Would you like to stencil?

On this very warm saturday morning, I headed out on a mission with my brand spanking new canon 450d - to take some great photos. I didn't know what I would find but I had a really good feeling.

I left my house, turned the corner from Moorgate St into Grafton St and felt myself become overcome with excitement. At the new stencil wall I spied Chris, a stencil artist and teacher at the Pine Street Creative Arts Centre making some additions to my favourite piece of sydney street art.

With my very enthusiastic high-pitched voice I asked Chris (a stranger to me at this point mind you) if I could take photos of him whilst he was stenciling. He smiled back at me and said "please, be my guest!"

I probably stood there for about 15-20 minutes with Chris as he worked. He explained to me about the courses that they do at Pine St Creative Arts Centre (the latest stenciling class only started last week and is still taking people if anyone is interested - this is your link), his history in street art in Australia over the last 20+ years and his connection to Chippendale.

Whilst standing with Chris I was shocked to see how many people would stop and ask him about the artwork. The main questions were "Is what you're doing legal?" "do you know the owner?". Chris does know the owner and encouraged the passers by to contribute. He also gushed about how, although this wall was not his idea (it was the idea of a past student of his who owns the wall) everytime he passes it he sees hoards of people taking photos of the wall and with the wall.

I was very happy to have met him and am seriously considering taking a class sometime soon!

Abercrombie Hotel to close for now

The SMH has an article about the Abercrombie Hotel closing while Frasers redevelops the CUB site.

Dear Frasers: if you're studying community opinion while deciding what to do with the Abercrombie Hotel when you reopen it, here's one local vote for live music.

Abercrombie Hotel | Carlton United Brewery | Frasers Property Group | City of Sydney | Chippendale via kwout

Subscribe via email

I used to offer an email version of Life In Chippendale, but I was burnt when the service I was using closed, taking all subscriber details with it.

A year or so down the track, I've decided to start offering an email version again. If you want to receive it, follow this link.

Note: if you were an email subscriber way back then, you'll have to subscribe again to receive Life In Chippendale via email. Sorry about that.

The article re. protests has arrived

"Jeering crowd blocks meeting of extreme right"

Espaliered fruit trees in Peace Park, Oct 09

Great News

The four espaliered fruit trees were planted 28 October 09 on the southern boundary of Peace Park.

They are B E A Utiful.

The photo shows the espalier frame and a lemonade, orange, mandarin and a lime tree.

Imagine folks picking those next year.

This is a great example of what happens when we residents and businesses work in partnership with council; we all achieve more. Well done the council parks folk - you're terrific,

Michael

Mind the red tape

Ok, so I wanted to start my posts being a little bit more dignified than "I have to get this off my chest", but I cannot help it this time.

As you may be aware friends of mine are attempting to hold a street party in Moorgate Lane on the 21st of November. It's intended to be a saturday arvo-early evening bbq in Moorgate Lane where neighbours in Moorgate and Shepherd St invite friends and family over to chill and chat in the street which backs on to many of the houses of the organisers.

Sounds ok right?!

Wrong!

After doing a polite notice drop this week (well before the proposed date) to some of the neighbours in and around the lane someone complained to Council and Council sent around a representative who preached endlessly about public liability and all the things that could go wrong.

So in response to this, I called the Council this morning to have a bit of a chat and found the discussion very disappointing.

According to my new friend at the Council, if you want to have anything done in a street (even a street that is only used once or twice a week by the garbage collection vehicle) you're looking at $2000 administrative fees ($1300 to have your application considered and $700 to "shutdown" the largely inoperative street) and whatever it costs to get at least $10 million worth of public liability insurance.

When discussing this with a colleague today, she seemed unfaised. "Yeah....that's why all the community festivals have lots of corporate sponsorship" she said calmly "they couldn't afford to do it any other way".

I don't know about you but this really annoys me. The idea that a community event (unless it is contained to "a park in the day time" - the suggested alternative from the bureaucrat) requires so much red tape and fear management. I mean really, are we as litigous as the States so as to require $10 million dollars of public liability insurance for a street-based bbq that may attract 50 odd people?

I would love to see this small initiative evolve over the years to an event where we could showcase all the brilliant things our suburb has to offer, however, the event may not even get an opportunity to occur this year. I just feel that this is another situation where the law is largely out of sync with society.

If you have any suggestions of what should be done in this situation, please leave them in the comment box.

Native stingless bees in Chippo

Folks,

It's not the hummm in your ears that you think it is; it's those natives stingless bees which have returned to Chippo - last seen around 1820.

The hive is about as big as a couple of stacked shoeboxes.

They fly up to a kilometre but are very opportunistic and will take what comes first. They live for two weeks or so, and about 200 to 300 are born each day. But childcare costs are low as it all happens inside the box.

They cost nothing, feed themselves, are 'holiday' proof, and increase the flowers and productivity of our vegies. We can be lucky; we just have to choose that option.

Here you see the hive on the chookhouse.

May the bees be with you,

Michael

New community gardens policy on comment for two months

Folks,

On Monday 16 November next week a draft 16 page policy for community gardens will be discussed at Sydney City Council's Environment Committee; to read the PDF visit the Council's web page.

There's two months for you to read, discuss and work out any improvements you'd like the council officers and councillors to make to the draft policy.

Oh; and it mentions Chippo's road gardens and a range of other gardens across the city, so check it out.

May the mulch be with you, Michael

Zoom, goes the turtle

I stumble on photos of local graffiti and stencils all the time, but this one was cute enough to be worth sharing. Enjoy.

zoom, goes the turtle  Originally uploaded by deepwarren

Discussions with police and media

Quick update: I've discussed the recent "neo-Nazi" controversies with Redfern police and the Sun-Herald.

The police advised me there hasn't been an increase in local violence, which is good to know. However, they're interested in knowing as much as possible about anything that occurs so they can provide whatever assistance might be appropriate. If anyone sees anything or knows anything, please contact Redfern Local Area Command. Even a short incident report could turn out to be useful later.

Meanwhile, I've also responded to an inquiry from the Sun-Herald. One of their questions was whether Chippendale residents attended the protest. I said that while I wasn't personally acquainted with any local residents who attended, I'm sure that some would have. If you're a local resident and attended and want to speak with the Sun-Herald, email me and I'll forward your details.

She also asked me how I felt about the far-right groups meeting in our area. I said that such groups concern me wherever they might meet, but obviously they're front of mind when they meet just around the corner. She asked me whether the protests were a form of censorship. I said that as long as protesters didn't attempt to use force to shut down the meeting, they weren't acting as censors — in fact, they were showing the value of free speech by openly expressing their own point of view. She asked whether I'd consider attending a protest against these meetings in the future. I said I wouldn't, because I doubt they will have the desired effect and I wouldn't want to expose myself to potential conflict.

Community forum next Tuesday

Frasers and cycling routes are on the agenda.

New gallery on Blackfriars

Viscopy, the copyright protection agency on Blackfriars St, has opened a new gallery.

More witch hunting for cyclists

Sorry to those who are bored of hearing me badger on about cycling and Sydneys current cycling debate but an editorial by Carl Scully, our former NSW roads minister, has me in a fervour this evening. I am outraged not just that Carl shares Miranda Devine's previously espoused diatribe that roads are built for cars and that bikes make them dangerous, but I am annoyed mostly that carl, having access to all the analysis provided in his former post, choses to continue the misconception that because cyclists dont pay registration fees they cost the state and therefore the taxpayer more than motorvehicles. I am hoping Carl is just too stupid to understand the onflowing costs of externalities, primarily in the roads portfolio the healthcare externalities. I challenge Carl to prove that revenue from registrations in nsw covers the cost of treating critically injured motorvehicle accident victims in addition to the cost of maintaining road surfaces and other road safety costs. This of course is not even to mention the less quantifiable externalities such as noise and air pollution and its effect on quality of life. Carls assessment is at best far too rudamentary for someone of his previous appointment, and at worst a genuine attempt to mislead the people of NSW. Im beginning to think that cyclists are to roads policy in NSW, what boat people are to immigration policy, a convenient and politically popular target to distract from, and defer systematic review or reform.

Xenophobic Letter Drop

I came home tonight to find a tiny slip of paper in our letterbox. It read: "Every time Australia has an election, there are 500,000 new immigrants. Half a million. Every four years. How many elections will you wait, before you do something about it?"

To the jerk who left this anonymous bit of xenophobia: I am an immigrant. I'm an Australian-American, and you can bet your ass I vote. Suck on that.

You know, I was prepared to give the group at Humanist House the benefit of the doubt. Like I said, I believe in free speech. But this kind of anonymous, cowardly, insidious propaganda really makes me hesitate. And let's be honest, this wasn't aimed at white Westerners like me. It's racism veiled in nationalism. We do not need this kind of attitude in our neighbourhood.

An Introduction

Hey neighbours and lovers of our great suburb,

Thought i'd start my first blog with a bit of an introduction and preview of the things I want to profile in my posts.

Firstly, my name is Ebony (Ebs) and I have lived in the Chip for about 6 years. I have lived in 2 different locations (one street away from each other - moved house largely with shopping trolleys) and absolutely love our little community.

There's a lot to love about Chippendale - the cafes, the culture, the people, the events (yes, even the recent neo nazi protest which I watched with a neighbour from Broadway cafe over a bevvie), the recent emergence of street art, the quality of our streets once the road (de)construction is completed...

I hope to bring all these things and more to the life in Chippendale blogosphere in the coming months

There's more to this neo-Nazi story

First, the good news: according to this account, the neo-Nazis stayed away from Chippendale last Friday, so the protesters staged a party instead of a riot. Phew.

Now, the bad news: I'm seeing a bit of pattern here — neo-Nazis seem to be taking a shine to our area. Of course there are the Klub Naziya meetings that we've been discussing. But this year we have also seen racist leaflet drops in Myrtle Street by Nationalist Alternative, and skinhead gigs at the Lansdowne Hotel. That's an awful lot of activity considering this is a small suburb and they are a small minority of all Sydneysiders.

When I saw a car full of skinheads unload in our street the other day, I must say I was nervous — and I'm from the ethnic group they apparently like. Four men, dressed identically, walking like they owned the footpath, carrying open bottles of beer. If I had been from one of their target groups, I'm sure I would have been petrified.

But this is not about our fear of men in packs who, I guess, might have been keeping to themselves. No, this is about the very real violence promulgated by some members of far-right groups, and the role that far-right gatherings play in promoting that violence.

I'm glad the protesters are concerned enough to turn up, but in the end twirling firesticks does nothing, while starting a riot is counterproductive — and just plain wrong. So what to do? My money is on forming good relationships with local police and recording everything we see. We should also write polite, firm, public letters to the management of the Humanist Society and the Lansdowne Hotel asking them to stop supporting these gatherings. It's time to test whether our government and local businesses will protect our community.

UPDATE: removed link to video of skinhead gig following comment below.

Cockatoos in Chippendale

I took this photos from our bedroom window earlier this week, when a small flock of sulfur-crested cockatoos descended on Rose Street. It made a very nice change from the usual marauding ibises.

An alternative view on parking

Naturally, I considered the proposed changes to parking in East Chippendale from a resident's point of view. It seems that businesses in that area view the proposals differently, which makes sense. They've got a point. I'm not sure how to resolve the situation.

Protest this Friday

Like Kris, I hope this doesn't get ugly.

Remember: your fellow protesters are not your audience. The neo-Nazis you're protesting against are not your audience. The police are not your audience. Your audience is the uninvolved bystanders and media consumers who see how you act and what you say. Conduct yourself with dignity, and they might think you're right — a win for all of us who want an end to neo-Nazi activity in the area. Start acting like idiots, and your message will fall on deaf ears.

Peace Park vegie stand dispute

Apparently, council rangers shut down the vegie stand in the Peace Park last weekend. What a shame.

I understand the need for rules of course, but it would be nice if we could come up with a simple set of rules that allowed for nice innovations like this one without affecting other park users.

The concreted space at the east end of the park had no other practical uses as far as I could see. Why not set it aside for stall holders?

Four easy ways to wreck your terrace

If, like us, your are renovating an old house in the area, then I'm sure you'll fine these tips from the South Sydney Herald handy.

Good Neighbour BBQ

There will be a public BBQ in the Peace Park on November 8.

City of Sydney : What's On - Event Details via kwout

LiC's fifth anniversary

January 28, 2010 will be the fifth anniversary of Life In Chippendale, launched with a review of Newtown's Peasants Feast restaurant.

Over the last five years, we've published hundreds of posts from a growing pool of contributors. It's fair to say that we've become part of the Chippendale community.

So, it's time to celebrate. Luckily we've got a few months' notice, so hopefully everyone can clear the diary for Thursday 28 January, 2010.

Should we meet in the beer garden at the Duck & Swan? It's handy because it works in good weather or poor, and for both adults and children. Any other ideas?

It will be nice for all contributors, readers and friends of Life In Chippendale to finally meet.

ABC covers our gardens

This report is from ABC Online.

Community sows seeds of open gardens - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) via kwout