inely dice eschalots and chilli
(and garlic if you don’t have a mincer). •G ently squeeze the sausage meat out of the casing and shape into little meatballs the size of twenty cent pieces, about 20 - 30g each.
•H eat 2 tbsp oil in a large frypan.
Once hot, brown off the sausage meatballs. • S et aside the meatballs once browned (they don’t have to be fully cooked.) Let the pan cool slightly. • I n the same pan add half the butter and 1 tbsp oil and sweat the eschalots, garlic and chilli on low heat until translucent for roughly 6 minutes and season with salt and pepper. •A dd the grape tomatoes, the browned sausage meatballs and a splash of white wine. Cover and let simmer. Add your pasta to the boiling water once you’ve put the lid on the frypan and let cook for ten minutes or to taste.
Photos by James Ervine
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Kelly: Volunteer at Northcott
Surry Hills & Valleys W
hen I first came to Surry Hills (seven years ago) I was addicted to marijuana. I was addicted for maybe two years. Then I moved away for a year to Concord Hospital to detox and rehab. Counselling is the best thing you can do. It helps you understand why you started, what makes you do it, what triggers you, and then you can work to keep away from it. Doing some hard-core detox and rehab is good for anybody and I’d recommend Concord Hospital to anyone.
After a year, I came back here and got a job. I make coffee and tea and talk to people. I love to interact with the community, talk to people and have a chat about anything they want to talk about. I love the people. They are genuine people who care about the community and what happens and want to make a difference. I’ve found since new management have taken over this year, people want to come and get involved. We’ve had more volunteers. We do gentle exercise
About www.surryhillsandvalleys.com We are four storytellers whether through art, photography or written word, who want to create a space for giving voice to the stories of the inhabitants of Surry Hills. Surry Hills has a history of storytelling. We hope that the stories that are told will bring about community in our neighbourhood especially during this time where Surry Hills is going through so much change. We want to represent the diversity of the people in our community so we can increase learning from and respect of each other. To read more profiles, visit www.surryhillsandvalleys.com
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I love the people. They are genuine people who care about the community and what happens and want to make a difference... class now Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We do ceramics Friday mornings. We’re about to start karaoke, and I believe we’re going to have bingo. Surry Hills has become safer since the police have been around and they’re doing a lot more cleaning up. I feel a lot safer. When I first moved in here this place was dodgy. You couldn’t walk out the door without standing on syringes. We would have people in the stairwells having sex. But since
Photo credit: Tim Ritchie
the security, the cameras and the police presence, it’s just changed. In the last year, it’s actually become a safer community. I suppose I’ve struggled with marijuana use since the age of 11. I’ve only been clean now for two years. I think it’s got a lot to do with being here and getting support from the community. If it wasn’t for the support I got from the community, I wouldn’t be off it, to be honest. I just think that I’m not interested anymore. I’ve grown. I’ve decided I want to grow and be changed and the people that help me grow and change are the people in the community. If it wasn’t for their help, like the pop-up drug stores and stuff like that happening, I don’t think I would have ever stopped. I have five beautiful children and two grandchildren. They’re my life at the moment and my little baby girl, Ellie, my little dog.
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&
QA with
Snake Pit By
Tess Scholfield-Peters
After a few minutes talking to Concetta Caristo, Maddie Houlbrook-Walk and John Robles, I was hooked on their electric chemistry and infectious silliness. The three friends met through theatre sports at Sydney Uni and formed their slithery improv trio in 2017. Now their magic spontaneity and hilarious scenes are selling out comedy nights all over Sydney. Taking cues from Amy Poehler, Broad City and the renowned Chicago improv scene, there’s only one rule for Snake Pit: if it’s not fun, it’s not worth doing. I sat down with the trio at The Forresters, where they perform improv every fortnight. How did you start out?
Snake Pit’s next big show is called Into The Pit with special guest Tom Walker at Staves Brewery in Glebe. The show is part of the Powerbomb Comedy Festival, happening on the 26th October. Follow @snakepitcomedy on Instagram and visit their website snakepitcomedy.com for more info.
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Maddie: I came back from doing an improv course in Chicago – which is like the home of long form improv and Cranston theatre sports competition was on, so we decided to enter as a team. We got into the finals and performed at Enmore Theatre, which was pretty huge. Concetta: We had a different name then, we were called Snake and Bake. After Cranston we changed to Snake Pit – it has more longevity I feel. John: Then there was a period of time where we were going around doing 5 or 10-minute spots at open mics, performing in front of 4,000 TAB screens on tiny stages. People would just be drinking a beer and wouldn’t really understand what we were doing. What’s the pull of improv to you? Maddie: There’s magic in the fact that you’re seeing something in real time, watching people create a whole world. It’s cliché, but
I think there’s been a really conscious decision to foster diversity. Audiences are seeing more of themselves represented on stage. In saying that, diversity has come from the ground up, not the top down.
you’ve never seen it before and you’ll never see it again. Concetta: It’s on the spot and I think that fascinates people. It’s so inherently different to stand up, watching people collaborating and helping each other be funny together. What are your on stage go-tos? John: Every improviser has their ‘stock’ characters that they rely on. I’ve been doing a lot of Irish lately. Concetta: I love to do British. I love to do a shitty British accent. Maddie’s accents are too real. Maddie: Last week I did Russian, I was being Rasputin. Concetta: Accents are so good because if you’re getting it right or very wrong, it’s still hilarious. What do you do outside Snake Pit? John: We all do stand up and Concetta and I have a podcast called Get Over It. I’m also
Left to right: Concetta Caristo, Maddie Houlbrook-Walk and John Robles.
really into musical theatre. Before I did comedy I was doing computer science, I’m finishing this semester and I’m going to absolutely take that piece of paper and throw it in the bin. Maddie: I work in regulation for the government. We joke that because I have a regular 9-5 job I have an alter ego as this business lady. What’s happening in Sydney comedy right now? Concetta: The scene is really supportive. There are a lot of people to like in this scene who are genuinely funny. Maddie: I think there’s been a really conscious decision to foster diversity. Audiences are seeing more of themselves represented on stage. In saying that, diversity has come from the ground up, not the top down. That’s the con – comedians have
Meet
Orlando Sydney, Photo: Orlando and Brooke (The Daughter) Sydney
your local events photographer
O to prove their worth, mainly their commercial viability, before they can move up the ladder. John: There’s definitely a comedy boom happening. But I think the people who may not understand why a queer story is important are often the people who make the decisions in the industry – straight white dudes. It can still be hard to navigate that. Maddie: We’ve had room runners say that it’s good there’s a guy in Snake Pit because an all woman group might be hard to relate to. And John doesn’t even count as a man in my mind. John: Yeah I’ve been continuously discounted as a man. That’s sort of my whole deal. What are your favourite spots in Surry Hills? Concetta: The Forresters and Café Lounge for comedy, and best pizza in the world is Epic Pizza on Crown Street. Also Messina.
John: My favourite place for brunch is Cook and Archie’s – the staff knows me, I had my birthday there. Best piece of advice you’ve been given? John: As long as you’re having fun and supporting each other, no one can tell you that you’re doing something wrong. Maddie: The art that you make is only as interesting as you are, so you can’t let it be the only thing about you. Concetta: Remember to have fun. And live, laugh, love. Any pearls of wisdom for our readers? Concetta: Go see Snake Pit! Maddie: If you want to see comedy, ask comedians – don’t just google Sydney comedy gigs. John: If there’s any little part of you that thinks you might want to do it yourself, take an improv class. Anyone can do it. It makes your life better.
rlando Sydney specialises in event photography, from festivals like Rainbow Serpent and Blues Fest, to large-scale corporate functions and smaller not-for-profit events. He offers two decades of industry experience to a range of clients. For him, photography is about combining creative and technical elements to connect with his audience. Orlando’s been taking photos since the late eighties – back in the days of film photography every frame had to have a meaning, he says. Orlando has carried this idea with him throughout his career. “I tend to focus in on elements of a scene, get drawn into the closer interactions, the connections that people have at events,” says Orlando. As well as corporate functions Orlando works with not for profits including Karrung Larr, an Aboriginal Bark Hut Camp in Victoria, the Australian Indigenous Education
I tend to focus in on elements of a scene, get drawn into the closer interactions, the connections that people have at events Foundation and Blues Fest’s Boomerang Festival. “A lot of the time these organisations just don’t have the funds for photography, so I offer some support,” he says. “I’ve been around the Surry Hills area for a long time and have watched it change. I’ve seen some of the First Nations people in Redfern get priced out by all the developments.” “My contribution is helping to capture some of the stories and histories through these organisations, and sharing them with a wider audience.” Being a local and understanding the importance of each individual shot in delivering a business message are Orlando’s key points of difference. For more information and to get in touch with him directly, head to www.orlandosydney.com. urbanvillage.com.au urbanvillage.com.au || 19
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From the Archives
Sydney Stations Past 1. Devonshire Street Cemetery c. 1890. 2. Redfern Railway Station, Devonshire Street, Surry Hills, c. 1900. 3. View from Town Hall Clock Tower, Sydney, c. 1873 4. Aerial view from Town Hall Clock Tower, Sydney, c. 1873
Dead Central
Human remains and artefacts: latest findings from Central Station Metro construction Tess Scholfield-Peters
The Sydney Metro construction at Central Station is well under way, with project completion scheduled for 2022. Work will continue along the 31km length of the Sydney Metro City & Southwest project to lay tracks and fit out stations before services start in 2024. According to the Archaeologist and Excavation Director, Dr Iain Stuart, everyone was prepared for archaeological findings. After all, the site was once a burial ground the size of five football fields. But the scale of the findings was quite unexpected, Dr Stuart told Urban Village. Plans for Central Station developed in the mid 1890s, which meant that land spanning Devonshire Street Cemetery was repurposed for the development. Since the initial finding of human remains in October 2018, the archaeological team has found around seven vaults of coffins and 72 grave “cuts,” where coffins lay before exhumation. An exciting development was made in June when archaeologists uncovered the grave of Mr Joseph Thompson,
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160 years after his death. “Mr Thompson is unique in that he’s the first burial we’ve been able to definitely associate with a known person,” said Dr Stuart. Records reveal that Mr Thompson was an elder of the congregational church at Pitt Street and fathered 14 children. Sydney Metro is in consultation with Mr Thompson’s descendants about the remains. Interestingly, two of his descendants are professors of history. “If one wanted to reflect on nature and nurture there’s a story to be told there.” The archaeological clearance work is delicate, with Sydney Metro and contractor Laing O’Rourke working closely to ensure that the process is thorough and respectful. “I think everybody concerned is aware that these are human remains and we need to be respectful and treat them properly,” said Dr Stuart.
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Keep up to date with construction of the new Sydney Metro undergound platforms at Central Station and the landmark Central Walk at www.sydneymetro.info
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Photos credit: City of Sydney Archives
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Sedition Festival
Back to our Radical Roots
By
Lachlan Colquhoun
The mini - festival runs through to the end of September with a series of exhibitions and performances revisiting 1970s radicalism and making some trouble just for fun
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S
ydney – or the inner city neighbourhoods of Surry Hills and Darlinghurst – has an impressive tradition of radical and experimental art, and that period is being revisited in the Sedition mini festival. Created by Lesa - Belle Furhagen and Toby Creswell, the festival runs through to the end of September with a combination of exhibitions, cabaret and rock and folk performances at some of the venues which hosted it all back in the day: Paddington RSL and the National Art School.
The idea is not one of nostalgia, however, but to reconnect Sydney’s radical artistic DNA of the past with the present and give it a new kick along. And then there’s just the fun aspect. “It’s about making trouble sometimes for the hell of it,” is how the curators put it on the Sedition website. Theatre and cabaret director Johnny Allen was a big part of
the 70s scene with his Cabaret Conspiracy, and says Sedition is “not about parking your walking frames at the door” and talking about the old days. “It’s good to remember that this area of Sydney has always been a real centre for protest through the arts, and its nice to remind young people because some of the things they are facing today are very similar,” says
It’s good to remember that this area of Sydney has always been a real centre for protest through the arts, and it’s nice to remind young people because some of the things they are facing today are very similar... Allen, who Toby Cresswell calls the “Berlin side of things” for the Festival. “The basic idea is that art can stimulate action, and what happened then is still relevant.” That said, the 1970s was a remarkable era for art and performance in inner city Sydney. The Nimrod Theatre company formed, experimental
films were being made, punk bands like the Saints and Radio Birdman were playing legendary gigs at the Paddington RSL, poster art and photography was flourishing, and there was a strong folk scene around singers like Jeannie Lewis and Margaret Roadnight. These last two will perform at an event – Girls in Our Town – at the National Art School Cellblock on September 20. “Rather appropriately, that used to be a women’s prison,” says Johnny Allen. Allen, who now lectures in event management at UTS, was involved with some iconic 70s events, not just in Sydney but also through his work at the Nimbin Festivals which established a strong Australian counterculture. He looks back at the 70s as an era of “seismic change” in Australian culture. “I look at the Whitlam Government, and that changed Australia forever,” he says. “None of the things I got involved with would have happened
without that movement, and our hope is that we can re - inject a little bit of that into what is happening today and reconnect with that radical tradition and take it forward.” Details of Sedition Festival events are on the Eventbrite website
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Photo by Walter Maurice
Dinner Date
With Tony Mott Urban Village editor Lachlan Colquhoun enjoyed dinner at Arthur on Bourke Street with rock photography legend and longtime local resident Tony Mott
By
Lachlan Colquhoun
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O
n arrival at the restaurant, Tony Mott very kindly presents me with a copy of his collected – or should I say – selected work: the Alphabet A-Z of Rock ‘N’ Roll Photography. It’s a massive and heavy tome, full of action shots of most of the biggest rock stars of the last 40 years, both local and international. “And the funny thing is, just about all of these pix were taken within five kilometres of here,” he says, before reeling off names of iconic venues, now sadly closed. It underlines Mott’s point about Surry Hills and its immediate environs. It’s a totally unique place in Australia, if not the world. When Mott arrived in Australia it was the epicentre of music, with more than a dozen venues, and the trend-setter for Australian street culture and fashion. Originally from Sheffield in the UK, Mott washed up in Sydney almost by accident as a refugee from Thatcher’s Britain and liked it so much he stayed on. He’s lived in the Surry Hills area for three decades and now lives on
Bourke Street, just the other side of Cleveland. His original profession was chef, but it was his enthusiasm for photographing the Divinyls and their celebrated singer Chrissie Amphlett which changed the course of his life. “They were playing the Piccadilly up at Kings Cross in a residency and I just got into taking photos of them,” he says. “I thought I was making a nuisance of myself but after a few gigs they approached me and asked for the shots.” From there, Mott’s career took off. He’s toured with the Rolling Stones four or five times, done album covers for some of the most seminal Australian albums, and gets to hang out with some of the biggest names in rock. He tells me that Mick Jagger has Australian ancestry, on his mother’s side, and he once went with Mick to see the house in Petersham the family once called home. He was asked to go on tour again with the Stones recently, but
Originally from Sheffield in the UK, Mott washed up in Sydney almost by accident as a refugee from Thatcher’s Britain and liked it so much he stayed on. He’s lived in the Surry Hills area for three decades... declined because of his desire to be at home with his eight year old twins. Dining at Arthur can be an intimate experience, and quite soon it becomes clear that the couple next to us are eavesdropping on Tony’s stories. They can’t help interrupting. They ask him who is the best musician he has photographed. “Prince,” says Tony. “And you know, he was so easy to photograph and was so easy to deal with. When people are at the top they are often much more relaxed and nicer than those on the way up.” Tony’s continual stream of anecdotes could not possibly be contained in these pages. He could easily fill a book with them but maybe that would be telling.
Queer Screen: Local Rewards
A win-win for local businesses and consumers
Surry Hills is set to roll out its own loyalty program – Local Rewards – with initial funding via a City of Sydney grant and in collaboration with the Surry Hills Creative Precinct and using new game-changing technology from Sydney fintech company OpenSparkz. Unlike other loyalty schemes, users will not have to use a separate card, coupon or token for Local Rewards. Consumers simply have to register their chosen card with the scheme and the benefits, in the form of discounts and cash-back, will flow through to their accounts within 24 hours of a purchase. Merchants will not have to integrate any new technology into their point of sale systems, and it will require no new training of staff. The technology sits behind transactions and operates automatically when purchases are made according to rules set by individual merchants. Leigh Harris, president of the Surry Hills Creative Precinct and publisher of Urban Village, said the aim of Local Rewards was to “strengthen the local economic eco-system” and deliver a win-win to both consumers and merchants. “For consumers, there are discounts and offers if they shop locally,” said Harris. “This will drive local spending, and increased loyalty to merchants who become part of the scheme. And being a public scheme, it will mean that out of area consumers can also join, so we expect it will bring new spending into the area.”
While protecting consumer privacy through rigorous respect for individual permissions, Local Rewards also offers merchants valuable data which they can use to make targeted offers to consumers, and to join with other local businesses to promote combined offers. Participating merchants will be promoted through Urban Village magazine and the website www. urbanvillage.com.au, providing a platform for businesses to inform consumers of discounts and offers. OpenSparkz has been recognized as a leading new fintech company and is a foundation member of the Stone & Chalk innovation incubator in Sydney which is backed by the State and Federal Governments. “OpenSparkz have developed world leading loyalty scheme technology which we look forward to implementing on a hyper local basis in our inner-city footprint,” said Leigh Harris. “Our goal is for Local Rewards to be a driver for greater local commerce while at the same time rewarding local consumers for their loyalty.” Local Rewards will be rolled out later in 2019, and more announcements will follow soon.
2019
The 7th Queer Screen Film Fest is ready to set your world ablaze with a diverse range of LGBTIQ stories across narrative features, documentaries, and shorts. Boasting 29 films from 12 countries, including 22 Sydney Premieres and a focus on romantic films set to light your fire.
“With our theme of ‘Light Your Fire’ we are asking the audience to engage their hearts and minds and join us in witnessing passion on screen in a variety of circumstances. From sexy and intense romances to passionate causes, strength in adversity, fanatical obsessions with camp classics and the incredible desire to create a family. Use the festival to embrace your passion for film and our community and ignite some passions of your own.” says Festival Director, Lisa Rose Running from Wednesday 18 September to Sunday 22 September at Event Cinemas George Street, and thanks to the City of Sydney includes a free outdoor 30-year anniversary screening of the animated classic The Little Mermaid at Sydney Park, St Peters on Sunday 15 September. Opening the festival is the winner of the Audience Award at the recent Melbourne Internation Film Festival (MIFF), 18th-century lesbian romance, Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Other films fresh from their Australian Premieres at MIFF, are the witty Benjamin from comedian Simon Amstell which closes out the festival, the very sensual and intriguing End of the Century, and the tender and profound documentary Seahorse which charts a gay transmans journey to birth his own child. A highlight of the festival is the camp double feature of You Don’t Nomi that celebrates the trash masterpiece that is Showgirls. Revelling in all its hilarious flaws, it’s a must for fans of this all-time camp classic. The 1995 film itself will screen in a stunning 4K digital restoration! Don your finest “Versayce” for a night you won’t forget! There is also a new film from queer film favourite Pedro Almodóvar, Pain & Glory, which stars Antonio Banderas and Penélope Cruz and three stellar Australian Premieres: Sidra Smith’s episodic A Luv Tale: The Series a sexy love letter to queer women of colour; Festival guest Laurie Lynd’s thoughtprovoking documentary Killing Patient Zero is a powerful cinematic exoneration of Gaëtan Dugas, the Canadian man falsely accused of introducing AIDS to North America. Same But Different: A True New Zealand Love Story brings the love and laughs in a funny cross-cultural romantic comedy based on the real-life romance of writer-director Nikki Si’ulepa and producer Rachel Aneta Wills, who will be guests of the festival. Continuing Queer Screen’s ongoing commitment in supporting emerging filmmakers making diverse LGBTIQ screen stories, sees the return of the second-ever Queer Screen Pitch Off. Six filmmakers will spruik their film proposal to a panel of expert assessors, competing for a chance to win $10,000 to produce their short film. Tickets now on sale at: queerscreen.org.au
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Photo by McLean Stephenson
Looking through Moody’s mirage Moody Beach shape shifts depending on the show. Sometimes Moody’s solo, sometimes a duo, and sometimes it’ll be a full band made up of musicians and mates borrowed from other groups around Sydney. The one constant is the band’s creator Melissah Marie.
M
By
Tess Scholfield-Peters
‘Mirage’ will launch at Golden Age on Saturday October 5, supported by Sydney singer-songwriter Olive Rush. Entry is free. Full event details at ourgoldenage.com.au.
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oody’s sound can’t be clearly defined. Unsurprising as her influences all come from different planets: Helmut Newton, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Haruki Murakami, Elvis, Marilyn Manson, Madonna, Grimes, The National. “I love flamenco and shoe-gaze, also pop, then I really love dark wave electro. Also, 60s jangle music,” she tells me. “My music is a mix of all my favourite songs and sounds.” Moody Beach’s EP ‘Mirage’ launches in October at the Golden Age. For the first time Melissah will perform all her songs acoustically with “right hand gal” Courtney Cunningham, who also plays in bands La Vif, The Buoys and Good Pash. The EP explores old and new, she says, and features some of the first songs she ever wrote and only now feels ready to share.
“Mirage is a true representation of growth for me personally, but I hope it also inspires other people to not be shy about experimenting with genres, raising conversations, challenging people’s perceptions.” The launch will showcase the video for ‘Chance’ the leading single off the EP, filmed by Rex Woods. “Chance is very close to my heart. I really wanted to represent love lost, love gained and the different ways each of us experience that.” Listening to Moody’s music is a journey through time, stopping at junctures of hooky pop melodies, dark wave sounds and lyrics that reflect Melissah’s ideas on everything from love to female agency and control. Melissah is fervent about the right to expression without judgement on stage for women and women-identifying artists. “If a man takes his top off on stage it’s okay, but a woman’s body is still controversial. It’s unfair and pretty disappointing,” she says. “I’ve had people ask me what I’m trying to prove or if I’ve got
Listening to Moody’s music is a journey through time, stopping at junctures of hooky pop melodies, dark wave sounds and lyrics that reflect Melissah’s ideas on everything from love to female agency and control. issues, but I’m just my most comfortable when I can explore my sexuality and be myself on stage. “It’s about being able to express yourself without needing permission.” As difficult as it’s been for artists to survive under harsh nightlife policies, Sydney’s live music scene continues to strengthen and diversify, says Melissah. This fighting spirit lends unique electricity to live shows around the city. “There are so many up and coming artists, people who are throwing festivals at their houses. “We all know that supporting culture is integral to how we advance as a country. Anyone who’s in the scene 100% believes in that,” says Melissah. “It’s so much bigger than just music and art. I love being a part of that story.”
Ronni Kahn
Changemaker Ronnie Kahn started the OzHarvest food rescue project in 2004 after being inspired by a visit to the townships of Soweto in her native South Africa. With OzHarvest set to click into its third decade of operation next year, Urban Village’s Lachlan Colquhoun spoke with Ronni and found out that she is nowhere near finished with her mission.
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Photo by Livia Giacomini
A
t the beginning of the interview with Ronni Kahn, she shows me a new app on her phone where people at OzHarvest can check the crucial metrics on what the organisation is doing. As we begin to talk we look at the numbers. For the week, and we are meeting on a Wednesday, OzHarvest has so far delivered 104,114 meals, bringing the total number since the organisation was founded to just under 122 million. We agree to check the metric again at the end of the interview, and start our discussion with some of the new OzHarvest initiatives and the goal of halving food wastage in Australia by 2030. “I created OzHarvest to solve a problem, and that is that people are hungry and yet 30 percent of all food is wasted,” says Ronni. “So there is no end of ways that we can address the problem, and every single new program that we have is about adding an impact that will help reach a solution.” At the Surry Hills Shopping Village, for example, Juice for Good machines are using imperfect and rejected oranges dispensed in freshly squeezed juice from a vending machine. This is part of the new forprofit venture ForPurposeCo, where the financial proceeds will 28 | urbanvillage.com.au
be invested in a range of other projects all designed to minimize food waste and make an impact on the productivity and sustainability of agriculture. “Juice for Good machines are popping up all over,” says Ronni. “Innovation is part of our DNA and we are always looking for new ways to sustain OzHarvest, but also bring new ideas into the market.” Not far from the Urban Village stomping ground and over on Anzac Parade at Kensington, OzHarvest is operating Australia’s first ever pop up rescue food supermarket in property made available by the TOGA Group. In rural communities, where people are one third more likely to experience food insecurity than city dwellers, OzHarvest launched a new app in July which helps divert food waste back from landfill to those in need, connecting business and charities to facilitate regular donations. All of these components are part of a successful model which can be rolled out around Australia, and ultimately the world. Already, OzHarvest is set to expand into New Zealand, South Africa and also the UK after an invitation from the Duchess of Cornwall. “She loved our model and said
‘you should bring it here,’’ says Ronni. “Nobody says that to me without me following them up. We have a model and if people want that model then they need to tell us and we’ll help them to roll it out, because everything we do here is totally scalable.” If Ronni Kahn is driven, it is because there is plenty to drive her. The figures she is able to roll off are sobering. In Australia, 4 million people need food relief, and $20 billion in food goes to waste each year. Over 5 million tonnes of food ends up as landfill, enough to fill 9,000 Olympic sized swimming pools. One in five shopping bags end up in the bin or $3800 worth of groceries per household each year and 35 percent of the average household bin is food waste After discovering that her mission was in food rescue, Ronnie knew that her life would never be the same again. “Many times people tell me they wish they could find their meaning and their purpose,” she says. “Often these answers are so close to us. It is an issue which irritates us but is a challenge, and instead of saying you wish someone would fix it maybe you can become
I created OzHarvest to solve a problem, and that is that people are hungry and yet 30 percent of all food is wasted... the fixer yourself. “And in my case, I started on that road and found something that I wasn’t completely expecting, and the problem that I saw turned into my life’s calling.” As a result of Ronnie’s efforts, OzHarvest has become a phenomenon as corporate donors jumped aboard along with 2000 volunteers. Today, Ronni operates not just a food rescue company but a supermarket, a lobby group, a research and development incubator for new ideas and a transport logistics company with a fleet of trucks. When Woolworths come they say come at this time,” she says. “If we didn’t come there wouldn’t be food.” OzHarvest also operates education programs, and corporates bring teams to cooking lessons and team building sessions at the Alexandria base, raising money for OzHarvest in a classic win-win.
There are also 180 paid employees at OzHarvest, people who Ronnie says “have made a choice to work for meaning and purpose rather than simply making a living.” For these people, and for the whole OzHarvest operation, Ronnie describes herself as a “catalyst.” “I thought that I would fix my little patch and that would be good enough,” she says. “But my little patch grew to be something bigger, and I’m in awe that I’ve been able to trigger something and be a magnet for so many magnificent people who have made such a change. “You do need to have a captain, and yes that has been me, but you need all the pieces of the boat and that has what happened as people have come aboard.” For the future, Ronni is not ready to stop because she recognises that even though OzHarvest has made a significant contribution, there is still an enormous amount to do. “The goal is to minimize hunger and homelessness, to protect our planet and the people on it so to that end I think we will be here for a while yet,” she says.
“We are going to do our best to find every single angle that we can to achieve those goals.” The food system, she says, is “broken” in a convenience-driven society in which complacency is the dominant human driver. “We are not mindful or thoughtful of the value of food,” she says, “We should be paying much more for our food. Think of an apple you buy at the supermarket, it is worth so much more than the 50 cents you might pay. “Think of what it costs to grow it and nurture it and transport it to you, so we need to appreciate it and not just take a bit and throw it away.” With the interview done, we check the app. Another 113 meals delivered in the tune that we’ve been talking, which is in itself a cause of optimism. “Yes I am optimistic, because I see people becoming less complacent,” says Ronni. “There is a groundswell for change and the challenge is whether our politicians and the people who lead us have not heard our voice loud enough yet. “But we will get through to them, you better believe it.” urbanvillage.com.au | 29
Conversations
About Clay The Pottery Shed on Nickson Street was started by California expat Joe Darling. The airy warehouse is lined with eclectic wares from pottery apprentices; people drift in and out, some at the wheels, others at the far end colour glazing their latest creations.
By
Tess Scholfield-Peters
Photos by James Ervine
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I
ncense is burning, a few people are chatting in the corner with clay dried up to their elbows. Looking around this bohemian haven in the heart of inner-city Sydney, it seems you can’t take the Cali out of the man. Stephan Gyory is a local legend. Long-time Potts Point resident, owner of The Record Store, Sydney nightlife advocate and president of the Darlinghurst Business Partnership – most recently, Stephan is a self-proclaimed pottery fanatic. We meet in the Shed and I pull up a stool next to him. He’s throwing a new piece. After ten months of regular visits, Stephan looks at one with the clay, worlds away from his first class. “You learn the hard way,” he says. “You have to be prepared to fail and just learn from those failures, basically.” He tells me you start with three classes – throwing, trimming and glazing, all $59 each – where you’re taught the basic skills. “Each teacher shows you slightly different versions, but once you get to a certain point there’s no right or wrong way to do it. Beyond the very basics, it’s whatever works for you to get your desired result.” After the three initial training classes, you’re free to come back as a returning student. These sessions are two-hour bookings at $39
each, where you can use the Shed space and all materials required to create independently. “I’ve learnt that if you are too rough or in a hurry, you fuck everything up,” Stephan says as he shapes something across between a cup and a bowl. “Often like life, it’s much better if you take a bit more time with something. Be gentle with it, otherwise you’ll destroy everything.” Ryan, one of the teachers, interjects from the wheel on my right. “Pottery teaches you to be kind to yourself and to appreciate things for what they are, the beauty in things that aren’t perfect.” Stephan stops the wheel and peels his creation from the base with a piece of string. “I think I’m vibing this wonky cup,” he says. “I embrace wonky cups now.”
Pottery teaches you to be kind to yourself and to appreciate things for what they are, the beauty in things that aren’t perfect.
The fun continues
Crown Street Public School fete.
The biennial Crown Street Public School fete returns on Sunday November 3. Entry is free and all are welcome
really in Surry Hills.” It’s a highly curated space with the idea being that everything in the store has its own worth as a piece of art. “Part of the experience is that people can come in and talk about music, art and film. I’ll have random conversations about The Beatles, twentieth century historians or some of the new young spec fiction. “I like having the ability to turn people onto things. Like this morning someone bought their first turntable and I helped them choose their first album: The Beatles Best Of, the red and blue album.” TITLE celebrates quality art and artist s that transcend time. Their simple doctrine rings true to those who appreciate the same: it’s not about what’s new; it’s about what’s good.
This year’s fete marks the school’s 170th anniversary of learning, teaching and providing a focus for the school and wider community.Established in 1849, the school is one of the oldest continuous public schools in Australia, and the landmark building is heritage listed. The November fete will be an all-day family friendly event full of amusement rides; spinning cups and saucers, a haunted house, a pirate ship, turbo flyers and bouncy castles. There will be cool summer sounds from former ‘Crownie’ Jeremey Thomas, child friendly workshops, an artisan market, fantastic food, great coffee, entertainment and the book launch of ‘Crown Street Celebrates’. MC for the day will be Mike Galvin, founder of the Darlo Darlings Facebook Group, food blogger and all round ‘good guy’ and a huge Surry Hills supporter. Two Skinny Pickles will be supporting the fete and serving their great coffee in the ‘Instagrammable’ area called ‘The Crowns’. Purchase pastries, croissants, muffins, gluten free options, handmade gifts, potted plants and much more in ‘The Crowns’. The fete food stalls will be serving an array of mouthwatering fare; an Aussie BBQ, served by ‘Grll’d’, pizza from ‘Pizza Birra’, paella, burritos, dumplings, hummus from ‘Simply Hummus Bar’ and heaps of other tasty cuisine. In addition, there will be Messina ice-cream, slushies and homemade lemonade to cool down in the summer sun. For the sweet tooth; freshly made classic fairy floss, churros, cupcakes and slices will be available. The fete Artisan Market will be chock full of local talent; ceramics, beading, soy candles, jewellery, vinyl, high end jewellery, crochet, stationary, greeting cards, bespoke fashion, organic produce and lots more. Look out for Southern Cross Veterinary Clinic for a chance to cuddle some pets and let Dr Sam look after your teddy bear and have your photo taken! Head Fairy ‘Adelaide’ from ‘Periwinkle Parties’ will be entertaining the children with some awesome face painting. Our neighbours Bourke Street Public School will be at the fete so you can purchase ’50 Secrets of Surry Hills’ and the Principal and staff from the new Inner-City High School will be showcasing the new school uniform and branding. king. And much more…
TITLE Store: 499 - 501 Crown St, Surry Hills | Instagram: @titlestore
Crown Street Public School Fete. Free Entry. Sunday 3rd November 2019, 10.00am – 3.00pm.
Photo credit: James Ervine
What’s in a Title? TITLE Store’s Ian Underwood is at home amongst the records, books and film collections of the Crown Street store. By
Tess Scholfield-Peters
H
e floats between the shelves and answers questions from browsing customers with ease and enthusiasm, as if it were his personal collection they were perusing. “I’ve spent my entire adult life in the music industry,” he tells me. “I played in a bunch of bands from the eighties till early - 2000s, I’ve worked for and run my own record labels. I’ve also worked as a roadie and tour manager.” Ian was introduced to TITLE through parent company Fuse, where he oversaw artists and worked in graphic design. “Fuse used to be a really cutting edge music distributor. We imported lots of jazz and world music, as well as everything else. “The idea was that TITLE could be an outlet for some of those great products. Surry Hills was the first store, and we have the big flagship in Barangaroo now.” “But the DNA of TITLE is
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Pet Advice:
Why do we vaccinate our pets?
With Dr Nima
Vaccines are designed to stimulate the immune system of animals against the microorganisms that cause severe illness and prepare their bodies to identify and fight against those bugs.
T
here are a good number of reasons to stress the importance of vaccination and here we will be highlighting a few of them: 1: Puppies and kittens receive some level of maternal immunity that eventually wears off after a few weeks. These antibodies in some cases neutralise the vaccines and are one of the most important reasons puppies and kittens need repeated monthly boosters until an acceptable level of immunity is achieved. 2: Vaccination is much cheaper than treatment. It can be quite costly to treat pets for those diseases we vaccinate against and regular inoculation can save the pet owners from tremendous financial
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and emotional stress. 3: There is absolutely no guarantee that even with the best treatment provided puppies and kitten can survive once they get infected. It is much wiser to prevent the diseases rather than treat them. Should I vaccinate my indoor pet? The answer is yes! A lot of microorganisms causing the diseases they get vaccinated against are air-born so they can still get exposed to them. Also, they may have to visit the vet at some point in their lives and not being vaccinated puts them at further risk.
Are there any side effects? Like with any medications there is always a slim chance of adverse reactions, but the benefits of vaccination vastly outweigh the risks. Most of the side effects are largely temporary – typically you might expect them to be a little tired or off their food, or even notice a small lump at the vaccination site. The majority of animals go back to their normal selves in less than 24 hours. Last but not least, I recommend always consulting with your local Vet if you require more information on vaccination as it can often be quite difficult to find many reliable sources online.
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Photo by CRAIG GOLDING
Harold Thomas, designer of the Aboriginal flag, at his home in Humpty Doo, Northern Territory, 12 October 1994.
What’s going on with
The Aboriginal Flag There has been a major blow-up over claims by a private company WAM Clothing that it controls the rights to reproduce the Aboriginal flag on clothing. Cease and desist letters have been sent to AFL, NRL and a number of indigenous not for profit companies who have used the flag regularly for years for promotions focused on indigenous issues.
By
Peter English
Peter English is a Registered Trade Marks Attorney and is the director & founding partner of Surry Partners Lawyers. www.surrypartners.com.au
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So how can a person or a private company own the rights to a national symbol and everything it represents for Indigenous rights and Indigenous people? The answer is copyright. Copyright is an asset recognised by legislation (Copyright Act 1968), which confers on creators of original artistic work, the exclusive right to use and/or commercialise that asset. It is sometimes described as a bundle of rights in certain creative works such as any form of writing, artwork, music, computer programs, sound recordings and films. Copyright owners can prevent others from reproducing or communicating their work without their permission, or may sell or licence these rights to someone else. So where does the Aboriginal flag fit in? The Aboriginal flag, on a simple level, is graphic design. It’s a logo. It was created by Harold Thomas sometime in 1971 with the intention of creating a symbol for a NAIDOC march in Adelaide. At the time Mr Thomas was an artist with a diploma in fine art, part time teacher and an employee of the South Australian Museum. He was assisted by a colleague who took his design and sewed a flag which was carried in the march. The flag found its way to Sydney and was displayed in another protest march and then found its way to Canberra
where it was displayed at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy which was established in front of the old Parliament House. Its use as a symbol of Indigenous struggle and unity grew exponentially. In 1995, without reference to Mr Thomas, the Commonwealth Government proclaimed the Aboriginal Flag to be “a flag under s.5 of the Flags Act 1953 to be the flag of the Aboriginal people of Australia and to be known as the Aboriginal flag with effect from 14 July 1995”. Mr Thomas wasn’t happy about that, so he made an application to the Federal Court to be declared as the copyright owner. So if it’s a flag, anyone can use it? Yes and no. Under the Flags Act, anyone can reproduce the Australian flag without having to obtain permission, provided the flag is reproduced in accordance with the published specification. However, the artwork that comprises the Australian flag is not owned by an individual. The Aboriginal flag is. To reproduce the artwork that comprises the Aboriginal flag requires Mr Thomas’s permission. Under copyright law, the copyright owner can grant exclusive licences to third parties to commercialise the copyright for specific applications. Thomas has licensed the rights for flags, objects and clothing on confidential commercial terms. Apparently, some royalty-free licences have been granted to not for profit
Indigenous organisations. It’s the licensing for clothing that has caused the ruckus. What is the ruckus? The ruckus is that the exclusive licensee of the Aboriginal flag artwork for clothing is a nonIndigenous company called WAM Clothing. A director of WAM Clothing is a person called Ben Wooster who established a company called Birubi Art (now in liquidation) which was sued by the ACCC and fined $2.3 million last week for selling 17,000 fake Aboriginal artworks and items. Not surprisingly, there seems little confidence that WAM Clothing is a “worthy” licensee or custodian of this valuable and important symbol. Ruckus indeed. The take-away? Should an artist, a copyright owner of one of the most recognisable logos/images/brands in Australia, be expected to give up his rights for the community, or to have them compulsorily acquired, as some are suggesting, because they are officially recognised as the flag of the Aboriginal people of Australia? What value would you place on those rights? There is going to be an ongoing discussion about this topic. Understanding the law and considering the issues at stake is an important part of making a useful contribution to the discussion.
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THEATRE NEWS
Local Institutions Announce 2020 Seasons
The Deep Blue Sea. Photo: Rene Vaile
Belvoir Street Theatre, Griffin Theatre Company and Sydney Theatre Company have announced their 2020 seasons – we’ve selected a few of next year’s stage highlights.
K
icking off Belvoir’s 2020 programme is Every Brilliant Thing (10th – 26th Jan), a heartfelt, generous and original production featuring Steve Rodgers reprising his role for a return season. Over February and March Steve Rodger’s adaption of Peter Goldsworthy’s novella Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam will take to the stage, a family saga not to be missed. Later in the year we’ll see Virginia Woolf’s iconic A Room Of One’s Own (18th April – 17th may), and from 4th to the 26th July the team who brought you the award winning 2019 Counting And Cracking return with The Jungle And The Sea. Rounding out the season from 21st November until 20th December is Maxim Gorky’s Summerfolk, adapted and directed by Belvoir’s Creative Director, Eamon Flack. “There’s this pervasive siege mentality in the world right now and this season is designed to be an antidote,” said Eamon Flack. “Everywhere you turn someone is after your taxes or your identity or your religion or your body or your beliefs...The best way to fight against an uptight zeitgeist like that is to open things up, be generous in your thinking and your ideas.” 2020 is about new and Australian stories and a turn towards optimism. More is possible, the world can be better – that’s the spirit of Belvoir’s new season. Griffin Theatre Company has also announced their forthcoming season, commencing with David 38 | urbanvillage.com.au
The Picture of Dorian Gray. Ph oto:
Rene Vaile
Everywhere you turn someone is after your taxes or your identity or your religion or your body or your beliefs... The best way to fight against an uptight zeitgeist like that is to open things up, be generous in your thinking and your ideas...
7 Stages of Grieving. Photo: Rene Vaile
Williamson’s Family Values (17th January – 7th March), a blackly comic drama situated squarely on the fault lines that divide Australia. Followed by Matthew Whittet’s Kindness (8th May – 13th June), Kendall Feaver’s Wherever She Wanders (10th July – 22nd August) and closing out with Alma De Groen’s Wicked Sisters (6th November – 12th December). Sydney Theatre Company brings
us Terrence Rattigan’s Deep Blue Sea (10th Feb – 7th March), set in 1952 in post-Blitz London, Nobel loreate Dario Fo’s No Pay? No Way! (10th Feb 20th march at Drama Theatre Opera House, and 1st – 4th April at Riverside Theatre, Parramatta) adapted by Marieke Hardy, the show explores rising corporate greed, wage stagnation and the thrills of sticking it to the man.
In the mean time, Brand X’s The Flying Nun Showcase has some exciting productions in store for the rest of 2019, including Sam I Am, a one man show centred around self-discovery and representation of disability and queerness (29th-30th November), and SEED (20th December), an experimental music-based performance devised from poetry, movement and vocal improvisation by performer and writer Sarah Toth. Visit websites for full details. Full listings of 2020 seasons for Belvoir, Griffin Theatre and Sydney Theatre Company are online now. Look out for 2020 listings from Seymour Centre and Red Line Productions at The Old Fitz, soon to be released.
Ph Tre oto eh by ou Ne se ll a , in nd sta C lla ave tio U n i rba n p n, rog Ev res elei s gh
South Eveleigh:
A new urban village Should you go down to the railyards tonight, you’ll be sure of a big surprise! You may not have noticed, but a lot is happening south of Carriageworks, at the Eveleigh Railway Yards. By
Fiona McIntosh
Fiona McIntosh is a Sydney based independent art advisor, working with clients to experience and acquire quality artworks. www.fionamcintoshart.com.au
T
wo years ago South Eveleigh, formerly known as Australian Technology Park, was a minor tech hub, with the heritage workshops and a car park. Now it is a major commercial site with ‘stateof-the-art’ facilities, for businesses whose focus is innovation, productivity, collaboration and technology. It is being billed as the ‘best workplace in Australia’: our answer to Silicon Valley maybe. In May, Commonwealth Bank brought 10,000 staff to the new Axle building. Seven Media has moved in, as have other large tech and media companies. Work and place are the major factors which have driven this
massive urban regeneration project. Developers Mirvac and partners have worked with urban development leaders to transform the run-down site, into a commercial village: a place where people feel welcomed and valued. The approach is known as ‘place making’, where commercial development aspires to excellence in design and public art, responsible and sustainable environmental measures, ease of pedestrian access and recognition of local community, culture and history. ‘Placemaking’ interweaves the human elements of wellbeing, happiness and connectedness into the urban landscape,
transforming soulless spaces. It is the antithesis of constructing grids of tall buildings overshadowing windswept concrete quadrangles, or rolling out industrial ‘parks’ without any grass, swings, ducks or trees. Good design and art are expressions of our humanity and, when embedded in shared public spaces, encourage meaningful conversations and engagement, strengthening a community’s sense of identity. To appreciate what underscores the unique identity of South Eveleigh is to delve into its history. It is first and foremost the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, with a history that stretches back millennia. It would have been sandhills and wetlands once, a place where people lived and thrived. urbanvillage.com.au urbanvillage.com.au || 39 39
Nell and Eveleigh Treehouse leaf forging workshops. Photo by Mark Pokorny
Its more recent history is about the Eveleigh Railway Yards and Workshops, and the people who worked there. The Workshops were once the largest and most advanced in the southern hemisphere. They became a centre of excellence of railway construction and fair work practices in NSW. Many Aboriginal people came to the city, encouraged by better conditions, to work there. They moved with their families, settling in nearby Redfern where housing was affordable. Redfern became the urban heartland for a large Indigenous community and remained so, despite the downturn in the rail industry and the inevitable loss of employment in the 60s. The public art commissioned for South Eveleigh speaks directly to this history, and its earlier and current communities. Mirvac sought the expertise of Daniel Mudie-Cunningham Director Programs at Carriageworks, just north of the boundary, to curate a public art program, which embraced functional, sculptural and symbolic projects intended to ‘spark imaginations and 40 | urbanvillage.com.au
You can detour along the walkway to make your way through the park, or just enjoy a quiet lunch in the treetops. It is public art at its most joyous because however you choose to experience it, Eveleigh Treehouse will make you smile...
conversations’. The art program is underway, with two significant works completed and four more to come. The Eveleigh Treehouse, by Sydney-based artist Nell, is now open for business and play. Everyone of any age and stage is welcome to experience the pod-like treehouses adjacent to the playground. They feel like wondrous gumnut characters, with their gangly (but sturdy) stanchions and squat anthropomorphic features: as if the Magic Pudding has finally come to rest.
Though the concept of the treehouse is universally accepted as one steeped in child’s play, Eveleigh Treehouse finds its soul in the history and the people associated with the site. It is built from wood and steel, the materials of the railway and, for Nell, it is an acknowledgement of her greatgrandfather who worked there as a boilermaker from 1931-1952. Connections. Belonging. Sense of place. The pods are veiled in hundreds of forged-steel gum leaves, whose making afforded an opportunity for the locals to participate. Each leaf was forged on site during workshops led by Nell and Cave Urban, using Victorian blacksmithing techniques which are still taught in one of the two remaining operational workshops. Initials of every contributor are forged in their ‘own’ leaves: a generous way for the artist to share a sense of ownership with the local community. A second work by Nell is on the façade of nearby Yerrabingin House, a community building with Australia’s first native rooftop garden. Yerrabingin Native Garden aims to become a horticultural haven of edible, medicinal
and cultural plants, relying on the principles of Indigenous permaculture and collaborative design. . It is open to the public, with workshops on Aboriginal culture, native permaculture and environmental sustainability. Nell’s largescale work speaks directly to the needs of every garden – water, especially in the form of rain. Happy Rain is an LED outline of a cloud with a smiley face, installed high on Yerrabingen, to be seen from a long way particularly at night when lit. Nell asks us to “…. reflect on the relationship between weather, environment and mood, as well as the constancy of the natural world within and around our built environments”. Highly regarded Wiradjuri/ Kamilaroi artist Jonathan Jones has also been commissioned to create two public works for South Eveleigh. One is installed. Untitled (red gum slabs) hangs in the Axle building lobby. The work comprises large old red gum timber slabs, originally harvested in the Koondrook/ Barham region on the Murray River approximately 100 years ago. Timber from
Jonathan Jones ‘Untitled (red gum slabs)’ located in the lobby of Axle building at Mirvac’s South Eveleigh development’ photo: Brett Boardman
this region supplied the railway sleepers in NSW. The railway yards connect to the Aboriginal people who came for work, while the railway itself provided the physical means for those people to travel here. The Murray Region from where the red gums came, was fertile and rich in resources, and, prior to settlement, sustained many generations of Indigenous people. Painted in funereal white, the timber slabs also speak to the harsh legacy of colonisation. Jonathan’s work consistently looks to Country and Elders, for the revival of skills, languages and knowledge; for the teachings embedded in Country. His work has a gentle force, charged with traditions and customs, overlaid with a contemporary sensibility. He uses traditional designs, meaningful materials, digital media, sound and repetition to connect the histories of Indigenous
Though the concept of the treehouse is universally accepted as one steeped in child’s play, Eveleigh Treehouse finds its soul in the history and the people associated with the site... culture with current times, places and practices. A second work by Jonathan is to be unveiled soon, together with two pavilions by as yet unannounced artists. It is a case of ‘watch this space.’ Yerrabingin rooftop Indigenous garden, Located at Yerrabingin House at Mirvac’s South Eveleigh development Photo: Brett Boardman urbanvillage.com.au | 41
Spring Event Guide www.urbanvillage.com.au
September SEPTEMBER 1 – 20 Sydney Fringe Festival happening across Sydney SEPTEMBER 12 – 15 Sydney Contemporary at Carriageworks
October OCTOBER 3 Skinny Legions Album Launch at Venue 505 OCTOBER 5 Moody Beach ‘Mirage’ EP Launch at Golden Age Ninajirachi at Oxford Underground Bottomless Rose Saturday Lunch at Nomad ($75 pp), weekly event
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SEPTEMBER 20 Global Climate Strike – Bridge Walk from Milsons Point to The Domain Local artist showcase at TAP Gallery SEPTEMBER 21 Red Earth x Bonza presents Tangled Up In Blue at Yulli’s Brews Alexandria
Saturday Artisan Markets at Tramsheds
SEPTEMBER 27 Stephan Bodzin at Enmore Theatre
Sleep D All Night Long at Harpoon Harry’s
SEPTEMBER 28 Georgia Mulligan EP Launch at Golden Age
SEPTEMBER 26 National Dumpling Day at Goro’s
Noffs Op Shop Sale at Noffs Surry Hills
Best Effort Dance Party at Freda’s
OCTOBER 6 Poetry Readings at Brett Whiteley Gallery Club Mince ft. Matrixxman at Oxford Hotel Alfie and Friends Live Comedy at Café Lounge OCTOBER 7 - 27 Antenna Festival; Established in 2011, Antenna is Australia’s international documentary film festival. OCTOBER 9 IN CONVERSATION: Benjamin Law & Holden Sheppard at Berkelouw Paddington
Pyrmont Festival at Pirrama Park
Kamasi Washington at The Opera House OCTOBER 10 I heart Duck and Pinot at The Bishop OCTOBER 11 Crocodylus EP Tour at Marrickville Bowlo OCTOBER 12 Pinot Palooza at Carriageworks OCTOBER 16 Slaughterhouse by Anchuli Felicia King (25A) at Belvoir St Theatre
OCTOBER 19 Pinots on Parade: A Wine Tasting at The Bishop William Street Festival in Paddington Splendour in the Doghouse, a free festival at Tudor Hotel OCTOBER 26 Introduction to Calligraphy at Bustle Studios Client Liaison at Enmore Theatre OCTOBER 27 Norton Street Festa
Spring Event Guide www.urbanvillage.com.au
November NOVEMBER 1 Zekiel Live at The Beresford NOVEMBER 3 Poetry Sydney at Brett Whiteley Gallery NOVEMBER 7 Thursday Jazz Jam at Café Lounge (weekly event) NOVEMBER 9 imbi the girl at Red Rattler Theatre NOVEMBER 10 Newtown Festival at Camperdown Memorial Rest Park
NOVEMBER 14 Middle Kids at Enmore Theatre NOVEMBER 22 Flashback Fridays at The Flinders NOVEMBER 28 Bob Moses at The Metro Theatre NOVEMBER 29 MCA Art Bar curated by Hannah Bronte NOVEMBER 30 KLLO at Oxford Art Factory Ottolenghi Inspired Cooking at The Essential Ingredient
What’s on
Melbourne Cup: THE NORFOLK
$49 pp entrée, main and drink package. THE FORRESTERS
$49 pp two course menu and a glass of champagne.
THE CARRINGTON
$79 pp for 6-piece canapé package. CLAIRE’S KITCHEN
$95 pp four course lunch.
Surry Hills Markets Shannon Reserve - Open every first Saturday of the month from 8am - 4pm
The Rocks Friday Foodie Markets Open every Friday night from 9am - 3pm
The Local Markets Paramount Recreation Club Rooftop - Open every Saturday from 8.30am - 12pm
EQ Village Market Moore Park - Open Wednesday and Saturday from 8am - 2pm
Carriageworks Farmer’s Market Eveleigh - Open every Saturday from 8am - 1pm
The Grounds Markets Alexandria - Open every weekend from 9am 3.30pm
Glebe Markets Open every Saturday from 10am - 4pm
THE DOLPHIN
Bondi Markets Open Sundays 10am - 4pm
THE MORRISON BAR AND OYSTER ROOM:
Paddington Markets Open every Saturday from 10am - 4pm
THE CLOCK
$150 pp all-inclusive package from 12pm until end of race.
$119 pp for 3 course share style menus.
Chinatown Night Markets Haymarket - Open every Friday night from 5pm - 11pm
Sydney Sustainable Markets Taylor Square North - Open every Saturday 8am - 1pm
Sydney Fish Market Pyrmont - Open every day from 7am to 4pm
STRAWBERRY HILLS
$65 pp for roaming canapés, charcuterie station and a glass of champagne on arrival.
LOCAL MARKETS
THE WINERY
$129 pp three course lunch and a glass of champagne.
$55 pp 3 course set menu and bellini on arrival.
urbanvillage.com.au
Marrickville Markets Open Sundays 9am - 3pm Kings Cross Markets Open every weekend from 9am - 3pm
urbanvillage.com.au/events is where you go for full details on our marvellous local markets.
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Banksy COMES TO SYDNEY A major new exhibition, the Art of Banksy, opens at the Entertainment Quarter in September and continues through until October 27
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The Art of Banksy is the world’s largest touring collection of Banksy’s work and showcases 80 original works associated with one of the most intriguing and talkedabout artist in modern history. These privately-owned pieces of Banksy’s works include canvasses, screen-prints and sculptures. Whilst the touring exhibition is not authorised by Banksy, the show is curated by Steve Lazarides, the artist’s former manager and photographer. On display will be works from 1997 to 2008, the period which resulted in Banksy’s most recognisable and well-known works. Access to Steve Lazarides’ personal archive, photographs and art collection allows the exhibition to not only display iconic works like “Girl With Red Balloon”, “Flower Thrower” and “Rude Copper” but also gives the visitor a unique behind-the-scenes glimpse of the creation of the artworks by Banksy.
Nobody ever listened to me until they didn’t know who I was... - Banksy
“You will never again have the opportunity to see this many of Banksy’s works in one place,” said Steve Lazarides. “He is the most powerful and recognised artist of a generation, who has been completely ignored by the establishment thus far.” The exhibition has already visited Tel Aviv, Auckland, Toronto and Miami, and now this unique exhibition comes to Sydney for a limited season. Tickets for the Art of Banksy can be purchased at Ticketek www.ticketek.com.au
4 for normal people By
Liam Barrett
Health Hacks
Is it just me or is Australia’s pool of self -righteous fitness hacks growing by the day?
I
We’ve seen and heard it all by now! No carbs, no sugar, no fat, no fruit, no vegetables, no solids, no fun! But where is the middle ground? What about people that don’t want to compete in Mr Universe or carve out a career modelling Lululemon on the ‘gram? What about the people who just want to be healthier in their day to day lives? Today they’re in luck! I’ve prepared a list of four health hacks for normal people:
Photo credit: James Ervine
f I have to listen to one more insta’ perfect set of abs with a mouth explain that they ‘don’t even like the taste of junk food anyway’ I’m going to scream. Am I the only person that thinks people with that kind of unfair advantage should be penalised rather than canonised? If somebody is out there trying to sell me a diet; I want them to fully understand that heartbreak involved in turning down Bourke St Bakeries Ginger Brûlée for any extended period of time.
1. Cut down on the red meat
The case against the overconsumption of red meat grows stronger by the day. Not only is it terrible for the environment but now linked to a host of serious illnesses. I aim for a maximum of two servings per week. 2. Scratch the soft drink
I know that it’s dull and doesn’t taste as good but water is a low calorie, low sugar and low-cost alternative to the other stuff. I aim for 3L per day, one for every 25kgs of bodyweight! You can bet I’m still cracking that can of Coke Zero on the weekend though! 3. Stop Smoking
I used to be a smoker myself so I understand how incredibly easier said than done this one actually is. The first cigarette of the day may be satisfying… But a long life filled with all the other things that make you happy is too! 4. Catch Public Transport
Sounds odd but bear with me. The extra distance between your front door, the bus/train/light rail and your onward destination will eventually rack up some serious steps, burn a bunch of calories and keep you light on your feet! Of course you could always just walk the whole way.
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W to T elcom in haila e Pos nd 201 tcode 0
Darlo!
Sawaddee
Victoria Street Darlinghurst explodes with flavours of the orient SOI 25 is the newest kid on the block and locals are arriving in droves to support owner Tony Bao Q Doan and his kitchen team lead by Ken Pongsakorn, originally from Nan, in Northern Thailand. Tony loves Victoria Street and is determined to bring a renewed energy back to dining strip. Personally, I love Thai food and was fortunate to live in Thailand for two years. I learned quickly the important role food plays in Thai culture. Most Thai food originates from Street food, of which SOI 25 has creatively reimagined using traditional and modern techniques. This is next-level dining - the service, attention to detail
and creative cuisine deserve celebrating. The space has integrated private zones that allow for intimate dining whilst still feeling like you’re part of the action. Being invited to the kitchen was a huge treat market-fresh vegetables were arriving from carefully selected suppliers whilst Ken talked me through how he prepares for each service. Every dish is
Tuesday, 17 September 2019 6:00 pm
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made from scratch, including the curry pastes and delicately crafted Thai soups. No one goes home hungry at SOI 25 - after a round of French Martini’s, we devoured the crispiest chicken wings in town, moorish tofu betel leaves and pork skewers. As the Rosé began to flow, our next feast arrived starring the beef fire pot, northern larb salad, crispy
pork belly and papaya salad. With entrees starting from $11, wine from $35, SOI 25 is a unique and economical experience that allows you to truly explore the menu. This is the land of smiles in Postcode 2010.
7 days from 5:30pm, lunch on weekends. Urban Village readers receive a complimentary scoop of Taro ice cream.
Tuesday, 24 September 2019 6:00 pm
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