Urban Village Winter 2018 by Urban Village

urbanvillage.com.au | Edition 05 | Winter 2018

Eastside Sydney walking guide Paramount House Hotel Kali & Local Music Sydney Pride Festival Elise Slater Cocktails at The Clock

Ariel.

Priestess of the SHADOW LODGE Urban Village Quarterly, for those who live, love, work, visit & play in Surry Hills & the inner city villages

| 1

Contents 6

12 22

Issue #05 Winter 2018

Sark Studio’s Theresa Jackson talks design over trends, Paris Fashion Week and sustainable fashion.

Local music icon Kali (aka Carly Roberts) on the Sydney club scene, new festival Maximum Joy and the future of our nightlife.

A look inside Paramount House Hotel, the neighbourhood’s newest accommodation offering.

Surry Hills and Valleys: art therapist Elise Slater tells her story.

Cover story: Hibernian House, a last bastion for Inner City artists.

History and Heritage: George Cassar’s new book tells of growing up in Surry Hills in the 1950s and 60s.

Editor Lachlan Colquhoun Staff Writer Tess Scholfield-Peters, Contributors Surry Hills and Valleys, Tim Ritchie, Karina Kreminski, Glen Hare, Jessica Brady, Fiona McIntosh, Peter English, Luca Ward, Walter Maurice, Sharyn Cairns, Tom Ross, Adam Cullen, Tom Langlands Design & Layout walterwakefield Publisher Leigh Harris Cover Ariel Sexton-Shaw Cover Photo by Walter Maurice All Enquiries Tel: 02 8218 2163 Email: info@urbanvillage.com.au Office: Ground Floor, 483 Riley Street Surry Hills NSW 2010 ISSN 2208-6242

Urban Village is published under licence and with the support of the Surry Hills Creative Precinct to foster communcation, innovation and networking between the business community and residents in Surry Hills, Redfern and the surrounding neighbourhoods of inner Sydney. 2 | Urban Village

Urban Village | 3

Heads Up

What's happening in Surry Hills

Sydney Pride Festival 2018

The Sydney Pride Festival 2018 will launch at Stonewall Hotel on Friday 8th June and run until the 30th June. This year’s Pride theme is “True Colours!” Page 50

Look out for...

Sydney Film Festival June 6 – 17

Vivid Sydney May 25 – June 16

Catch the world’s best new films in June, with 12 days of premieres talks and parties. Head to www.sff.org.au for all information and event details.

You will have noticed the city looking brighter than usual this month. See Vivid Sydney, catch the Vivid Music programs and talks until June 16. Head to vividsydney.com for full programing.

4 | Urban Village

Introductory beer & cheese tasting June 20 - The Royal Albert Like beer? Like cheese? Then come join the lovely Cam at the Royal Albert Hotel for a guided beer and cheese evening.

Re-enactment of the 1978 Mardi Gras June 23 Join the original 78ers collective and Spark Youth Theatre to recreate the historic first Mardi Gras along Oxford Street. Assemble at Taylor Square from 4.30pm, dance down Oxford Street at 5pm, and then dance back up to Taylor Square

Surry Hills Festival September 22 One to put in the diary! A day to celebrate everything Surry Hills. If you’d like to get involved, head to surryhillsfestival.org for more information.

OPEN! WHATEVER THE WEATHER

60+ UNIQUE STALLS AND A COMMUNITY CAFE. UNFOLLOW THE NORM AT SURRY HILLS MARKET. 7:00am to 4:00pm ON THE FIRST SATURDAY OF EVERY MONTH! N FASHIO UES ANTIQ L & VINY BOOKS E D MA HAND Y U A BE T CTS PRODU ALL CHAI ST EY HON FRESH

Provided by Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre proudly serving the community for over 40 years. shnc.org facebook.com/surryhillsnc Urban Village | 5

Inside Sark Studio. Photo: Supplied.

Theresa Jackson. Photo: Supplied.

Local Business

Sark Studio Theresa Jackson is the founder and designer of Sark Studio, whose flagship store on Crown Street is the neighbourhood’s best-kept secret. By Tess Scholfield-Peters

avouring sculpture-inspired shape and timeless design over the latest trends, Theresa has created an aesthetic perhaps better suited to the streets of Paris than Sydney. Nevertheless, Sark Studio’s local adherents love the brand for its artisanal and eclectic pieces, created from fabric sourced everywhere from Italy to Japan and handmade right here in Sydney.

Sark Studio is a welcome respite from Sydney’s PR-driven fashion scene. Theresa’s word of mouth approach to the industry ensures that while less people inevitably know about her clothes, those that do can appreciate that the garments do not require industry hype to make a successful imprint on the market - the designs speak for themselves. When I meet Theresa at a coffee shop just up from her Crown Street studio, she is dressed in one of her own designs. It’s a sculptural patchwork shirt that uses bold colours and patterns effortlessly. I’m by no means a fashion expert, but my immediate thought is that Theresa’s garments are more about personality and storytelling than, to quote her directly, “clothes that come off the sausage line.” “My designs are beautifully made, quite simple but not for the faint-hearted. They’re for people who want to stand out but in a subtle way,” Theresa explains. Theresa tells me about her experiences showing at Paris Fashion Week, the excitement and the perils 6 | Urban Village

of trying to transport an entire collection and props for the showcase from Sydney to Paris in just two suitcases. She recalls, “Everybody loved us because our whole show room was simply our garments hanging from string. We had no mirrors, no rack, and I decorated the place with mandarins.” This minimalist approach to showing at Paris Fashion Week allowed the designs to be seen just as they were without the excess that is character of so much of the industry. As a result, Sark Studio now wholesales to a select group of international retailers. “I think it’s the sculptural aspect of clothing design that I love. It’s all about the shape of the clothes. I’m not that interested in fashion – I’m interested in the changes and how everything evolves, but the latest trend doesn’t concern me.” Theresa sees a movement in the fashion industry towards those brands that choose to fly under the radar and value ethically sourced materials and timeless pieces over profit. It seems that the Australian fashion industry needs to reconsider its core values and place sustainability and craft above the next big trend. To find out more about Sark Studio, it’s best to visit the Crown Street shop directly. Otherwise, head to their website www.sarkstudio.com.au, or their Instagram page @sarkstudio.

Urban Village | 7

Much loved local retailer passes away Family, friends, customers and all of Surry Hills are mourning the passing of Vividshop owner Rajani Enderby, who passed away in May.

true local personality, Rajani came to Australia from Malawi at the age of 21, and began working in Vividshop on Crown Street in 2008. In 2015, she approached the previous owner and bought the business, which she had operated until her untimely passing. It was a much more interesting career than her original job in Sydney, working for the Department of Immigration.

“I grew up with colour, and I love it and I love it in here,” Rajani wrote on the Vividshop website. “Everyone that comes in, their faces immediately light up.” Rajani helped make Vividshop a retail destination and expanded the eclectic mixture of merchandise available, including the signature touch of the colourful dried flowers from near neighbour Gerhardt. It also became an art venue in its own right, hosting exhibitions by local artists and even musical performances by the likes of punk legend Steve Lucas, of X fame. Rajani also expanded Vividshop to include two pop up stores, and built up the online business.

8 | Urban Village

As the Vividshop Facebook post said of Rajani: “It was not uncommon for customers to enter the shop and stay for hours, enthralled by her worldly ales and huge knowledge on a huge variety of topics. “Many would express their pleasure and amazement at finding someone so genuinely friendly and caring in an unexpected place. There was no pressure to purchase anything just a desire to impart wisdom and understanding which is unfortunately not very common these days.” The post inspired many comments from people Rajani had touched along the way. Author Netan Guegan described how Rajani had stocked her children’s book when other stores had not. “Rajani was so kind and encouraging to me when we met,” Netan wrote. “We chatted for hours each time, such a beautiful soul, so full of life. She will certainly be missed.” The post was typical of other comments, all of which attested to Rajani’s spirit of generosity and compassion. Business partner Scott says Vividshop will remain open “as is Rajani’s wish.”

Urban Village | 9

Local Business

LUCKY PICKLE 6 High Holborn Street, Surry Hills luckypickle.com.au

Photo:Walter Maurice

When asked to describe Lucky Pickle in three words, co-owner Schez replies, “Excellent, delicious sandwiches prepared in a minimalist, hole in the wall shop.” When the sandwiches are this good, it seems three words just isn’t enough. By Tess Scholfield-Peters

f you’ve ever had the chicken katsu sandwich from Lucky Pickle, it will come as no surprise to learn that customer satisfaction is the team’s paramount value. Owners Ricky Nanda and Schez Umrigar took over Lucky Pickle in 2016, predominantly staying true to the original recipes that have bestowed neighbourhood notoriety upon this humble sandwich shop. Originally from India, Schez came to Australia in 2000 and Ricky in 2008, with a passion for hospitality that carried them over various Sydney eateries and landed them in Surry Hills. Together they share 30 years of hospitality experience.

pesto, smoked mozzarella and green olive sandwich on the menu. “A lot of effort and hard work goes into making a sandwich. It’s our passion,” says Ricky. “Owning a small business like this is more than a job. A lot of hard work goes on behind the scenes.” Ricky and Schez have plans to expand the business, but for now the main aim is to continue supplying Surry Hills with the city’s best sandwiches. “You know yourself if you’ve tried our food. We want to see that every product that goes out is perfect.”

There are four team members you’ll see preparing the sandwiches behind the counter: Schez, Ricky, Juwita and Jackie. Their most popular sandwich is the chicken katsu with cabbage, sesame, mayo and tonkatsu sauce. A close second is the pork belly with duck liver, pickled carrot, daikon, cucumber, coriander, mayo and sriracha. The salad and vego sandwich options are changed regularly. Currently you’ll find the mushroom, almond Photo: Luca Ward 10 | Urban Village

Urban Village | 11

The hotel's reception area. Photo: Sharyn Cairns.

Paramount House Hotel room. Photo: Tom Ross.

A Neighbourhood Hotel, Inside and Out Surry Hills’ newest accommodation offering is Paramount House Hotel, whose doors opened to the public in April this year. The hotel is a welcome homage to Sydney itself, an amalgamation of heritage and new, a showcase of what this city really has to offer. By Tess Scholfield-Peters

elbourne-based Breathe Architecture is behind the design of the hotel, a product of four years of restoration and reformation. The ceilings, windows and brick walls of the former warehouse and offices of Paramount Pictures Studio have been preserved and restored, and are now complemented by fresh timber floors and terrazzo-tiled bathrooms. The hotel sits at an intersection of heritage and modern styles, much like Hills itself, and guests can experience this blend of aesthetic and atmosphere in the hotel’s 29 rooms and atrium-style lobby. Owners Russell Beard, Ping Jin Ng and Mark Dundon together run Sydney’s Paramount Coffee Project and Bondi Hall, and PCPLA in Los Angeles. Individually, their hospitality accolades span Surry Hills’ powerhouse Reuben Hills, and Melbourne coffee brand Seven Seeds. Urban Village spoke to co-owner Mark Dundon, who believes that the move into accommodation was a natural progression for the hospitality-minded trio.

“The hotel is an extension of our approach to hospitality. Welcoming a new friend into your house is the same philosophy we have used in our cafes and restaurants.” Locality is perhaps the essence of the hotel. From its residence in the iconic Paramount House building, to the locally sourced food and beverage offerings, to the 12 | Urban Village

expert local knowledge of the front desk, guests will be made to feel like they’re amongst friends – friends who know the city’s best kept secrets. “We’ve tried to showcase some of the incredible local talent in Surry Hills and beyond by placing LP’s [Quality Meats] small goods, recycled Tasmanian merino blankets, Cultiver linen and more in the guest rooms,” explains Dundon. The hotel also features artwork by local gallery China Heights. The hotel resides in the same historic building as Golden Age Cinema and Bar, Paramount Coffee Project, award-winning co-working space The Office Space and Paramount Recreation Club and Kiosk. Poly, the muchanticipated sister bar and eatery of Chippendale’s Ester restaurant, is next to arrive and will be serving dinner room service to hotel guests in June. “Good service is our number one priority, and adding a sense of personality and excitement is number two. This is probably a bit different to traditional hotel thinking where size and facilities are the focus,” explains Dundon. “The neighbourhood has some great energy along with very supportive and engaged people. Being able to look after our guests and show them our hood definitely excites us.”

Urban Village | 13

Photo: Luca Ward.

A Look Behind

THE CLOCK By Tess Scholfield-Peters

of the place to guess that one of the main men behind it is a real veteran of the trade.

From the innovative cocktails, to whisky that’s aged at sea, to a wine list that favours boutique Australian vineyards over the big names, there’s a story behind every drink - and Glynn knows every one.

The Clock really is a drinker’s playground. Every part of the venue offers a different experience and atmosphere to the customer. There’s the Balcony Bar serving up mainly gin and cocktails, the Courtyard, the quintessentially Sydney Street Bar, and the Londoninspired Whisky Room, serving over two hundred different expressions.

Glynn grew up in a small town an hour out of London called Milton Keynes. The opening of the town’s first cocktail bar was Glynn’s first sip of what would become a lifelong passion.

A particularly obscure bottle is the Jefferson’s ‘Ocean Aged at Sea’ bourbon that is literally aged on The Ocean, a deep sea monitoring ship that sails around the world.

rom the Federation style exterior, a Crown Street passer-by might not expect to find a high-end cocktail bar within this Sydney institution. But The Clock, as bar manager and cocktail connoisseur Glynn told Urban Village, is full of surprises.

“It was the first time I actually paid attention to what I was drinking,” recalled Glynn. “All the bartenders were so passionate about the history behind each drink. I quit my job and got one as a glassy then and there.” Fast forward and Glynn is the bar manager at The Clock, and has been for four years. One need only glance at the venue’s ever-changing drink list, the London inspired interiors and the overall atmosphere

14 | Urban Village

“Normally whiskies are aged in a warehouse, but these whiskies are sloshing around in the barrel with the sea air permeating,” said Glynn. “They say every journey imparts a different flavour.” Just one story out of thousands to be uncovered behind the bar. The Clock’s carefully curated drinks list is served by bar staff that sees the value in a story and ensures that each drink is its own unique experience.

Urban Village | 15

Photo: Luca Ward.

Reddie Furniture Reddie combines traditional technique with modern aesthetic in their made to order furniture. By Tess Scholfield-Peters

ndrew and Caroline Olah are behind Crown Street’s Reddie. The business is a culmination of Caroline’s interior architecture and design background and Andrew’s in sales and marketing at Google - impeccably crafted, sustainable furniture that’s entirely customisable.

Opening a retail store is no small feat, especially when the product is customised and made to order. “Furniture factories are old school, they want quick money through mass production. So when I went to them with my made to order business model they laughed and told me no factory would ever do that. So I had to think laterally,” explains Caroline. The couple’s Indonesian backgrounds led them to Central Java, to a little town near Surabaya, where handcrafted woodwork originated. “There are really beautiful woods in the region, and every single person is in the furniture production industry. You’ll walk down the road and there’ll be a guy making something or ladies doing traditional weaving.”

16 | Urban Village

“Our team is trained in traditional Danish woodworking so I’ve combined that with my modern aesthetic and we’ve come up with something that’s very different.” Every material used is regulated and sourced ethically. Caroline and Andrew ensure that all offcuts are used for accessories like breadboards, and the unused marble contributes to the building of houses and footpaths for the local community. “Having a physical presence has changed everything for us,” says Andrew. Prior to their shop opening on Crown Street three months ago, the store was entirely online. “The customer is really involved in the design process, it’s like a tailor shop for furniture.” “We initially thought our business was going to be online only, but now we’ve turned into this very boutique shop, driven by that human connection. We’d love to open a store in every high profile city in the world, then just continue to expand naturally and sustainably,” says Caroline.

CHOOSE YOUR NEW IDEAL OFFICE LOCATION

with

Flexible lease terms Great fit outs Café and bar facilities  483 Riley St, Surry Hills  94 Beattie St, Balmain  66 Goulburn St, Sydney  20A Danks St, Waterloo  321 Kent St, Sydney

To book a tour or have any questions, please call Simon 0434 254 411 or email: simon@idealspace.com.au

www.idealspace.com.au Urban Village | 17

Photo: Supplied.

Bourkeshire Interiors Nestled into the corner of Bourke and Devonshire Streets is Bourkeshire Interiors, owned by interior designer and decorator Mark Inceoglu. By Tess Scholfield-Peters

hile the construction carries on down Bourke Street, a kind of solace can be found inside Mark’s shop, which doubles as a showroom for prospective interior decoration and renovation projects.

Based out of the Bourke street showroom, Mark offers an interior design service in which the client can work with Mark to select fabrics, wallpaper, floor coverings and colour schemes for their individual projects and interior ideas.

As I step into Bourkeshire Interiors I’m distracted immediately by eclectic ornaments, by the patterns on cushions, coloured corals and luxuriously scented candles. Mark’s European heritage is sewn into the imported fabrics and embedded in the tiles he’s sourced and collected from Turkey, Spain, parts of Asia and Italy.

As well as the unique gifts and house ornaments in his shop, Mark offers complimentary house visits, bespoke custom-made kitchen and bathroom joinery designs and project management of bathroom and kitchen renovations.

For Mark, who has now been in the interior design industry for over fifteen years, flexibility is as important in design as a good eye. “Interiors are based on your personality and what you’re drawn to. Some designers have a certain formula and apply it to every client, whereas I’m happy to do eclectic, modern or strong bold patterns and colours. I think that’s probably one of my strengths.”

18 | Urban Village

“Everything in here is sourced from all over the world,” explains Mark as his eyes wander the shop, “I’ve got items from China and Japan, antiques from Europe and the Middle East. That’s why we’re quite unusual.” “I’m passionate about interiors and what I do so I don’t see this as a job. For me it’s just a lifestyle and I like working with people so every project is always enjoyable.”

HISCOES HAS IT ALL HEALTH

FITNESS

SPORT

3 DAY FREE TRIAL

Enjoy unlimited gym and class access for 3 consecutive days* *Terms & conditions apply 525 Crown Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 | 02 9699 9222 | www.hiscoes.com.au

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON ACME FRAMING WILL BE

OPEN ON SUNDAYS From JULY 1st., 2018, SUNDAYS and SATURDAYS from10am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 4pm with FREE customer PARKING courtessy of Hiscoes Gym 525b Crown St., Surry Hills Tel. 02 9698 7731 info@acmeframing.com www.acmeframing.com Urban Village | 19

2017 Surry Hills Festival. Photo: Luca Ward.

20 | Urban Village

Surry Hills Festival

UPDATE

The Surry Hills Festival is fast approaching. On Saturday September 22, the suburb will come alive with music, art, performance, food and drinks, in celebration of everything that makes Surry Hills Sydney’s most vibrant and creative suburb.

elected creatives will work with Festival producers to overlay Devonshire Street and surrounds with a curated trail of vibrant pop up installations, projections and performances transforming the heart of Surry Hills into a network of discovery for the Spring into Surry Hills initiative, running 13 to 23 September. Surry Hills Festival recently announced an explosive spring Flower Power theme for this year’s program. Its bold and vocal, celebrating the founding of Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre (SHNC) in the 60s and 70s and the vibrant creative community Surry Hills is loved for. To set the scene, locally based international fashion and textile powerhouse, Longina Phillips Designs are supporting the cause by creating hero designs to be adapted by artists and community in the lead up to the Festival. Established in 1988, Longina Phillips is Australia’s leading creative print and design studio. The Surry Hills Creative Precinct will be hosting a program of special tours, exploring the heritage, art, wonderful eateries and creative enterprises of Devonshire Street and surrounds. Warming up towards the Festival, from winter into spring, we are offering the chance to win a place for you and a friend on the first ‘Christmas in July’ tour on Sunday 15th July.

The festival will also hold the emPOWER FLOWER Public Art Project. A partnership between Surry Hills Festival and local creatives - The Happiness Lab – it’s symbolic of spring growth, happiness and the creative enterprises keeping Surry Hills vibrant and alive. Everyone’s invited to join preparations with free emPOWER FLOWER workshops on the first Saturday of each month. Head down to Surry Hills Market at Shannon Reserve on 2nd June, 7th July, 4th August or 1st September to take part in creating one enormous installation for Festival day. Surry Hills Festival, a FREE family-friendly day, will be packed with the trademark live music line-up, plus pop up spaces, nooks and crannies bursting with performance, local narratives, food and art – an engaging showcase of what makes Surry Hills the heart of Sydney’s innovative creative district. Join the 50,000 expected Sydneysiders for the unofficial welcoming of spring. All funds raised on the day go to community programs presented by Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre.

Urban Village | 21

HIBERNIAN HOUSE

A last bastion for

INNER CITY ARTISTS The big green building on Elizabeth Street, opposite Central, has been an artists’ centre for three decades or more. In a city over run with development and where the dollar rules, it is a unique haven for creative people to work, interact and show their work. Lachlan Colquhoun ventures through the maze of graffiti covered corridors and takes the rickety lift to meet two of Hibernian’s longtime occupants.

A her studio and gallery on the fifth floor

riel Sexton-Shaw is in the Shadow Lodge,

at Hibernian.

The painter, sculptor and jeweller, who is also on a hiatus from her rock n’roll career, is talking about a recent trip to Bali, where she painted some spontaneous murals. “I did what I thought were two mermaids holding hands, with a bit of a yoga thing, and I did them with big long serpent tails,” she says. “And the locals all started freaking out because there was a local legend about a Snake Lady who was a predator who would eat people. So they were terrified, and I had to paint over it and make Snake Lady into Fish Lady.” Religious iconography and references abound in her work. A massive canvas, a triptych which is her current work in progress, dominates the room. Light emanates from a “Fire Goddess” figure to illuminate the canvas. It hints at Hindu imagery,

22 | Urban Village

although she says it is inspired by Hieronymous Bosch’s Renaissance masterpiece the Garden of Earthly Delights. “I’m challenging myself to create this hypersexual, hyperpassionate and super elemental major work which is worlds within worlds within worlds,” she says. “I’m really going to take my time on this one. There are clusters of miniature figures I want to detail, and when I get to that point I can roll up the canvas and take it to Bali and work on it there.” While she is there, the Shadow Lodge will remain, and morph from her personal studio into a gallery where other artists can also show their work. The idea is that Sexton Shaw will move between Sydney and Bali, working on the painting and also becoming more involved with her “micro sculpture” and jewellery, while still maintaining the Shadow Lodge as a going concern.

Ariel Sexton-Shaw. Photo: Walter Maurice.

Urban Village | 23

24 | Walter Urban Maurice. Village Photo:

Urban Village | 24

This place has always been a place for artists and musicians and poets.

It’s the culmination of about 10 years she has spent at Hibernian in a number of different studios, a period spent working next to and collaborating with artists from various disciplines, some of them who have gone onto become celebrated while others remain unknown. “This place has always been a place for artists and musicians and poets,” says Sexton Shaw. “So many people have been creating here its like the energy of creation has soaked into the walls and when you are here you work faster and you work more. “Maybe it’s because there is such an internal community, but when you are here so much you don’t need to leave and interact so much with the rest of world.” “This place has always been a place for artists and musicians and poets,” says Sexton Shaw. “So many people have been creating here its like the energy of creation has soaked into the walls and when you are here you work faster and you work more. “Maybe it’s because there is such an internal community, but when you are here so much you don’t need to leave and interact so much with the rest of world.”

He moved in at the time of the Sydney Olympics in 2000, setting up his stained glass studio in a corner room facing Elizabeth Street and Central. A light box positioned towards the street can be seen from the road and gives Hibernian House a signature night time look. Someone on FBI Radio, he says, just used to call it “the Stained Glass Building.” While indie rock band the Preatures tune up and jam in the next studio on what could be a new song, Hamilton gives his take on Hibernian. “These kinds of places are essential and they are lifeblood of the city,” he says. “It is in the nature of creative people and creative people that people are devoted to what they do, and they do it even if they don’t earn so much income. “So you need relatively cheap rental space available to make that happen and for people to create ground breaking work, and it has to be versatile. You need to be able to screw something into a wall, not be minding the polished floor all the time.” Hamilton recalls a time when the city had a number of other artist spaces similar to Hibernian, but one by one they’ve been claimed by the march of gentrification.

On level one, Jeff Hamilton has probably been at Hibernian House for longer than anyone. Urban Village | 25

But that is Hibernian. There’s always a lot of interaction between the people on the various level and a lot of parties, in between all the hard work.

On the positive side, some of Hibernian’s tenants have moved out and taken their creativity with them. Jazz club 505 on Cleveland Street, for example, came out of studio 505 at Hibernian, and Redfern’s 107 Projects was previously right next to Hamilton’s studio on level one before moving, coincidentally, to 107 Redfern Street. “They had Knot Gallery here and for five years or so it was a very powerful and creative group, and I really got caught up in that enthusiasm,” says Hamilton. “But that is Hibernian. There’s always a lot of interaction between the people on the various level and a lot of parties, in between all the hard work.” Like Ariel Sexton-Shaw, religious iconography is also central to Hamilton’s work but in a very different way. He works as a stained glass artist and his work adorns around 20 churches and religious buildings around Australia, and the studio is now full of work in progress for the East Maitland Anglican Church. 26 | Urban Village

“I’m taking a lot of Renaissance painting and using that as my inspiration,” he says. His own work is more secular. The current project is a “baker’s dozen” of 13 A4 glass paintings on glass of “World Heroes.” It is an ironic title, as the one he has just completed is of Syrian dictator Bashir al Assad. Given that it took him four days to move all his equipment into Hibernian House 18 years ago, Hamilton is loathe to leave, and is optimistic he can stay on for a while yet. “As far as I know it will continue for the foreseeable future,” he says. “They painted the façade in 2016 and fixed up the goods lift, and that’s getting a lot of use because there are new tenants from the rag trade. “So it’s a going concern. And its not just important for me that it continues, I’d say it was important for Sydney too.”

Hibernian House was built in 1913 as the Sydney headquarters of the Hibernian Austrlian Catholic Benefit society, a church based fraternal organisation which provided many of the early social services in the city.

Hibernian House was also revenue raiser for the group. They let the rooms out to professionals like dentists and tailors, and use the rent they collected to partly fund their charity work. Several of the groups’s other buildings around Australia are also heritage listed: Hibernian Hall in Rom from 1932, and Storey Hall in Melbourne. The façade of Hibernian House is heritage listed, and that points to one thing: that one day the building will be gutted, the façade will be kept, and it will become new apartments. Let’s hope that day is a long way away, and it can continue as a unique arts hub for many more years because Sydney needs it!

Photo: Walter Maurice. Urban Village | 27

SEEN AND HEARD AROUND CROWN Where’s your favourite winter spot in Surry Hills? #SydneyLocal Upstairs at the Clock, they’ve got a nice cosy area up there. – Diana, Chilli Coral

Down the road there’s Mamasan. Also Tokyo Bird is really nice. – Fa, Pigeonhole employee

For dinner, Yulli’s. Delicious dumplings, it’s cosy, and I love the Asian vegetarian mix. – Jordi, local

Cricketer’s Arms by the fire. What a hipster! – Nike, local (left)

Four Ate Five. I’m a student with no money so I don’t go out that much. I also like a wine at Bart Jr. in Redfern. – Natalie, local

Home. The library is also a good place. It’s nice and warm in there. – David, local

Harpoon Harry’s. Lots of indoor seating, it’s always busy, the staff are friendly and they do a mean schnitzel. – Lauren, local

That’s a good question. I really like the rooftop of the Horse. It’s not that wintery but it’s really nice because it’s outdoors. You can rug up and have a wine. – Sophie, local

28 | Urban Village

Surry Hills Festival 2017. Photo: Luca Ward.

The emPOWER FLOWER Project A partnership between SHNC, artists, the community and the Happiness Lab.

HNC will engage a project manager, contemporary artist and workshop facilitators to work with all ages and demographics to create an enormous flower and happiness themed installation, bringing together community, businesses and visitors to connect and share what they love and makes them happy.

Through “Petal” elements within the installation, participants will express what makes a vibrant happy Surry Hills with themes such as happiness, sharing, connecting, celebrating, healthy lifestyle, clean air, pets, public transport, recreation, loads of smiles and laughter. emPOWER Flower will be completed as part of Surry Hills Festival and spring themed programs with an enormous installation in Ward Park – plus “daisy chain” elements connecting along Devonshire and Crown Streets. The emPOWER FLOWER is symbolic of spring and growth, reminiscent of Surry Hills’s 1960s textile and floral design industries, and the creative enterprises which keep Surry Hills a vibrant unique enclave.

Community workshop venues and partners include Shannon Reserve, SHNC (weekly program activities), Surry Hills Markets, Surry Hills Library, Northcott Community Centre, Boys and Girls Brigade, Oasis and Weave Youth Services, Crown Street Public School, Bourke Street Public School, SHNC After School programs and Surry Hills age care services. The project is proudly supported by Altrac Light Rail. Everyone’s invited to join preparations with free emPOWER FLOWER workshops on the first Saturday of each month. Head down to Surry Hills Market at Shannon Reserve on 2nd June, 7th July, 4th August or 1nd September to take part in creating one enormous installation for Festival day.

Urban Village | 29

CROWS NEST & SURRY HILLS

DINE WITH FOUR OR MORE PEOPLE AND MENTION THIS AD TO RECIEVE A COMPLIMENTARY BOTTLE OF MAMA’S BUOI WINE! *RED OR WHITE WINE, T&C’S APPLY WWW.MAMASBUOI.COM.AU 30 | Urban Village

Kali. Photo: Supplied.

Sydney Nightlife’s

SECOND WIND Urban Village spoke to Kali about ten years of Picnic, Maximum Joy and the clouds lifting above Sydney’s club scene. By Tess Scholfield-Peters

T over the last decade, to say the least. The 2014

he state of Sydney’s nightlife has been turbulent

lockout laws had devastating effects on our city, leaving many formerly iconic venues destitute, and many promoters and partygoers in despair.

The City of Sydney continues to advocate to the NSW Government to relax the laws, improve late night transport and investigate licensing reform to support late night trade. “Our live music action plan, funding for late-night safety ambassadors and grants for businesses to improve or diversify their evening activities all support a more interesting and successful nighttime economy,” said Lord Mayor Clover Moore, who last month introduced a Creative Sector and Advisory Panel comprised of 15 experts from across the nightlife and creative sectors. The Panel encompasses experts and professionals from across the hospitality, live music and performance, theatre, festivals, retail business and public safety sectors.

Local members include The Record Store owner and Darlinghurst Business Partnership president Stefan Gyory and James Winter, director of Brand X in Darlinghurst. For Kali, the brain behind Picnic Touring and Events, widely known as Sydney music’s saving grace, the last decade has been a lesson in adaptation and focussing on what we do have to work with, rather than dwelling on what is lacking. Kali, aka Carly Roberts, has been a fixture of Sydney’s club scene since her move up from our Capital in the early nineties. The Picnic empire comprises an event series, touring company, venue booker, music curator and the Kali-hosted FBi radio show. She began her DJ career at 18 and continues to appear regularly in the booth. Originally formed with Vi Hermens of Motorik, Kali now runs Picnic solo, as well as curating and directing music for establishments across Sydney, from Harpoon Harry’s and the Dolphin, to Da Orazio and Icebergs. Urban Village | 31

“When I was in my early thirties I was trying to work out what I wanted to do with my life, so I went on a soul searching mission to London,” recalls Kali, who chose to pursue music over fashion, her second love. “I spent three weeks working at Phonica Records and immersed myself completely. Walking into clubs like Fabric and T Bar, I’d never been hit in the stomach with a sound system before.” Picnic was born in 2008 and has been the driving force behind some of the most memorable parties Sydney has seen.

... I just had this feeling of synergy and real focus. It felt like something you spend your whole life working towards.

“I remember the first weekend I started Picnic on my own, we put on Maurice Fulton (and joint venture with Niche) on a Saturday night and on the Sunday I had Derrick May do a five hour set at 202 Broadway. I just had this feeling of synergy and real focus. It felt like something you spend your whole life working towards.” In 2014 the NSW Government introduced the lock out laws, requiring venues to refuse entry from 1:30am and to stop drink service at 3am. “I felt like I was just starting to hit a stride with Picnic,” says Kali. “A real sense of doom set in and I think it affected people going out in general straight away.” “Then a few years in there were so few venues left that they were often booked out and you had to use alternate spaces. If you wanted to survive as a promoter in Sydney, you had to be agile.” Four years on from the lockout laws and the clouds are starting to lift. While many venues fell casualty to the restrictions, many have adapted and grown in strength. The City of Sydney’s Nightlife and Creative Sector Advisory Panel has been tasked with re-invigorating the city after dark. The panel will be modelled off those already in place in London, Berlin, Amsterdam and New York. “We are doing everything we can as a local government to revitalise Sydney’s nightlife,” said Lord Mayor Clover Moore. Harpoon Harry’s is hosting its second Vivid program this year, with Kali behind the carefully curated music nights. And while Picnic parties in other spaces have taken a backseat behind her role as music director, the company is about to put on its biggest party yet: a whole day Sunday event.

32 | Urban Village

Kali at a live show. Photo: Supplied.

Maximum Joy festival will be held on July 1 at the Kings Cross Hotel across all six floors, with different local and international promoters running each one. “I think it’s amazing to go into an area that people think is lifeless and put on this huge event. I actually can’t wait,” says Kali. This is hopefully the first of many festival endeavours for Picnic, whose events have always put an emphasis on the local scene as well as bringing in international heavy hitters. Sydney is teeming with local producers, artists, bands and creative talent that are thriving despite the difficult circumstances.

of the most cultured, deeply thought about music programming in the world. Everyone is still having a good time,” muses Kali. Sydney dance floors have come a long way from the free flowing 24-hour club raves of the early nineties. “I don’t know if we’ll ever get back to having the majority of Sydney open at least till early morning. I don’t know if that’s the end of the world.” “I try to spend my time focussing on what we have. And I think if everyone does that we’re going to have a pretty great place to dance and get schooled on some great music.”

“If you think about Freda’s, Harry’s, Cake Wines, the Heavenly and Rimbombo parties, Mad Racket who’s still going after twenty years, we have some

Urban Village | 33

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to Eastside, Sydney’s cosmopolitan alter ego. When you look at a map of Sydney (and there is one conveniently provided at the centre of this walking guide) you will see that Sydney’s CBD has a city-sized neighbour just a stone’s throw to the east. Eastside Sydney is comprised of Woolloomooloo, Potts Point, Kings Cross, Darlinghurst and Surry Hills, all of which formed part of the East Sydney electorate from the 1900s – 1960s. Eastside has long been the home of both scoundrels and dreamers; from the razor gangs that fought over sly grog in the 1920s, to the post-WW2 immigrants who added countless flavours to the cultural milieu, Eastside is a melting pot of people, arts, culture, retail and nightlife. Eclectic, independent, queer: if your idea of a true adventure is more than just climbing the Harbour Bridge, then you’re holding the Golden Ticket. It is fantastically easy to get here! We are serviced by three railway stations and it’s also just a short jaunt across the parks (Hyde and the Domain) or under the viaducts from Chinatown to a community of fascinating people ready to befriend you.

and chrome of our western metropolis, Eastside’s streets are a melange of every building form that Sydney has known: a literal warren of laneways, heritage stairwells and parklets just begging to be discovered. Independent small businesses, creatives and co-work hubs nestle in the nooks and crannies; from the boutiquelined Crown Street in Surry Hills, to some of Sydney’s finest eateries in Potts Point, there are many ways to wile away many days. There’s also the gritty - and some would rightly say – little bit naughty, Darlinghurst in between to flesh out your experience. Eastside has a multitude of sub-precincts, each with their own flavours and specialities. Meet charming and colourful characters who stand ready to arm you with the timeless anecdotes every good getaway deserves. Turn the page to see how some of our dynamic locals live and love their hood. Turn it again for an overview of what’s on offer, and refer to the handy map so you can begin your sojourn in Eastside Sydney. And if hashtags are your thing, here's a couple we prepared earlier for you.

While much of Sydney’s CBD has been developed and the city bustles away, it has lost a lot of the charm that a fusion of different architectural styles can elicit. Thankfully, to counter the smoked glass FUNDED BY

FREE MAP

O T E D I U G G N I K L A W

EASTSIDE

SYDNEY

dney #eastsidesy al #sydneyloc

#eastsidesydney #sydneylocal

A SOMEWHAT INCOMPLETE, BUT LOVINGLY-COMPILED WALKING GUIDE TO SYDNEYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S INNER EAST.

86 83 82 81

17 16

80 84

18 87

BELMORE PARK 6

12 7

20 8

13 9

10 5

72 75 71

TRAIN STATION

70 1

TOILET

LIGHT RAIL STATION

ART CO-WORKING SPACES

THEATRE GROCER PARK HEALTH

36 | Urban Village

SURRY HILLS Surry Hills has some of the best food Sydney has to offer, all in the space of a few blocks, with plenty of retail in between to pique your curiosity. It’s a well developed creative and design hub. Boasting a state of the art library/ community space, both artisans and young corporate execs call Surry Hills home.

CLEVELAND ST Cleveland Street hugs the outer reaches of Eastside and is a slightly gritty enclave of international cuisines and bars worth the detour. Whether you begin on South Crown Street or from the Central station end at Prince Alfred Park, you’ll stumble on the likes of an underground viking bar and weekend bellydancers! 1. Abdul’s Lebanese Restaurant 563 Elizabeth St (cnr Cleveland St), Surry Hills Damn tasty and authentic Lebanese cuisine 2. Maya da dhaba 431 Cleveland Street, Surry Hills NSW An Indian flavour palace of no fuss 3. Venue 505 280 Cleveland St, Surry Hills Live music: jazz, roots, reggae, funk, gypsy, latin... 4. Mjolner 267 Cleveland Street A sleek underground Viking bar and restaurant! 5. Shakespeare Hotel 200 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills Cheap eats at ‘The Shakey”! Great food and a bevy for under $20

DETOUR / GET LOST HEAD NORTH DOWN BOURKE - Wander down leafy Bourke Street toward sourdough mecca: Bourke Street Bakery (70), then head to Raper Street for The Brett Whitely Gallery (71) before looping back for a drink and pub meal at local fave The Carrington (72). Or grab a sake and Japanesefusion burger Bar Ume (10). HEAD NORTH UP CROWN - Get a traditional Indian meal with a twist at Masala Theory (73), the best chicken katsu in Sydney at Lucky Pickle (74), some stylish threads from The Standard Store (75), or a Hungarian sweet treat at Kürtósh (76). DEVONSHIRE STREET - Belvoir Street Theatre (77), Mohr Fish (78), Shakespeare Hotel (5) and Izakaya Fujiyama (79) Japanese restaurant and sake emporium.

FOVEAUX ST/ALBION ST Heading up the hill from Central Station, you can stumble into the eclectic beat of a laid back and most nookish locale. Cut back and forth across Foveaux and Albion to discover laneway cafes, corner neighbourhood pubs, gourmet burgers and even a Japanese karaoke joint with air hockey to boot. 6. Chur Burger 48 Albion Street, Surry Hills Super famous Kiwi Hamburgers. Crowds don’t lie! 7. Folonoma 370 Bourke Street, Surry Hills

9. Cricketers Arms 106 Fitzroy St, Surry Hills Rustic, boisterous locals watering hole with a beer garden 10. Bar Ume 478 Bourke Street, Surry Hills Delicious Japanese inspired burgers and great sake! 11. Porteno 50 Holt Street, Surry Hills The original Argentinian shared BBQ 12. Goros Japanese Karaoke 84-86 Mary Street, Surry Hills Izakaya-style joint with karaoke, sake and air hockey 13. Vacanza 414 Bourke St, Surry Hills Supreme handmade wood fired pizza

CROWN ST SOUTH It would be easy to while away a whole day on the most famous of Surry Hills’ streets, browsing one-of-a-kind designer and vintage threads, leafing through literary, musical and stationary delights, or stopping in for some global cuisine. And you should. 14. Bishop Sessa 7 Crown St, Surry Hills Modern EU cuisine, with an ultra charming host. 15. Yulli’s 417 Crown St, Surry Hills Creative vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes 16. The Record Store 255B Crown St, Darlinghurst Indie vinyl store, specialising in electronica 17. Route 66 255 Crown St, Darlinghurst Where urban cowgirls and cowboys buy their threads 18. Oscar & Friends Booksellers Shop 35/277 Crown St, Surry Hills Independent bookstores don’t get much better than this 19. Café Lounge 277 Goulburn St, Surry Hills Cozy space with live music, DJs and comedy 20. Bang Street Food 3/410 Crown St, Surry Hills Bangladeshi hawker-style food and craft beer

DETOUR / GET LOST The Northwestern pocket of Surry Hills AKA the ‘Hollywood Quarter’. Locals' favourite drinking den The Hollywood Hotel (80) is a short stroll from the old art deco Paramount Pictures building which has been revived as The Golden Age Cinema and Bar and Paramount Coffee Project (81). In between or near on the scene is award-winning (82), (83) Longrain Chin Chin Sydney and Nomad (84). Have some tequila fun at Tio’s (80), go speakeasy style at Wild Rover (85), sip on a cocktail at Harpoon Harry’s (86) or visit a hidden little gallery at China Heights (84). Shopping and design more your thing? You can’t go past local legend Ross Longmuir and his homewares emporium Planet (87). You’ll find these ace venues on Campbell, Foster and Commonwealth streets.

Sydney’s first profit-for-purpose restaurant

8. Susie Q’s 1/18 Hutchinson Street, Surry Hills Food, music and coffee with a delicious seasonal menu Urban Village | 37

27 32

31 95

94 35

34 98

100 88 24

23 22 21

91 TRAIN STATION LIGHT RAIL STATION TOILET ART

92 93

CO-WORKING SPACES THEATRE GROCER PARK

38 | Urban Village

HEALTH

VICTORI

DARLINGHURST Originally famous for its massive sandstone prison where the likes of the renowned Aussie wordsmith, Banjo Patterson, spent time sobering up, Darlinghurst, or Darlo as the locals call it, is the gritty meat in Eastside’s sandwich. Boho, homo, and if you miss it, fomo.

OXFORD ST Oxford St – Eastside’s grand old dame. The Pink Mile. The spiritual heart of queer Australia and, believe it or not, one of the hubs of 70s and 80s Aussie rock. From pubs to clubs, gay bars to wine bars, hotels to hostels; Oxford Street is a fab place to base yourself to explore East Sydney. 21. Stonewall Hotel 175 Oxford St, Darlinghurst Drag queens, queers, gay boys, lesbians and shows 22. Kenny’s Pork Rolls 159 Oxford St, Darlinghurst Authentic Vietnamese rolls for a dime 23. Bitter Phew 1/137 Oxford St, Darlinghurst An ever-evolving range of craft beers 24. Daly Male 90 Oxford St, Darlinghurst If you wanna look swish let a gay man dress you 24. Big Poppas 96 Oxford St, Darlinghurst A sumptuous and moodily-lit little hole-in-the-wall 25. The Bookshop 207 Oxford St, Darlinghurst Purveyors of the finest LGBTQI literature 26. Throwback 70 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst Everything Hoops. So, so many trainers

DETOUR / GET LOST FOLEY STREET/BURTON – Hiding off Oxford St is a funky little v-shaped loop of road. Take in a beverage at Shady Pines Saloon (88) or, for something more substantial, The Commons Eating House (89). On a more creative tip check out the handmade art and clothes at The Tribe, Spunky Bruiser, or Fine Fellow and the Burton Metal Depository (90). SOUTH DOWLING - Just on the cusp of Darlinghurst and Paddington a great, leafy street with hidden gems. Tickle your sexy fetish with some of the worlds finest lingerie at Baby Likes To Pony, then bling up next door at Jason Moss Jewellery Design (91), or grab a feed and bevy at The Organic Bread Bar (92) or The Local Taphouse (93).

CROWN ST NORTH AREA We couldn’t limit this to just Crown Street itself: there’s so much to do off the beaten track, even when you are already off the beaten track. Proving that suburb boundaries are arbitrary, this convivial strip meanders down from Darlo into the Loo. Take your time, as there is so much to do around these parts! 27. Love Tilly Devine 91 Crown Ln, Darlinghurst Cosy, eclectic bar with extensive wine & nibbles 28. East Sydney Hotel Corner Crown and Cathedral Sts, Woolloomooloo Tasty fast food with no pokies 29. Wings & Tins 2 Chapel St, Darlinghurst Hot wings and craft beer tinnies

29. Sushi on Stanley 85 Stanley St, Darlinghurst What it says on the box. YUM 29. Brick Lane Indian 75 Stanley St, Darlinghurst Modern Indian fusion, highly recommended 30. Edition Coffee Roasters 265 Liverpool St, Darlinghurst Nordic/Japanese fusion brekkie and lunch 31. Bill & Tony’s 72/74 Stanley St, Darlinghurst Budget, authentic Italian with free cordial 32. Owl House 97 Crown Street, Darlinghurst Very cozy nook for cocktails and fine dining

VICTORIA ST This patch looks deceptively small; it’s not. There’s a heck of a lot to do in and around it (see the detours below) and there’s just too much food to mention, so we picked a few of our faves and have left the rest for you to discover along the way. 33. Una’s 340 Victoria St, Darlinghurst Jaeger schnitzle, Weiss Bier und Jaegermeister! 33. Buffalo Dining Club 116 Surrey St, Sydney Mozzarella-focused pasta from a cheese wheel 34. Green Park Hotel 360 Victoria St, Darlinghurst Old-school front room opens out to a snug beer garden 35. Kürtósh 316 Victoria St, Darlinghurst Cosy patisserie offering traditional Hungarian pastries and cakes, plus seasonal coffee blends 36. Gelato Messina Creative Department 243 Victoria St, Darlinghurst Iconic Sydney success story - where ice-cream degustation is a thing 37. Malabar 1/274 Victoria St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010 The best South Indian Food in town

DETOUR / GET LOST There really is so much to explore around this end of Crown Street. Up on Darlinghurst Rd, you can get a vegan feast and movie combo at Govindas, dine and drink at Black Bottle (94), or grab a wrap and coffee on the run at Chapter E (95). The Darlo end of Liverpool Street should almost have its own section. Grab a feed at Almond Bar (96), Lucio Pizzeria (97) and Bills (98) or even order in at Darlo Bar and then grab some vinyl at Radio Free Alice (99) or take in a play at the historic Eternity Playhouse (100). Explore here!

Urban Village | 39

TRAIN STATION LIGHT RAIL STATION TOILET ART CO-WORKING SPACES THEATRE GROCER PARK HEALTH

47 48

51 49

THE MAIN

58 54 55

GREEN

KNOW

102

E AVE

57 106 105

101

107 104 59

103 60

45 41 38

43 TRAIN STATION LIGHT RAIL STATION TOILET ART CO-WORKING SPACES THEATRE GROCER PARK HEALTH

40 | Urban Village

POTTS POINT / WOOLLOOMOOLOO Potts Point and “the Loo” as it is affectionately known are a basket full of contradictions. Upmarket Potts Point contains the once notorious (but still a little gritty) Kings Cross, and Woolloomooloo combines waterfront luxury with post-industrial charm, a working naval base and blue collar community. It’s also just a short walk away to beautiful Elizabeth Bay - with art deco architecture and some of Sydney’s best harbourside parks.

THE COKE SIGN This legendary landmark recently got a face-lift, with the neon being replaced by moving LEDs – all the better to help you find and explore the side streets off the main drag: where all the gems lie. 38. Grand Days 220 William Street, Woolloomooloo A treasure-trove of vinyl, books & pre-loved fashion 39. The Old Fitz Pub & Theatre 129 Dowling Street, Woolloomooloo Boasting Australia’s only pub theatre 40. Hernandez Cafe 60 Kings Cross Rd, Potts Point Quirky 24-hour Spanish cafe and roastery 41. Stone Heart 1/77 William Street, Darlinghurst Expert tattoo and piercing with no ‘tude 42. World Bar 24 Bayswater Road, Potts Point Bastion of Sydney’s nightlife 43. ACME 60 Bayswater Road, Rushcutters Bay Original menu with an Italian twist and a side of hip hop. 44. Farmhouse 4/40 Bayswater Road, Rushcutters Bay Delicious organic fine dining with 20 new friends 45. Caffé Roma 9 Kellett St, Potts Point Intimate, long-running restaurant with an open fire 46. Piccolo Bar 5 Roslyn St, Potts Point A neighbourhood gem selling soul food

COWPER WHARF ROAD REG

ThisBARTLEY short stretch bridges Potts Point and the Domain (where the Art Gallery of NSW and Botanical Gardens are). It’s a OVAL lovely walk from one to the other, but also a great place in and of itself. There is also some seriously fine dining on the water in a spectacular converted industrial finger wharf. 47. China Doll 4/6 Cowper Wharf Road, Woolloomooloo Modern take on the culinary traditions of China, Japan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia 47. Otto Area 8, 6 Cowper Wharf Road, Woolloomooloo Classic Italian fare strong on seafood, but with vegan and vegetarian menus too! 47. Manta 6/6 Cowper Wharf Road, Woolloomooloo Fresh Australian sustainable seafood grill with bright WEIGALL interiors and a waterfront locale SPORTS

48.GROUND Aki’s 1 / 6 Cowper Wharf Road, Woolloomooloo You’ll struggle to find a better Indian restaurant in the city 49. Harry’s Cafe de Wheels Cowper Wharf Road and Brougham Street, Woolloomooloo Famous for 70 years, because the pies are delicious

50. The Tilbury 12-18 Nicholson Street, Woolloomooloo, 2011 Cherished local watering hole popular with the trendy Sydney set

DETOUR / GET LOST Woolloomooloo Bay is the terminus of a valley that runs down from Darlo and Potts Point, and just like a river and its tributaries, there are lots of nooks and crannies to explore around here. Indulge yourself at Smoking Gun Bagels (101) and Petal Met Sugar (102) (a florist and patisserie).

MACLEAY ST Macleay Street is Potts Point’s main thoroughfare, running from the famous and beautiful El Alamein Fountain down towards Sydney’s working naval base. (hello, sailor!) Potts Point is the place to be for dining, quality art and retail sprinkled in between. Or take a picnic down to some beautiful harbourside parks in Elizabeth Bay . 51. Potts Point Bookshop 14 Macleay Street, Potts Point A great selection of classic fiction, children’s books and art and design tomes for the coffee table 52. Café Yucca 1/1 Elizabeth Bay Rd, Elizabeth Bay Japanese-inspired menu, homemade cakes and excellent coffee. Kawaii! 53. Skarfe 8A Hughes Street, Potts Point Local artist and international designer scarves (silk, cashmere and wool) 54. The Apollo Restaurant 44 MacLeay St, Potts Point Gourmet Greek. Next level taste! 55. Paper Bird Restaurant 46A MacLeay Street, Potts Point Rated one of Sydney’s best East Asian fooderies 56. Macleay St Laundrette 69 MacLeay St, Potts Point Personality and service; all you could want 57. Macleay St Deli 109 Macleay Street, Potts Point Dot will make you feel like you’re inside her Polish kitchen 58. Becker Minty 81 Macleay Street, Potts Point (Enter on Manning St) Fancy designer wares 59. Culina et Vinum 1/19-23 Elizabeth Bay Rd, Elizabeth Bay On site meat-aging - divine food 60. Dresden 1C Roslyn Street, Potts Point Environmentally aware prescription glasses on the spot

DETOUR / GET LOST Sip a fine beverage at Janglin’ Jacks (103), or have a sumptuous al-fresco or indoor meal at a number of fine eateries on Challis Ave. Llankelly place is a pedestrianised laneway with brilliant atmosphere and a swathe of outdoor dining including Room 10 (104), Joseph Hyde (105), Dear Sainte Elouise (106), Gentlemen, get your ‘do done at Raymond Gosling Barber Shop (107).

Urban Village | 41

Elise Slater. Photo: Tim Ritchie.

Surry Hills & Valleys Telling the Stories of People in Our Community

Elise Slater: Art Therapist

’ve lived in Surry Hills for seven years. Surry Hills has proximity to everything. I grew up in the suburbs, so when I moved back from London, I wanted to be in the heart of things and the bustling life. I love that I’m on the border of Surry Hills and Redfern. One of my favourite places in Sydney is Redfern. I love the diversity. There is still some grit and authenticity to Redfern that is being smoothed over in other areas of Sydney.

I rarely leave my orbit of Surry Hills. There is always something going on. It’s not far from the beaches too. I can ride my bike to where I want to go. I like Clover’s bike lanes. Surry Hills concerns me because of the government’s focus on wealth and building up commerce and the whole real estate industry. There is so much growth going on at the cost of community and grassroots enterprises. They are getting bulldozed for the sake of big high rises. It feels like some seminal parts of our city that were meeting places for community to gather are being bulldozed. I feel like the essence, or soul of Sydney is getting bulldozed, like the fig trees in Centennial Park for example, to make way for the new light rail. 42 | Urban Village

Some development has to happen. I’m not antidevelopment, but when some people who have been here for a long time and are the backbone of a community are shoved out, it changes the soul and sense of connection to a place. The light rail for example, I’m pro public transport, but a lot of businesses have closed because of this. I wish the light rail went to the beaches, but it’s stopping at the racetrack. Progress needs to be done with sensitivity I wonder about the proposed Surry Hills Shopping Village development. Will the shoe repair man who has had a shop for such a long time be offered a new space? Or, will the same franchises as any other shopping centre be brought in instead? History is being lost. Maybe Melbourne does this better, because Sydney is sometimes more about the ego. Here in Sydney we get carried away with the shiny and new and we throw away the old. Why not support local artists and do something a bit more interesting? I should engage with community more here in Surry Hills. I tend to jump around a bit, rather than having one go to place. So that’s not as conducive to my sense of community. I need to work on that. Surry Hills can be a place where people come in and out and it’s a bit touristy, so sometimes it can be hard to connect with locals. I love some of the local pubs like The Carrington, The Cricketers Arms and the Hollywood hotel. They are like old friends. I worked in the fashion industry all my life, but I have always been a soul seeker. I wondered about how I could contribute back to the world, this was my biggest turning point. So even though I studied fashion, my impetus was around the way that females were represented in fashion. I wanted to change that. While my career had that slant, four years ago I woke up one day and decided to quit

even though it was probably the only job for me in Sydney. I knew it was a cliché, but I went to India and Nepal. I fell into a Buddhist retreat and that was my first time sitting in a room where everything people said to me just made sense. It felt like how I had always seen the world, was now being narrated back to me. It was a poignant moment. I had a bird’s eye view of my life and I reassessed what I was about and somewhat changed directions. I now teach students, trying to teach them to be conscious designers and how they might contribute to the world. This all led to my project in Nepal, Live Softly and led me also to study art therapy. This has helped me to see how important it is to bring back old cultures and reapply them today. When I returned to Sydney after that experience in India, I had to work out how to retain this state of mind in a context that is so ego driven. How do you cultivate non-attachment in a culture that worships all the shiny things? This links back to the point about community, the richer a city gets and Sydney seems to be getting richer, the more isolated people become. Then they start to build walls around themselves. Maybe we would not need so many therapists if we supported each other more. I’ve always sought out a sense of purpose. Ever since I was a little girl I have always wondered “Why am I here?”. And I feel that my work now is satisfying this deep need. What’s important to me now is putting roots down and to make a go of it in Sydney. I feel like all the threads in my life have come together now. It’s a nice turning point when you feel that everything you have learned can now be of service back to the community. I might tell my younger self to relax and that it’s all going to be ok.

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 Urban Village | 43

Photo: Supplied.

Golden Stage WINTER PROGRAM

G Sydney history in the heart of Surry Hills. The olden Age Cinema and Bar is a piece of

Paramount building was constructed in 1940 as the offices of Paramount Pictures. Since 2013, the cinema and is much beloved for its art deco interior and old world feel, and for its eclectic range of films, from contemporary cinema to cult classics. Golden age has released their winter film and music program. The new releases include Sydney Exclusive documentary Five Seasons: The Gardens of Piet Oudolf; Charlize Theron's motherhood dramedy Tully; French activist epic BPM (Beats Per Minute); Sally Potter's star-studded satire The Party; Steven Soderbergh's iPhone-shot shocker Unsane; soulful music documentary Gurrumul; the surprisingly funny Solo: A Star Wars Story; plus additional sessions of high-demand films Call Me By Your Name, The Square, Midnight Oil 1984, Human Flow and The Death of Stalin. Alongside Five Seasons and I Am Not a Witch, Golden Age's program of Sydney Exclusives continues with the acclaimed biopic Redoubtable (Godard Mon Amour). From Academy Awardwinning director Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist), this irreverent film follows cinematic icon Jean-Luc Godard through a host of late-1960s romantic and political crises, starring Louis Garrel in the title role opposite Stacy Martin as Anne Wiazemsky, whose memoir this film is based loosely on. Redoubtable is paired with a selection of some of Godard's best films leading up to this period, from A Woman is A Woman (1961) and Contempt (1963) to Alphaville (1965) and Made in U.S.A. (1966). Golden Age satiates those who seek thrills and horror with the jaw-dropping new horror Hereditary starring Toni Collette, to demonic classic

44 | Urban Village

The Exorcist, there's no shortage of ways to lose sleep this season. Golden Age's roster of winter chillers includes David Lynch's cryptic nightmare Mulholland Drive, seminal Hitchcock mystery Rebecca, and a special solstice screening of cult 1973 pagan thriller The Wicker Man. And don't miss the monthly sessions of iconic musical creeper The Rocky Horror Picture Show, complete with party packs and audience participation. Join Golden Age on Wednesday evenings for special Guest Presents sessions. See poetic music documentary Gurrumul with New South Wales Reconciliation Council; Hitchcock classic Vertigo with 'Sheer Fantasy' curator David Capra; environmental call-to-arms Blue with Take 3 and Tomra on World Oceans Day; and Sofia Coppola's wistful Somewhere presented by Golden Age neighbours Paramount House Hotel. Celebrate the actual 40th anniversary of the first Sydney Mardi Gras on 24 June with the rarely-screened and newly restored documentary Witches and Faggots, Dykes and Poofters (1980), with producer Digby Duncan in attendance for a Q&A. Test your cinephile skills every Tuesday in the bar with Film Trivia hosted by comedian Alexei Toliopoulos. The winter program includes two special editions – Wes Anderson Trivia (12 June) and Star Wars Trivia (3 July), each followed by a session of Isle of Dogs or Solo: A Star Wars Story. Golden Age Film Club members can access $12 tickets to new release films screening Tuesday nights – look out for the Golden Price sessions online. For all ticket and event information head to ourgoldenage.com.au.

MUSIC ON THE GOLDEN STAGE Saturday June 16 - Clews Sister duo Lily and Grace Richardson from southern NSW bring their unique and infectious musical style to the Golden Stage. Thursday 21 June – Easy Street Between their rich four-part harmonies, nostalgic synthesisers, guitar solos, and jazz-based rhythm sections, Easy Street are a majorly talented indie rock outfit. Saturday June 23 – Exhibitionist Sydney based multi-instrumentalist Exhibitionist announces her debut EP Let Go Of Love, which was out on June 8 through local label Future Classic. Thursday June 28 – Inës Born in Portugal and raised in Australia, the Sydneybased musician produces music marked by fiery soul and highly distinct vocals. Saturday June 30 - Andrew Tuttle The best-kept secret of the Australian underground, composer, improviser and collaborator Andrew Tuttle blends world, folk, ambient and electronic genres. Thursday July 5 – Brendon Moon A delicate yet powerfully alluring sound. His one of a kind stage presence and lush guitar tones are nothing short of exquisite. Saturday July 7 – Empat Lima ‘Clin, Clang, Clatter’ Album Tour. Empat Lima continue to draw upon the inspiration of the great women in music before them, mixing their own unique style of overlapping melodies and driving dance beats. Thursday July 12 – Eliott Melbourne-based newcomer Eliott has won fans across the globe with her lyrical songs of love and bittersweet nostalgia. Saturday August 25 – Hannah Cameron Sydney Album Launch. Through evocative lyrics, she explores a range of themes, maintaining a voice that is both assured and insightful. Urban Village | 45

Pulse Agency Pulse turns users into paying customers, byÂ looking beyond likes into the real business. By Tess Scholfield-Peters

46 | Urban Village

Nico Pustilnick. Photo: Walter Maurice.

N sustain his love of music. Now he owns ico Pustilnick got into advertising to

Pulse Agency, a Sydney bespoke digital marketing agency with a focus on increasing business visibility organically.

“I like playing with creativity and strategy. I’m a musician so advertising was initially a way of paying my bills to support my love of guitars.”

Upcycle & refresh ... your favourite clothes

Nico studied advertising back home in Argentina and has now been working in digital marketing for thirteen years. Working in big agencies when he first arrived in Sydney, Nico quickly realised he wanted to work for himself. Going out on my own was very hard. I was a new father, I had a mortgage. I had to work during the day and at night to jump from one boat to the other. It took me a while.” Nico offers hands on, custom-made services to Pulse’s broad scope of clientele, most of whom are based locally. Nico prides himself on his personalised, holistic approach to digital marketing. Pulse specialises in web design, SEO and PPC services, social media and content marketing. “There’s no automation with us, it’s completely bespoke. I think that’s the main difference between me and a big agency.” Nico has brought his love of music and guitars with him from Buenos Aires and jams locally, out of office hours.

Jeans before dyeing

Dye .... don’t buy!

The challenges the digital marketing industry faces are the rapid and relentless changes and industry advancements, and companies outsourcing beyond Australia. For Nico it is a case of constantly studying and staying focussed on industry trends, and fundamentally, keeping it local. “I think the insights you get from being local are really important. From a strategy point of view, it’s good to work with someone that knows the area you’re working in. An overseas agency couldn’t have that kind of knowledge.” “I focus on what works and how it works for you. If you’re a big website or if you’re a small business, the principle is the same. It’s looking for what you need, what your goals are and how I can help you get there.”

Jeans after dyeing

02 9310 7766 216 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills 2010 www.cullachange.com.au Urban Village | 47

Finance Tips Glen Hare

Finance Tips

Photo: Supplied.

GLEN HARE Y Commission but wondering what it’s all about? ou’ve probably heard whispers of the Royal

Are you unsure what the Royal family has to do with it? Or maybe you just don’t know if it has any impact on your day to day life. Don’t stress, you’re not alone! Firstly, I can confirm that neither the Prince or any Royal is personally involved but I’m going to break this down for you (and hopefully not bore you to death in the process). A Royal Commission is a formal public inquiry into a defined issue. The one that’s in all the papers at the moment revolves around misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industries. The big banks have skipped from one controversy to the next over the past decade. The majority of the scandals appear to be fuelled by the banking sector promoting and rewarding a sales culture with an emphasis on profits rather than best interests. The driving forces behind the Royal Commission proposal were the Greens and Labor with a number of National MPs later joining rank. The government was back into a corner

48 | Urban Village

and resistance by the PM rendered futile. The commission began in November 2017 with a final report expected February 2019. The Governor-General, Sir Peter Cosgrove, appointed the Commissioner, the Honourable Kenneth Hayne (a former justice of the High Court of Australia) to conduct the enquiry. The Royal commission has been tasked with investigating whether or not Australia’s financial services entities have engaged in misconduct, whether or not criminal or other legal proceedings should be pursued - and if it comes to it - who should be charged. As part of the process they will also look at whether there are sufficient processes and procedures in place to protect customers and also compensate victims. What does this mean for you? In short, if you are a customer of any of Australia’s major banks you may have been sold insurances totally inappropriate for you, lent money you can’t repay or have had loved ones pass away with the bank

still charging them fees. Unfortunately, much of this misconduct has been the result of my industry peers charging their clients for the advice, with much of that “advice” consisting of purchasing financial products manufactured by the bank they work for. The focus seemed to be more on selling in-house products than providing clients with a clear and strategic game plan to further them financially. The Royal Commission has been both shocking and disappointing for me. To think that people have been sold things they don’t need (or can’t afford) for the sake of meeting targets is clearly a culture that needs a light shone on it and some pretty decent systematic change. Whilst there are clearly more than just a few bad apples here it’s also worth considering that there are many financial services professionals who get up each and every day with the purpose of helping and serving their clients best interest. Personally, knowing I wanted to deliver highquality, unbiased, strategic advice that helps clients achieve their financial goals I launched Fox & Hare Financial Advice with my business partner Jessica Brady. We chose to be unaligned to

any major financial institution, which enables us to provide advice that is truly in our client’s best interest. As we are both in our early 30s and based in Darlinghurst, we are attracting a younger, more informed and inquisitive demographic, many that have turned their backs on the banks due to the ever-growing number of scandals and conflicts of interest. The Royal Commission has highlighted the importance of doing your research before signing up with an advice firm. Make sure you understand who their licence is ultimately owned by and how that affects their ‘approved product list’ (this is the products they are able to recommend). Make sure they speak your language and answer all the questions you have with clear and simple explanations. My hope is that the current dark cloud over the advice industry doesn’t prevent the younger generation from seeking advice. A good adviser can be worth their weight in gold, however, nobody should ever just follow advice blindly. Always ask for the ‘why’ behind any recommendation, in the end it’s your money, your wellbeing and your future!

Urban Village | 49

Photo: Ann-Marie Calilhanna.

SYDNEY PRIDE FESTIVAL 2018

By Tess Scholfield-Peters

The Sydney Pride Festival 2018 will launch at Stonewall Hotel on Friday 8th June and run until the 30th June. This year’s Pride theme is “True Colours!”

The riots were a series of violent demonstrations by members of the LGBTQI community against a police raid, an event widely considered as the catalyst for the gay liberation movement in the United States.

“The Pioneers have lead the way and fought for our rights and it is time for all of us to come together to move forward and create the future,” says festival organiser Glenn.

More than 500 people moved down Oxford Street, calling for an end to discrimination against homosexuals in employment and housing, an end to police harassment and the repeal of all anti-homosexual laws. Although permission for the march was granted by organizers, this was revoked and the march was shut down by police.

he Sydney Pride Festival 2018 will launch at Stonewall Hotel on Friday 8th June and run until the 30th June. This year’s Pride theme is “True Colours!”

The first Sydney Mardi Gras was held on June 24, 1978 as a celebration following a morning protest march and commemoration of the Stonewall Riots of 1969 at the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich Village area of New York City.

50 | Urban Village

Twenty years on and our society has progressed significantly, but there is still a long way to go.

The Pioneers have lead the way and fought for our rights and it is time for all of us to come together to move forward and create the future. “The Sydney Pride festival is dedicated to those that lead the way back in 1969 who fought for equality and human rights and the incredible strength of our friends who marched in the first Sydney Mardi Gras in 1978.” “Homosexuality is still illegal in many countries and the right to love and the choice to marry our partners in Australia still evades us,” says Glenn. This Sydney Pride festival will include events throughout Sydney that are fun and affordable for everyone. The events will raise much-needed funds for Charity and showcase our community and achievements.

Photo: Ann-Marie Calilhanna.

“The Sydney Pride festival is a time for us to stand strong with our community, family and friends. The festival will feature Art, Cinema, Trivia, Debates, Sports, Fundraising activities and Club events across Sydney.”

Head to www.sydneypride.com for more information about the history and significance of the festival, and for all events, parties and exhibitions held throughout June.

Urban Village | 51

Photo: Luca Ward

A Night of Networking Surry Hills businesses and locals gathered in the Upstairs Lounge Bar of the Dove and Olive for the May 2018 Creative Precinct Networking Event.

T events to encourage informal networking

he Surry Hills Creative Precinct holds the salon

and conversation between local businesses and neighbourhood bodies, as well as invite spokespeople from Transport for NSW and City of Sydney to take part in the conversation and share information and updates.

On May 21 The Dove and Olive opened its upstairs saloon to the Precinct. The special guest of the evening was City of Sydney representative and City Business Manager Lara Wolski, who delivered the presentation: “365 Days of Local Economy: Driving Awareness of the City’s Local Villages Year-Round.” Local businesses are encouraged to get involved in this initiative, by using the hashtag #SydneyLocal for a chance to be featured on City of Sydney’s social media accounts. We also received exciting updates from the Neighbourhood Centre about the Surry Hills Festival, to be held on Saturday September 22. The City of Sydney has also launched a new Digital 101 Series, bringing tech-savvy experts to help city businesses promote themselves online through 52 | Urban Village

social channels. The seminar series is specifically designed to up skill small business owners in digital and social media, and to build their knowledge of the key platforms that will help them thrive online. THE NEXT SESSIONS 25 July Create a thriving online community and generate sales using Instagram. 26 September Learn to use digital channels to promote and sell to Chinese consumers. The next Networking Event will be held on Tuesday June 19 at 5:30pm at Acme Framing. For more information about the Networking Events, head to: www.shcp.org.au For more information on the City of Sydney initiatives, head to: www.whatson.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/ sydneylocal

H A R PO O N H A R RY 40-44 Wentworth Surry Hills

Ave,

HARPOON HARRY X VIVID SYDNEY 2018 June 7 Thursday Nite Live. Curated by Network Connection Records, Fabrics (live), Thomas Gray (live), Nat James, Natalia. June 8 Midnight Swim. Frank Booker (NZ), Tom Studdy, Side Hustle, Mick Cantaloop. June 9 DJ JNETT (Melb) All night long.

Harry’s newly appointed music curator Kali has put together a series of parties and events over the Vivid program from local circuit favourites to international names, accompanied by lights and projections.

June 10 Epic Long Weekend Double Header. Level One: Picnic Presents, Level Two: The Dip Pop-Up. June 14 Thursday Nite Live. Curated by Setwun. Mango (live), Mohi (live), Preacha b2b Ritual, Hugh B, Setwun. June 15 Sydney Pony Club. Taridas, Maximus Nice Guy, The Street. June 16 Simon Caldwell b2b Kali. All Night Long.

Urban Village | 53

Photo: Supplied.

Belvoir Street Happenings

Photo: Supplied.

By Tess Scholfield-Peters

xciting new artists and internationally revered talent come together on the Belvoir stage. From Alana Valentine’s world premiere show, to the stage adaptation of an iconic Australian novel to innovative low cost theatre, the Belvoir is Sydney’s most dynamic theatre.

Valentine recalled the monumental event in 1992 when, as a response to the closure of heavy industries and the rise of up-market apartments, local volunteers issued Pyrmont Republic passports to passers-by, a good-humoured symbol of the displacement many residents faced.

Acclaimed playwright, award-winning author and radio play writer Alana Valentine is one of Australia’s true creative gems. Urban Village spoke to her about her latest play, The Sugar House, which she brought to the Belvoir stage last month (closing night is June 3).

“Yes a city is bricks and mortar, but it is also people. If we start to discard the connections and the memories that make this place exciting, we just end up with soulless shopping malls.”

The play starred Kris McQuade alongside Sheridan Harbridge, Sascha Horler, Lex Marinos, Josh McConville and Nikki Shiels, and was directed by Sarah Goodes. The Sugar House, set in the backstreets of Pyrmont, is a story of work, family, corruption and brutal social change. “Alana Valentine has written a gift to Sydney,” said Eamon Flack, Belvoir’s artistic director. Valentine grew up in Redfern and her grandfather worked at the old CSR sugar refinery in Pyrmont. “A lot of work I’ve done has been valorising other communities, but with the Sugar House it was much more self-consciously my story,” she explained.

54 | Urban Village

Surry Hills was once at the centre of Sydney’s underbelly of crime, and the Belvoir itself was once a tomato sauce factory, eventually reclaimed as a theatre space. “I really love the shock of recognition, of realising that these stories you hear about the past aren’t fairy tales. People lived, breathed and worked on the street with the same hopes that we have. I think people want to make that connection with their own geographic space.” While The Sugar House closes on June 3, opening on June 9 is Tom Wright’s stage adaptation of Peter Carey’s iconic novel, Bliss. This hallucinatory ride from suburbia to the rainforest and beyond stars Toby Truslove as Harry alongside Marco Chiappi, Will McDonald, Amber McMahon, Charlotte Nicdao, Susan Prior, Anna Samson and Mark Coles Smith.

“This is a story about Harry Joy. He is awakening to the Hell he has been complicit in creating and he is only just starting to realise its vastness. He is desperate to change and he is searching for ways to survive,” says director Matthew Lutton. Writer and artistic associate for Belvoir Tom Wright says, “Carey wryly portrays an Aussie masculine yarn-spinning tradition that wakes up and realises somewhere along the way it became sloganeering for economic nationalism.” Acoproduction of Malthouse Theatre, the play will run on the Belvoir stage until July 15. The Downstairs stage has been reopened in 2018 after seven years. 25A is a bold new initiative from Belvoir that supports emerging artists and low cost theatre. The aim is to nurture new creative talent and encourage artists to create without excessive cost.

“This is a new ‘flat-pack’ model of making independent theatre. We’ve set up a situation where the costs to artists are close to zero,” says artistic director Eamon Flack. “But it’s something of a challenge too, because you’ve got to make your show for less that $1500 – that’s the rule. The focus is on the work and the work alone.” The season runs from April to December, with seven shows put on throughout the year. Next up from the series is The Divided The Sky, an adaptation of Christa Wolf’s novel, by Daniel Schlusser, running from June 13 to 30.

For more information and tickets, head to www.belvoir.com.au.

EAT. DRINK. STAY Madison Hotel • Gt’s Hotel Royal Exhibition Hotel madisonhotel.com.au • royalexhibition.com.au • gtshotel.com.au Urban Village | 55

Photo: Supplied.

History and Heritage George Cassar’s new book tells the story of growing up in the 1950s and 60s and some of the suburb’s more colourful characters. By Lachlan Colquhoun

very time he comes back to Sydney, George Cassar goes to Clisdell Street Surry Hills and stands outside what was his family’s home.

“I just stand outside and look at the house and I can still hear us kids,” he says. “I can hear us playing in the street, I hear still hear my parents. I come back aroud three or four times a year and that is the first place I go. “The saddest day of my life was when we packed up and my Mum moved out in 1992.” Cassar is unapologetically nostalgic for Surry Hills and has poured it all into his book, ‘Our Surry Hills Our Home,’ which is set for release in June. He says its not his story so much but that of his neighbours and all the colourful people he met growing up in Surry Hills. There was rock star and actor the late Jon English, who used to live in Riley Street. Another figure from 60s and 70s rock, Jeff St John, was a schoolmate at Cleveland Street Boys High School, while he also knew – in her old age - the notorious underworld figure Kate Leigh, who was depicted in the Underbelly TV series. 56 | Urban Village

Leigh ran a sly grog shop and allegedly sold cocaine from her home in Devonshire Street, for where she also conducted her gangland war with infamous rival Tilly Devine. “I’d stop and talk to this old lady Kate Leigh and she’d give me a lolly,” says Cassar. “And she always said to me ‘George don’t take any crap or bullshit from anybody.’ “I had no idea how tough she had been and what a legend she was.” Most photographs of Kate Leigh are police mugshots, but Cassar came to know her great granddaughter who later gave him some rare family photographs. Although Cassar is self effacing about his own story, it epitomises the lives of European migrants to Australia in the 1950s. Born in Malta in 1950, he emigrated to Australia in 1952 with his family, which quickly grew to comprise nine children. “We were all living in a three bedroom terrace in Surry Hills,” says Cassar.

“There were five boys in one room, so we were two to a bunk.” The early death of Cassar’s father meant he left school at 14 to find a job and make a contribution to the family finances. “It was very difficult to keep surviving back then, and to be honest everyone back then considered Surry Hills to be a slum,” he says.

“People always ask me ‘what’s so good about Surry Hills.’ “Well I say you are ten minutes walk from the CBD, and then you have places like Bondi, Clovelly and Coogee right at your front door, but as far as I’m concerned its better than all those places.”

“There was no phone, and we were the last family I knew to get a TV, and that was in 1969 more than a decade after television started.” Despite the tough upbringing, Cassar says he still passionate about Surry Hills and it was this passion which inspired him to write the book. Although he now lives in Queensland and has lived away from Surry Hills for more than three decades, he says “it’s the only place I’ll ever call home.” “Everyone sees the history in black and white, but Surry Hills will always be in colour for me,” he says.

‘Our Surry Hills Our Home’ by George Cassar is published by Austin Macauley publishers. It is also available on Kindle.

Book a 2 hr session at your convenience in our eco friendly space

The Pottery Shed hald page ad

Open 7 days a week!

For beginner packages, casual and group classes, visit us online

W W W.T H E P OT T E R Y S H E D . C O M . A U 7 Nickson Street, Surry Hills

Urban Village | 57

58 | Urban Village

FLINDERS STREET GALLERY By Fiona McIntosh 61 Flinders St Surry Hills www.flindersstreetgallery.com 02 9380 5663 info@flindersstreetgallery.com

ason Martin Director of Flinders Street Gallery has been in the ‘hood for his entire career. He started out in the art world studying painting at the National Art School (NAS), but it was as gallery assistant to the late great Ray Hughes in Devonshire Street, that Martin found his path. He opened his own gallery in 2007, up the road on Flinders Street, Surry Hills on the cusp of Darlinghurst and Paddington and, conveniently, within walking distance to two major art schools - his alma mater and UNSW Art & Design (previously College of Fine Arts). The graduate shows over the years at the nearby art schools, and those of Sydney College of the Arts, have introduced Martin to the work of many of the artists he now represents. Artists straight out of art school are raw and inexperienced. Their initial relationships with galleries often are crucial to the direction their careers take. Ray Hughes was a great advocate of emerging artists and launched the careers of many of Australia’s now leading contemporary artists. Martin too sees his role as a providing an opportunity for emerging artists to hone their aesthetic and fine-tune their techniques, towards an evolving, confident and individual style. Martin’s interest is mostly in paintings - ones that are well constructed, with an aesthetic that is consistently

reduced to its absolute essentials, be it composition, colour and/ or concept. This is reflected in the artists he chooses to work with. Langlands’ work was introduced to Martin at Ray Hughes’ Gallery. His is a hard-edged abstraction, softened by a nostalgic feel. He takes the retro graphics of objects around him, like those of vinyl record covers, flags and heraldry, even clothing, and reduces them to their basic abstracted elements of colour and line. The artworks are bold statements of an elegant and poetic simplicity. Langlands stylistically channels the early works of his heroes - Australian art luminaries Michael Johnson, Sydney Ball, Tony McGillick and Ron Robertson-Swann, whose works from their avantgarde youth are being revisited in the re-run of The Field 1968 currently on at the NGV Melbourne. Halinka Orszulok has shown with Flinders Street Gallery since 2009. She has not wavered in her approach to her painting. She chooses suburban and outer urban environments to photograph at night, which she then paints in a photo-realist tradition. Her interest is not in recreating the scene, but to evoke the hidden layers and meanings lurking beneath it: at night, in the darkness, home is not always a sanctuary. For her, the suburban playground may not suggest a place

Urban Village | 59

of fun. She paints a scenario which is psychologically at odds with the familiar scene. Devoid of people and a physical atmosphere, and characterised by artificial lighting and darkened recesses, her work has an uncomfortable disquiet about it. It is rich and deep. This year her painting Ponies won her the prestigious Tasmanian-based John Glover Prize for Australian landscape painting – and a handsome cheque for $50,000. The Estate of Adam Cullen, the artist maverick who died tragically in 2012, is managed by Martin. Martin and Cullen were life-long friends and, as Executor of Cullen’s Estate, Martin has the responsibility of ensuring his ongoing reputation and legacy are upheld. Cullen’s importance in Australian art history is assured, particularly given his work was well critique and widely collected by public institutions and private collectors during his lifetime. For Martin, it is ensuring that Cullen’s legacy remains his body of work – his biting, expressive, at times crude and aggressive commentaries on social engagement – rather than the many myths surrounding him or the circumstances of his demise. If you were wandering past recently and noticed Flinders Street Gallery was closed, it was only temporarily. Newly refreshed, it re-opens with works from the Cullen Estate in late May. (first page) Adam Cullen Autoportrait 2004 watercolour and biro on paper 10x15cm 72 x 51 cm (sheet) Image courtesy the Estate of the artist and Flinders Street Gallery (top left) Adam Cullen Ned 2012 acrylic on canvas Image courtesy the Estate of the artist and Flinders Street Gallery (bottom left) Adam Cullen School 2004, from his diaries Watercolour and biro on paper 10 x 15cm Image courtesy the Estate of the artist and Flinders Street Gallery (opposite page) Tom Langlands Synthwave 15 2016 Collage behind glass 42 x 53cm Image courtesy the artist and Flinders Street Gallery 60 | Urban Village

Urban Village | 61

Expert Advice Locally Privacy Laws – compliant? Who? Me?

o you collect or process “personal information”? If you operate a business that collects “any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person”, then you are required to comply with privacy laws. In Australia, that means the Privacy Act (1988) (Cth) and the 13 National Privacy Principles, mandated by the Privacy Act.

If you sell or promote your products and services in the EU and you “control” or “process” “any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person” then, from 25 May 2018, you are required to comply with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). Social Media It’s hard to have missed the recent scandal surrounding Facebook and Cambridge Analytica in relation to their respective roles in mining, processing and selling the data of over 87 million Facebook users, to Donald Trump’s Republican pollsters. None of the Facebook users knew that their data was being sold to the third parties who profiled them, to push content to them that was intended to assist the Trump election cause. Many would say it was extremely effective. Was it illegal? Not if the data was rendered into a format where the owner of the data obtained could not be identified. But when you have a unique Facebook profile and that is sold to an advertiser, to sell you a “customised” product or service that matches your browsing history, your likes 62 | Urban Village

and shares, how could it not? International regulators are looking closely at this. Even our Australian Privacy Commissioner is investigating. Class action anyone? What’s with the GDPR? The GDPR has a lot in common with Australian privacy law. The scope of “personal data” covered by the GDPR is similar to “personal information” under our Privacy Act and applies to any business offering goods or services to, or monitoring the behavior of, individuals living in the UK. Individuals have various rights to access, rectification and deletion similar to here. But there are some marked differences under the GDPR: 1. There is a right that individuals have to object to their data being processed for research or statistical purposes (Article 21). However, if the data is de-personalised and de-identified, it ceases to be “personal data”. 2. To obtain consent to use personal data requires a serious “opt-in” action. It cannot be buried as a condition of obtaining a service or be bundled with standard terms and conditions. 3. There are comprehensive obligations relating to privacy risk management and compliance, which require documentation and training around these obligations.

4. There are strict data breach reporting obligations. 5. There is an obligation to appoint a “Data Privacy Officer” - a person who understands the compliance obligations of the business and whose role should be “independent” within the organization. There should be a “Data Breach Response Plan”. 6. There are also significant penalties for breaches, including administrative penalties of up to €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover. How does this effect your business? If you have a business and you collect personal information, subject to certain exceptions, you must have a compliant Privacy Policy which informs the parties, whose personal information you collect, the basis upon which it is collected and may be used. If you collect that information via the use of apps and websites, you will need

to give some serious thought to whether you currently comply and/or will comply and what are the risks if you don’t. From 25 May 2018, if you do business in the EU, this will include compliance with the GDPR. If you think you don’t need to worry because you’re not a bank, or an insurance company or a hospital – think again. If you rely on third parties to support your business, have you thought about your contracts with web servers and IT service providers? Do they contain indemnities for your benefit, for data breaches caused by their failures? Having detailed information from them about the security of their systems will also be required. You can read more about Australian privacy laws at www.oaic.gov.au or contact us.

Peter English is the director and founding partner of Surry Partners Lawyers www.surrypartners.com.au

We’ve gone

Digital

Urban Village Quarterly, for those who live, love, work, visit & play in Surry Hills & Redfern

Go to urbanvillage.com.au Urban Village | 63

finding yourself at home... natural fibres, handcrafting and sustainability. with pieces from australian and international makers. a core collection of planetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own designs in solid australian hardwood, handwoven carpets and soft furnishings made with textiles from around the world, as well as ceramics and daily essentials. 114 commonwealth street, surry hills 02 9211 5959 planetfurniture.com.au monday - friday 10:00 to 5:30 saturday 10:00 to 5:00 sunday 11:00 to 4:00 64 | Urban Village