The Abbotsford Convent is a rich artistic treasure nestled in suburbia. Spread over 16 acres, it was once identified as the biggest religious institution in the Southern Hemisphere. It now boasts a diverse artistic aura and is a breath of fresh air in the midst of a gentrified pocket of Melbourne.
The Abbotsford Convent is currently undergoing huge renovations to improve its image as a cultural hub. According to the Abbotsford Convent Foundation Business Plan, only 60 per cent of the Convent’s buildings, grounds and gardens are presently usable. In 2015, the Federal Government announced that the Abbotsford Convent Foundation (ACF) would receive a challenge grant of $2.68 million from the National Stronger Regions Fund (NSRF) to renovate the 3600 square metre building and surrounding land, according to the Abbotsford Convent website.
The photos that follow walk you through the Convent’s invaluable artistic community, home to artists, art galleries, educational workshops, markets and much much more.
The Abbotsford Convent houses at least one hundred artists, writers, creatives and wellbeing practitioners. This studio belongs to Asphyxia, an artist and writer who draws and paints exceptional dolls. Many of the artists welcome visitors, so knock on the door and say hello. Photo: Caitlin MatticoliArtist Ralf Kempken has expanded his studio over the past few years as he increases the size of his artwork. Predominantly consisting of children’s faces and landscapes of Melbourne’s CBD, you may have seen his artwork installed around the Yarra. Read this YR article for an in-depth look at Ralf’s work. Photo: Catlin MatticoliRalf is working on his latest three-layered stencil artwork depicting the iconic Collins Street landscape in Melbourne’s CBD. Photo: Caitlin Matticoli.The Australian Government bought the Convent off a developer in the 1990’s. Photo: Caitlin Matticoli.The Contemplative Garden is regularly maintained by gardeners and landscapers. Photo: Caitlin Matticoli.The Abbotsford Convent has a calming aura about it. There are endless hidden spaces to sit alone or in company. Photo: Caitlin Matticoli.The Convent started out as a safe place for nuns and girls in the late 1800’s. Photo: Caitlin Matticoli.There are now hundreds of tenants that occupy the offices, workshops and art spaces on the ground. These rustic legs were made by fibre artist Wendy Golden who has a studio in the convent. Photo: Caitlin Matticoli.At its peak, the Convent housed 1,000 women and children on its fully self-sufficient property and farm land. Photo: Caitlin Matticoli.While walking through the Abbotsford Convent, you will find a few of these money boxes requesting funding. Photo: Caitlin Matticoli.Stone pillars. Photo: Caitlin Matticoli.Every nook is covered in art. This photo was taken in the ladies toilets beside popular pay-as-you-feel restaurant Lentil as Anything. Photo: Caitlin Matticoli.A handful of catering companies are located inside the Abbotsford Convent. One of them set up this fantastic table setting for a wedding held the same afternoon this photo was captured. Photo: Caitlin Matticoli.Art installation found inside the Convent, hanging from an old staircase. Artist unknown. Photo: Caitlin Matticoli.
Brunch has shaped Melbourne’s cultural identity. The terms brunch and Melbourne have become synonymous, ringing bells that conjure picturesque platings that people salivate over on Instagram and Pinterest.
Due to its popularity, the concept is being rapidly reproduced in other parts of the world (check out St Kilda Cafe in Iowa, USA).
Interestingly enough, consumer demands have changed in tandem. People are on the hunt for clean, healthy food that is locally, seasonally and sustainably sourced. They are also on the lookout for a diversity of flavours.
“Breakfast or brunch out didn’t even rate a mention in the first edition of The Age Good Food Guide in 1980. But we’ve made up for lost time. Now, Melbourne-style brunch, with restaurant-level table service and plating, high-quality coffee and sleek architect-designed interior, has become an export commodity,” Roslyn Grundy, co-editor of The Age’s The Good Food Guide 2018, said.
Grundy said, that in late 2015, US Michelin-starred chef Grant Achatz was so impressed by the local brunch scene that he decided to add some elements to his restaurant in the Big Apple, the Aviary.
Moreover, blogger of Never Too Sweet For Me, Daisy Wong said her “family and friends who live overseas always tell me how much they want to come and brunch with me.”
“Melbourne style institutions are opening up in Hong Kong, London and New York,” Wong said.
Darian Szyszka, owner of Reunionand Co stated that his café has a strong commitment to ethical farming and transparency.
“We are proud to support local Victorian suppliers that help deliver their vision of food from farm to your plate,” Darian said.
At Reunion and Co. seasonality is incorporated into meals. On top of this, the Richmond cafe meets the demand for ethically sourced and raised proteins such as eggs and meat. Not surprisingly, its best sellers are the fresh green salads and seasonal vegetables.
Darian’s recipe for success is simple. Obtain fresh, transparent produce that is then properly cooked.
“We do what we do really well. People understand the difference in their palates. They are also political – they like to know where their food comes from,” Darian said.
“Food sourcing and farm to plate scenarios are bound to rise as people become more educated about ethical sourcing and locally produced food. It is really important to support local farmers and not import our supplies from overseas due to cheaper prices,” blogger Daisy Wong said.
Lisa too voices the rise of sustainability in brunch. She has noticed eaters to be “savvy” and applauds the ban of takeaway cups.
Similarly, self-professed food nerd and University of Melbourne PhD student, Sophie Lamond echoes the inclusion of sustainability as a core value. She also has a controversial prediction about the type of protein used.
“On our plates this might look like more protein from insects and more sea vegetables as sudden shocks could mean sharp price rises in grains, fruits, and nuts,” Lamond said.
Nola James, freelance writer and cafe reviewer for The Age’s Good Food charts the rise of other cultural influences.
“Our love affair with Asian-style breakfasts will continue to grow, too, expect more congee, more bonito and more kimchee across the board,” James said.
Similarly, Grundy echoes the popularity of a variety of cultural influences.
“Brunch might be congee, pho or kedgeree as much as hot cakes or french toast,” Grundy said.
Another area that has gained prevalence in the Melbourne brunch scene is the Middle Eastern cuisine. Richmond’s Feast of Merit provides sumac, Turkish delight, tahini, Persian feta and isot chermoula. Similarly, Carlton’s Babajan is influenced by Turkish cuisine. The menu provides a beautiful blend of rose, cardamom, dukkah, sucuk, smic and za’atar.
With a strong focus on sustainability and a mishmash of international flavours, Lisa, Melbourne based blogger of Lisa Eats World, sums it up best: “brunch isn’t just smashed avocado and eggs on toast anymore”.
Melbourne street artist Lushsux is recognised for his large murals on streets, walls and other structures.
He goes without a name to keep anonymous and with a following of 210,000 on Instagram, his work speaks for itself.
Lushsux is considered the first meme artist on social media.
Trending memes are constantly created on social media based on popular events and issues that happen in the media. Lushsux makes a comical meme out of the trends and paints them.
He started painting murals around Melbourne and now travels the world working on murals based on trending events on social media.
He has painted famous A-list celebrities and politicians such as Kim Kardashian, Kanye, Donald Trump, Seinfeld, Kesha, Kin Jong Un, Kanye and Bill Nye.
Early this year a mural of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Donald Trump was painted on the corner of Victoria Street after Schwarzenegger responded to Trumps climate move creating controversy between them. Photo: Zathia BazeerAn uncomfortable encounter between Jerry Seinfeld and singer Kesha during a red carpet interview, where Kesha asked Seinfeld for a hug and he awkwardly denied it, sent social media into a frenzy. Memes of the moment were made in a comical sense on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. Photo: Zathia Bazeer
A mural of the supreme leader of North Korea wearing street clothing was a comical take of Kim Jon Un who is renowned as a serious leader. The work also used the pun of his supreme leader status with him drawn wearing the brand ‘Supreme’. Photo: Zathia Bazeer
Bill Nye was interview by Marco Morano about his controversial views on climate change where he claimed he didn’t believe in free speech. A mural was painted days after the event. Recently the mural has been spray painted with comments criticising the artist Lushsux by calling him Banksy (another street artist). Photo: Zathia Bazeer
A mural of Andrew Bolt appeared after he got attacked on the streets by two men that may be linked to Antifa (a leftist group). “Lefties get a left hook” was added to make the mural comical and focus on the fact that Bolt punched one of the attackers. Photo: Zathia Bazeer.
It’s been four months since 200 residents of Fitzroy’s Atherton Gardens, a housing estate located at 125 Napier Street, were forced to flee their beds in the early hours of March 29 when the sixth floor of the high-rise housing estate was set ablaze.
Now residents are seeking justice for a catastrophe that they say could have been avoided and are seeking legal advice in an attempt to resolve issues with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
Following the fire, the Melbourne Fire Brigade (MFB) released a report damning the Fitzroy Housing Office, citing a lack of duty of care and mentioning several faults. These included a lack of smoke alarms and sprinklers and the build-up of combustible items – like a mattress that started the blaze, that had lain for weeks on the building’s sixth floor, despite residents’ complaints.
The Fitzroy Housing Office has announced they will be accepting all of the MFB’s recommendations, and Minister for Housing, Disability and Ageing Martin Foley has announced the changes will be applied to all 44 public estates across Melbourne.
But according to one resident, the fire is just one in a series of incidents that Minister Foley and the Department of Health and Human Services, of which Fitzroy Housing Office are a branch of, have to answer for.
Ranko Cosic has been a resident of Atherton Gardens since 2001, and is fed up with what he describes as a “pattern of negligence” on the part of the DHHS and the Fitzroy Office of Housing.
He says that in the 16 years he has lived in the building, there have been no fire drills or inspections to ensure all smoke alarms were in working order, but he says this is just the tip of the iceberg.
A terrorist threat, rampant drug use in common areas and instances where the DHHS had taken nine months to address complaints regarding unstable or unsafe tenants are just some of the issues Mr Cosic has brought to the attention of the DHHS and Fitzroy Housing Office. His appeals went as far as the Premier himself, but he says his complaints fell upon deaf ears, and that the neglect goes further than just the Fitzroy Housing Office landing at the doorstep of Minister Foley himself.
“Since his election, the Minister did not come to our estate until the day of the fire,” Mr Cosic says of Minister Foley, who he believes to be uninterested in his position as housing Minister and unwilling to police the performance of his subordinates.
“Everything rots from the top; it starts at the head and transfers through the whole body. I have reported very serious matters to Minister Foley and it all gets ignored,” Mr Cosic says.
Ranko Cosic says the first time Minister Foley visited Atherton’s residents was when they took refuge in the Town Hall following the March 29 fire. Photo: Ranko Cosic
He also recalls personal experiences of harassment and attempted character assassination at the hands of the department, which he feels came about in an attempt to silence his efforts to improve living conditions for himself and fellow residents.
Mr Cosic remains defiant however, declaring he’s “not going to lay down”.
Fed up, Mr Cosic reached out to Yarra City Councillor Stephen Jolly, whom he describes as an ‘integral part’ of the legal battle: “I’m fortunate Steve is there, because who else would fight? I haven’t seen anyone else.”
Like Mr Cosic, Cr Jolly is tired of the pattern of neglect shown by the DHHS and Fitzroy Housing Office, who he says have ignored their residents for years, “and it’s taken a fire and media publicity [and the] threat of legal action for them to do anything”.
While Mr Cosic rallied 30 fellow Atherton residents, Cr Jolly recruited key stakeholders and legal counsel.
He hopes the class action will lead to changes within the department, whose behaviour he labels “dangerously incompetent.”
“It’s outrageous the way the residents are treated … the only time the Department is efficient is when you fail to meet your rent,” he says.
Residents of 125 Napier St are seeking a formal inquest of the fire, along with achieving a successful means of communicating their issues with the Department and working towards having these issues addressed.
Mr Cosic admits his hopes for the outcome of the legal proceedings are “lofty” and go beyond monetary compensation. He says he would like to see the Fitzroy Housing Office “purged”, and Minister Foley, whom he describes as “inept” removed from his position and replaced with “a minister who does care about private housing, who will go to the estate”.
Cr Jolly agrees with Mr Cosic, saying of Minister Foley, “I think he needs to go”.
Mr Cosic says for him, it’s not about the money, but social justice, and with the aid of Cr Jolly, he will continue to fight his cause until he sees justice done.
On first impression, Ash Mclerie resembles your typical Melbournian DJ. Namely, he’s quirky, nonchalant and hip. However, unlike many other DJ’s, his music career kicked off in a religious context: at church, being the child of a pastor; born and raised in a deeply religious family.
He is an energetic character flittering from one place to the other, his curly brown locks bounce up and down around his head each time he moves. He wears a cheeky grin and curls a strand of hair around his finger as he speaks. “What’s the time?” he asks. “Two thirty”, I reply. “Time to see the dentist!” he yells back. Funny? check. Cool? Check. Charismatic? Check check check.
He’s already played at festivals like Strawberry Fields and Rabbits Eat Lettuce, and has appeared at famed Melbourne venues such as Brown Alley, Revolver, Billboard, Tramp Bar and Railway Hotel Brunswick. He is fast making a name for himself as one of Melbourne’s up and coming DJ’s, and his passion for music flourished in an unlikely setting.
Ash discovered his love for music at the tender age of eight years old, mixing music at his local church.
“I was doing sound for the church, I was the guy at the sound desk. That’s when I got into music, but even before that I was fascinated by it. Church helped me to progress to what I do now and I branched off into electronic music.”
“My dad is a multi-instrumentalist, he’s been doing music since we were kids at church,” he says.
But his religion still plays a role in his life and he believes that his talent for music is God given.
“I feel as though God has given me musical talents.”
Ash says that he wants to use his music to help people, and is pursuing DJ’ing as a full-time career.
“My goal with music is to change people’s lives around the world, to make them feel a certain way: happy.”
“Music has opened me up to a lot of opportunities, it’s helped me get through hard times, and it’s shown me my potential and given me purpose. It’s shown me that anything is possible. I want to pass that on to others,” he says.
Ash making music in his studio. Photo: Deniz Karaman.
Ash’s good friend Ilan Riback describes Ash’s relationship with music as “inseparable from his character”.
“Ash lives and breathes music, it’s what we all know him for. Some people are known for their sense of fashion or love for animals, with Ash, it’s always been music.”
“A lot of our friendship is built around and based on music. We bond over music and spend most of our time at gigs, it’s actually a really important aspect of our friendship.”
While Ash currently works as an electrician, he eventually wants music to be his full-time career.
“When I’m at work I’m constantly thinking about music, but I’m never thinking about work when I’m doing music.”
As the conversation draws to a close, it is very evident that Ash has a special relationship with music, more so than enjoying a few tunes after work in order to unwind. For Ash, music is a lifestyle and has been the defining feature of his life.
Whether or not he will produce music for a living in the future, it’s safe to say that Ash will be making some noise around the Melbourne music scene, if only to one day become one of its most loved DJ’s.
Fitzroy local Anthony Wallace’s interest in marriage equality peaked when he sat outraged and perplexed with his partner at Prime Minister Howard’s decision in 2004.
Over nine years later, Mr Wallace is the campaign manager of Equal Love, the Victorian arm of a nationwide campaign to achieve marriage equality in Australia.
“I was walking down Smith Street and saw a poster for a same sex marriage rally. I asked if there was anything I could do to help,” says Mr Wallace.
After attending his first marriage equality rally with a CD player in hand, Mr Wallace saw enormous scope for improvement in the staging of Equal Love’s rallies.
Addressing the crowd with a megaphone was simply not going to cut it.
Although at a busy time in his life, between performing as an actor in stage shows and finding his feet in the bar ownership caper, Mr Wallace took on a more prominent role with Equal Love.
As campaign manager, one of his greatest achievements is the staging of a rally in conjunction with the Sydney based Community Action Against Homophobia.
Anthony Wallace (centre) at a Marriage Equality rally. Photo: Anthony Wallace
“It remains the biggest march for marriage equality in Australian history,” Mr Wallace recalls proudly.
“When I joined the campaign, public support for marriage equality was as low as 23 per cent. We can champion this until we are at 99 per cent, but the government has to act.”
Remaining motivated to campaign for marriage equality is easy and it is people like Peter and Bon who inspire him to do so.
Peter de Waal and Peter (Bon) Bonsall-Boone are two men who have loved each other for over 50 years.
Recently featured in a video on the Equal Love website, they have become well known to Mr Wallace and Equal Love.
Bon recently lost his battle with terminal cancer, with his final wish to be legally married to his partner Peter going unfulfilled.
Mr Wallace recalls the story of Peter and Bon to me, his tone changing from optimistic to outraged.
It is beyond his belief that these two men aren’t married, despite the tenure of their relationship and the love they have for one another.
It is clear in Mr Wallace’s exasperation that Peter and Bon’s story, and many others like it, are what keeps him fighting for marriage equality.
“Until you get what you are entitled to, you keep fighting for it. We won’t give up. I won’t give up. I’ll tire, but new people will come in and join the fight,” he says.
“We know what the word husband or wife means. That is a significant person in someone’s life. Nothing compares to that,” he says.
Mr Wallace angrily describes the marriage equality issue in Australia as “embarrassing” and “shameful”.
“The Liberal Party endorsing Court as their keynote speaker was worse than broadcasters airing her views. It was more endorsement for her,” he says.
Ali Hogg, convenor of the Equal Love campaign describes Mr Wallace’s involvement as “lifesaving.”
“He organises a lot of the sound and stage aspects of our rallies. His background in event management has helped us tremendously with our campaigns,” Ms Hogg says.
His expertise in sound and the stage was cultivated in his teenage years, where he chose to forgo admission to the prestigious Melbourne High School in favour of the performing arts focused Northcote Technical School.
“I did my orientation at Northcote Tech and fell in love,” he says.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Performing Arts from Ballarat University, he worked as an actor in stage shows and created a children’s touring theatre company, Jumpin’ Theatre.
Anthony Wallace, owner of the 86. Photo: Anthony Wallace
“I shook a lot of cocktails in my time, but had very little cabaret bar experience,” he chuckles.
Nearly six years later, the 86 is the holder of a Guinness World Record for the staging of the longest non-stop Drag Queen and King stage show in the world at 36 hours, 36 minutes and 40 seconds.
“88 drag queens performed, with a drag queen on stage the whole time,” he says gleefully.
When Ms Hogg was asked to use three words to describe Mr Wallace she said, “he’s passionate, he’s driven and he’s opinionated.”
Passion, drive and opinion have been the ingredients to Anthony Wallace’s success and long may it continue.
The next Equal Love rally for marriage equality is on the 26th of August at the Victorian State Library, a Mass Illegal Wedding commemorating 13 years since the amended Marriage Act was legalised.
From the moment you meet Judy Ryan her passion for the neighbourhood she fondly refers to as ‘my village’ is impossible to ignore. “I just love this grungy area; I love walking out of my front gate and going ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen today.'”
As it turns out, this love of spontaneity has proved a valuable asset for Judy’s involvement with her neighbourhood and has led her to become one of its most valued members.
The seventh of eight children and hailing from Wangaratta, Judy is driven by a need to feel connected to those around her.
Warm and bubbly, it’s not hard to feel connected to her. “I just love knowing people,” she says with a shrug.
“Having lived in the country, I was very involved in the community … my parents were very involved – we’ve always had a sense of getting your energy from the community.”
So when Judy and her husband John settled in Abbotsford five years ago, the first thing she did was seek out a place for herself in her new neighbourhood.
“One of the things I wanted to do was create community for myself.”
She began by volunteering as a mentor with Yarra Community Friends. Then there was a stint in the Abbotsford Convent’s choir. But Judy’s greatest act of community involvement began last year in July 2016.
It was a typical Melbourne Sunday she says; cool but clear, not a cloud in the sky. Judy was on her way out and in the laneway behind her home, a young man lay overdosed on the concrete.
This has become so common that Judy is often afraid to leave her home – not out of concern for her own safety, but for the wellbeing of those she refers to as her ‘regulars’: the individuals using her laneway as their own injecting facility.
Upon leaving to meet me, she explains, there was someone using her laneway to inject. She has become so involved in the lives of addicts her GP has advised her to be vaccinated against hepatitis.
Judy’s work has brought her into close contact with victims of drug abuse and their families. Photo’s: Judy Ryan
Not one to be passive, Judy reached out to her council and after failing to get results, decided to run herself as a single-issue candidate. She received more than 600 primary votes, putting her on the map and on top of various organisations’ contact lists.
After being inundated with emails from interest groups across the Yarra, she noticed one from Victoria Street Drug Solutions.
Judy picked up the phone and arranged to meet them the next day, and became involved instantly. Her first order of business was to instil her community values into the organisation, which she did by changing the name.
Judy is now secretary of Residents for Victoria Street Drug Solutions (RVSDS) – a community-led initiative campaigning for the introduction of a supervised injecting facility into the community.
After touring Sydney’s Kings Cross injecting facility, Judy decided “I want one of these in my backyard” and began the push along with RVSDS’s other members: “I just felt the residents didn’t have a voice”.
RVSDS has become that voice and Judy is its loudest member. “We often call Judy the Erin Brockovich of North Richmond. She’s really helped bring a spotlight to what is going on here,” says Penny Francis of North Richmond Community Health.
“She is genuine, generous and has true community spirit – around her kitchen table strangers become friends,” says Kylie Troy-West, one of Judy’s fellow RVSDS members. “There’s that sense of dedication to her community and the drive to act in their benefit.”
When our conversation turns to the addicts there’s no bitterness or judgement, only maternal concern, and an empathy coming from personal experience. Having lost two nephews to heroin addiction, Judy is no stranger to the suffering families affected by drug abuse. She believes, if they had had access to a supervised injecting facility they would have been saved.
After our meeting, Judy takes me on a walk around her neighbourhood; we visit local injecting and dealing hotspots. It’s a tour Judy has conducted many times with various politicians and journalists to highlight the need for injecting facilities, “I like people coming out to see for themselves,” she says.
“Education is key,” she tells me, and the streets speak for themselves. Stepping into one commonly frequented car park, we witness someone shooting up. Syringes and cotton swabs litter the ground.
“Imagine overdosing in a place like this,” Judy reflects as we stand in the falling rain, among piles of rubbish and muddy puddles. But she’s optimistic RVSDS’s efforts will end that possibility: “I’m so full of hope,” she tells me.
Judy doesn’t want recognition or credit for her efforts, but her dedication shouldn’t go unrecognised. Since becoming involved Judy has put her life on hold.
She still works three days a week at a school in Brighton, but it’s clear her work with RVSDS is her true passion, and she is determined to see her project through, “mum would say ‘you should never die wondering'”.
It’s clear that though Judy may be keen to return to her everyday life, she has no plans of quietening down until she’s achieved a better environment for all of her village.
Residents of Victoria Street Drug Solutions will hold their inaugural March to Stay Alive on August 27 in anticipation of International Overdose Awareness Day to raise awareness and funds.
To become involved or find out more about RVSDS visit its website or Facebook page.
Anthony James, leader of The Rescope Project, believes, to reduce the surplus of wasted food the community must change its ideals of how produce should look. Fitzroy is set to receive an education on food wastage when The Rescope Project comes to town tomorrow, July 19, to encourage sustainability for a brighter future.
There’s no denying the Yarra community is an eco-friendly bunch, already having done much to combat food waste through council initiatives such as Food Know How.
“We work with residents and households to avoid creating food waste in the first place,” explains Food Know How project manager Matthew Nelson.
Are we being too shallow in our food choices? Photo: Michael Moloserdoff
While community initiatives encouraged by Food Know How such as food swaps and community gardens, along with measures taken by residents within the home have gone a long way to reduce the surplus of wasted food, are our attitudes about how our food should look holding us back from winning the food waste fight for good?
The Rescope Project leader Mr James said: “It’s interesting that we seek that idea of perfection in the first place … we get lost in the details of perfection as opposed to what counts in life; good healthy food from a healthy ecosystem. Whether an apple’s got a little lump on it is by-the-by; in fact it becomes a quality test of the real kind because you’ve got it closer to [its] source.”
Fitzroy is a popular location for dumpster divers Photo: Alice WIlson
Mr James isn’t the only one holding this opinion. Skip-dipping, dumpster diving, whatever you may call it; the growing trend of ‘freegan’ living is becoming a popular choice for those fed up with the amount of food wasted due to the community’s search for picture-perfect fruit and veg.
“A large portion of society has grown up with ridiculous regulations on how our food should look. Banana too straight? Throw it out. Apple has a spot on it? Throw it out.”
Ricardo Potoroo, began dumpster diving after becoming aware of food waste caused by food sellers. He wants more pressure placed on supermarkets to dispose of excess food more responsibly.
“Councils have an ethical duty to put more pressure on supermarkets and wholesalers to donate their excess produce back to the community,” he said.
Fellow ‘diver’ Gabrielle Paz-Liebman agrees. “Councils need to work harder to create some very strong laws around food waste, but not in ways that keep the power within supermarkets.”
While it’s true that supermarkets fuel our high standards, and should be doing more to ensure what is discarded is done so in a more responsible manner, is it down to only them and councils to shoulder the blame?
Anthony James says no: “Local councils are responsible for mediating and encouraging the community to get more informed on these issues… Where does responsibility lie in general? It’s across the board,” he said.
This view is also held by Bree Fomenko of Food Without Borders, an upcoming food rescue program orchestrated by Lentil as Anything, the pay-as-you-feel vegan haunt operating out of several locations across Melbourne, including the Yarra’s own Abbotsford.
“Broadly speaking, food retailers can implement actions to reduce the amount of food wasted. However, responsibility must also be shared by consumers in the choices made when purchasing and disposing of food items.
“As consumers, we’ve become accustomed to aesthetically perfect products and beautifully-designed packaging.
“For example, perfectly smooth, red tomatoes are often favoured over ones with a few blemishes, but the nutritional content and taste-factor may be the same.”
Once up and running, Food Without Borders hopes to work with food retailers to repurpose unwanted food, minimising waste and helping those in need, along with raising awareness of the implications of food waste and encouraging positive actions to reduce waste among the community.
Ventures such as Lentil’s Food Without Borders is a step in the right direction to further reduce waste in the Yarra community, and if locals can lower their standards while shopping, a sustainable future becomes much more obtainable.
The Rescope Project is on at the Bargoonga Nganjin North Fitzroy Library, 182/186 St Georges Rd, Fitzroy North, Wednesday, July 19 from 6pm-7pm.
To register for The Rescope Project’s free event, visit the Yarra City Council’s What’s On for further details.
Consumerism, fast fashion and immigration are issues that are fast becoming household discussions. The ever-increasing conversations surrounding these socio-economic and environmental topics are making them much harder to ignore.
As we all struggle to be better humans, to find a way to make a meaningful difference, one social-enterprise in Fitzroy has already done just that. For almost a decade, The Social Studio has been employing a globalisation of a different kind using an untapped resource many Australian employers are ignoring – individuals of migrant and refugee backgrounds.
In February of 2017 it was reported that the unemployment rate of East African and Middle Eastern immigrants was averaging 33 percent in the first five years of settlement; six times higher than the national average. While, most migrants will cite employment as an integral part of their settlement, they often face hurdles in getting into the Australian workforce.
The Social Studio, situated amongst the cultural crucible of Collingwood’s Smith Street is a not-for-profit social enterprise on a mission. Founded in 2009, what originally began as a provider of design and sewing classes has since evolved into a successful, multi-faceted organisation intent on improving the lives of those most marginalised in our community. According to CEO Eugenia Flynn, the enterprise’s objectives are simple; “We use the vehicle of a fashion and hospitality business including a clothing label, retail shop, digital printing studio, café and a catering business to create meaningful social change”.
Through its fashion label, textile studio, and café, The Social Studio employs young refugees and immigrants, or those hailing from migrant backgrounds, offering employment with a creative twist. Employees are encouraged to express and share their culture, forging links between refugee and migrant groups and the wider community. Clothes sold in the Social Studio’s Smith Street store are produced locally, with sustainable resources to minimise environmental impact. Designs are affordably priced and feature vibrant, bold prints with significant cultural meanings behind each piece. The adjoining café, The Cutting Table, is also staffed by young refugees and migrants and serves a menu featuring a blend of East and West African fare.
The label’s designs feature vibrant prints all produced locally and sustainably. Photo: Alice Wilson
In addition to providing employment opportunities, the Social Studio makes it possible for refugees to get certified within the areas of hospitality and design. “Our purpose is to create meaningful and long-term pathways into employment for young people from a refugee or migrant background, and who may have experienced barriers to accessing education and/or securing employment.” Says Ms Flynn. “We provide TAFE level training, work experience, volunteer opportunities and employment in fashion, manufacturing, retail and hospitality, creating imperative education and employment opportunities and pathways.”
Since its beginning, the Social Studio has provided education and employment for over 580 people from refugee and migrant backgrounds. One such individual who has benefited from this enterprise is Abuk Bol, who worked as a seamstress in Sudan before she came to Australia in 2004 as a refugee. Abuk came across the Social Studio, after several failed attempts to get into the Australian workforce. She has since gone on to work for Brunswick-based bridal designer Mariana Hardwick and is now the owner of her own enterprise, Twich Women’s Sewing Collective, which sells clothing and homewares in her home town of Dandenong. “I was interested in clothes making and wanted to do something that could get me a job, being an immigrant and hardly knowing English, I decided to do the Certificate III in clothing production with the Social Studio.”
Abuk’s story is a great example of how increasing just one persons skill set can, in turn, work towards increasing many. The Social Studio champions multiculturalism and demonstrates that these individuals contribute to, rather than diminish the economy. “I now have my own store and space where I can help women like me get certification and jobs.” Abuk says. “I would like to provide women, especially ones in a minority, the opportunity to get an education and a job. Or just somewhere they feel they belong.”
The Social Studio and Cutting Table Cafe, located on Collingwood’s Smith St. Photo: Alice Wilson
This sense of belonging is perhaps the most important contribution the Social Studio provides. “For students it’s developing friendships and broadening their community, branching out and become more open to everyone else.” Says Helen Kelabora, a teacher for the Certificate III clothing course the Studio offers. The benefits of an organisation like the Social Studio are as diverse as the services they offer to those they employ and to the Yarra community. For Eugenia Flynn, the is much more work to be done, “we would love to consolidate our work across the past eight years and create a deeper social impact” and it’s through the help of the Yarra community that this can be achieved.
In a mining town in northern Canada, an alcoholic beverage exists, which is aptly known as the “Sourtoe Cocktail”.
The menu item, being less of a cocktail and more of a shooter, has only two ingredients, whiskey and… you guessed it, a mummified human toe.
In what seems to be a set of absolutely true events, the human toe was recently stolen by a man from Quebec, likely for notoriety amongst his peers, but also quite possibly for a number of other sinister and horrifying reasons.
Legend has it, a ‘rumrunner’ lost his toe to frostbite in the 1920’s while transporting barrels of booze to Alaska during the prohibition; he then preserved it in alcohol and left it in a Cabin where it was discovered some 50 years later.
No one knows why the unnamed rumrunner would have attempted to preserve the toe, as Replantation – the medical term for limb reattachment – wasn’t a thing until the 1960’s.
Luckily for the Sourdough Saloon, a questionable character by the name of Captain Dick Stevenson discovered the toe in the 70’s while cleaning out an old mining cabin. Bringing it back to town, he used the toe to concoct the “Sourtoe Cocktail”, and created what could be the first ever drinking game; daring those brave enough to take a sip.
Downtown Hotel/Facebook
The case of the missing toe, was for obvious reasons, international news. In Canada, a nationwide police hunt was underway last week, while the bar itself was offering a reward for the safe return of the stolen toe.
Just four days into the investigation, with pressure mounting, the criminal-mastermind, sensing he may have one foot in the grave, mailed the toe back to the Sourdough Saloon, along with a handwritten apology.
Phew.
Unsurprisingly, the bar’s “toe captain,” Terry Lee, had told the Global News that they were furious as “toes are very hard to come by.” However, it did come to light that they have several mummified toes making the rounds at any given time.
In fact, the likelihood of the stolen toe being that of the unnamed rumrunner from the 20’s is slim to none, putting a real dampener on the wow-factor of the story.
Although, the knowledge that the toe has been replaced several times, once because it was accidentally swallowed by a patron, does bolster its overall appeal.
Unlike most stories in the news this one ends on a happy note for all involved, except of course for those who have donated their toes.
I think we can all agree that the “Sourtoe Cocktail” would be well suited to a number of establishments in the Yarra.
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