What’s going down on the Block?
By Liz Cush
Yvonne Richards describes living on the Block as a “Spiritual bootcamp.” Life in the Aboriginal heartland of Redfern hasn’t always been an easy ride for Yvonne, her husband Richard and the children they brought up there, but it’s home, and they sure don’t want to live anywhere else. Richard was involved in the movement in the 70s to win a secure place for Aboriginal people in the city.
“I’ve never seen anything so exciting as the day we moved in,” Yvonne said, one of the original residents of the Block in the 70s. Faced with racism from landlords and real estate agents, Aboriginal people won a fight for permanent housing and were given a boost when the Whitlam government bought and handed over six houses on Eveleigh Street.
“It started as a vision, as a dream,” Yvonne said, “for us to get a place in Redfern, after being thrown out to La Perouse and then moved again. After all we went through, we can see it happening again.”
“We knew they were going to do something about the place, but the eviction notice came as a shock. ”
Two weeks ago Block residents were given 60 day eviction notices from the Aboriginal Housing Company. The Aboriginal Housing Company has stated it will help evicted residents find alternative housing, but there is a lot of uncertainty about who will be allowed back when the new Pemulwuy Project – a 62 home development – opens in 2013, and who will be able to afford it when the housing is privatised. Yvonne thinks the design plans are positive, but was unimpressed with the way eviction notices were delivered, and worried about an uncertain future.
“It’s beautiful by the look of it; if it comes to pass it will be good,” she said. “They were going to give us a house to live on Lewis St when it reopens. If we get a promise written down that we can get a house back, we’ll be ok.”
Not so for other long-term residents. Aboriginal Housing Company CEO Mick Mundine has been widely quoted saying he will get rid of anyone involved in drugs and crime. The AHC is now being represent by an Aboriginal PR company and refused an interview this week.
Yvonne agrees that the place needs to be “cleaned up”, but thinks there are better ways to go about it. “If they are going to out people off for doing things they are going to have to start with Kings Cross and Chinatown. Why take an oppressed nation and do the same thing over to them?” she said.
Eighteen year old Robbie Carr has lived all his life on the Block, and shares a house with his nan, pop and younger sister. He’s says he’s sad to be leaving the place and his family doesn’t yet know where they will live when they are evicted.
“It’s a good thing that it’s going to be knocked down, but it should be kept for Aboriginal people,” Robbie said. “It was alright when I was young but now everyone’s just killed the place with drugs.”
One of the many people who come to the Block to hang out with friends and feel safe from police harassment is Bill Bloomfield, who used to lived on Lewis Street as a kid. “It’s a safe haven for us people to come and get together, sit down and spend time with each other, get to talk and see what’s happening in the families and enjoy each other’s time,” Bill said. “I’m a bit worried about it because a lot of people who live here aren’t getting offered rehousing, they are just getting booted out, they don’t know where they are going to be living.”
“Even down here we get harassed by police and asked to get moved on but it’s the only place we’ve got. I can’t see any new developments stopping the people from coming here. People are always going to come here because this is the only place we know in Sydney. It’s the main area that everyone comes to catch up.”
On Tuesday night residents met with lawyers to discuss their legal rights. They are determined not to give up the Block without a fight.
“Everybody works together on the Block and that is the key to the Koori people, working together,” Richard Phillips said.
“I’m angry because they are just tossing us around. AHC didn’t ask the people their opinions and that’s the hard part about it. Instead of treating us like animals they should come and talk to us.”
