Sense of Community

I was born in the year of the launch of  Australian Television 1957.  We didn't have a television in our house until I was 10, 1967. 

It was, of course, black and white, and the two local stations went off the air at 10 pm, after playing the national anthem and epilogue; it came back on the air until 6pm next day with the Local News.  There was no National/International News.  That came via 'The Sun' paper in the morning and 'The Herald' in the afternoon, that is of course if I ever ventured into reading them. 

The first television that I remember seeing was that of Mr Spencer's.  He was our up the back next door neighbour and was the first in the neighbourhood to have any type of television.  One that had a wooden veneer casing, a large convex screen, cloth covered speakers on both sides and took about 5 minutes (well a kids 5 minutes) to warm up.  Mr Spencer, (Phil) used to turn his big TV towards his front yard once a week on a summers night and bring it up against his low windows so all the neighbourhood kids, and adults, could watch 'The Graham Kennedy Show'.  I didn't understand most of it but I remember the howls of laughter that was continually coming the 'the Spencers' front yard. 

As an adult I can now reflect an understanding, that I was not aware of at the time, of the diversity of whom lived in our mixed 'commission housing', 'owned home' neighbourhood no matter their occupation, standing in the community, age or race, there was a number of 'New Australians' (Italians), and some of the stolen generation kids within our neighbourhood.  We all lived in harmony, and shared the cup of sugar, the jug of milk and the neighbours kids stayed over at our place/and us at theirs from time to time, that created an extended family whom cared and supported for each other. 

It wasn't until much later that I fully, and finally understood, how my mother knew what I had been up to and could recount each of my movements during the day.  It was her natural extended network where friends of hers, though not related, where my 'auntys', my 'uncles' and where each family looked out for each others children and young people.  Though not aborignal it was then, much like out aboriginal communities try to hold onto today.

It is the extended family, natural or otherwise, that our communities should be encouraging, starting at the local, street by street level.  We have been slowly become ensconced in our own four walls, removed from our families, our neighbours and friends communicating by text, email, twitter etc that the 'neighbour' of neighbourhood has been lost, though not irretrievable.

This is my personal view.

 

Mal