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VICTORIA
Park Life
Monday, 20 April, 2009
Park Life (SBS)
For decades, Aboriginal people have gathered around the parks and streets of Fitzroy and Collingwood in Melbourne.
Your Say: Will a ban on public drinking in Collingwood curb antisocial behaviour?
Watch the video
It's been a meeting place for many troubled and homeless people who call themselves "Parkies". The Parkies, not all of them are homeless, say they are one big family looking after one another.
Unfortunately, when alcohol comes into the equation, trouble starts and it's got many local businesses upset. So much so, that they, with the support of the local member of parliament, are calling on the local council to enact a public drinking ban.
Living Black video journalist Kris Flanders meets some of the Parkies and learns about the challenges they face. Some belong to the stolen generation; others are simply wanting somewhere to belong.
The Parkies' spokesperson, Eugene Lovett, says a cultural centre would help. "They need a cultural centre for them to be able to do something. They need a centre, they need the opportunity in that centre to show people that they're not just drunks."
With another cold winter approaching, living on the streets is anything but ideal. But there are many Indigenous people in Fitzroy and Collingwood that call the streets and parks home. Video journalist Kris Flanders has the story.
DENISE LOVETT, PARKIES' SPOKESWOMAN: They're not just black, they're different nationalities, different culture, and they probably haven't got anywhere to go - and so they come and sit with us, have a drink with us. Some of them don't even drink, they like just telling stories.
VOICEOVER: Denise Lovett has been a parkie since she was 13. Her teenage years were spent sleeping on the street. Today she's a spokeswoman for the parkies that call the streets and parks of Collingwood home.
DENISE LOVETT: You find a lot of people are trying to find themselves as well, not just trying to find families, but what's in themselves, what they really want and what they need in life.
VOICEOVER: The parkies that meet here have been doing so for years.
DEREK 'DHEKKA' SMITH, PARKIE: I can go back as far as round about 20 years, when I was a young bloke. I've been reared up by most of the elders and respected all of them, because they're the ones that you've gotta look at and get guidance.
DARREN 'SNAKEY' HAYES, PARKIE: If there's something going on between in the crowd, it's always, "Talk it out."
VOICEOVER: Surprisingly, not all the parkies are homeless. Some live in the housing estates behind the park and many will open their doors to provide shelter to others who need a bed.
CATHLEEN HUDSON, PARKIE: There's a few of us that live in the high rises here and a lot of people are from outer suburbs, but we all come here and meet because we know we can all catch up with each other here. As you can see, I've got my nieces and nephews here. It's a place where it's safe for children, kids as well and we're not off on the streets.
VOICEOVER: Some, like Frank Wandin, affectionately known as 'Papa Smurf', says the parkies are his family.
FRANK WANDIN, PARKIE: I remember when my mum told me "Never go into Collingwood, Fitzroy," when I was only 16. But I did - that's how I got to meet all of my rellos, my people.
REPORTER: Everyone like a big family here?
FRANK WANDIN: Yes, and it's beautiful. We all look out for each other and we all look after each other.
VOICEOVER: But according to local businesses, the parkies' public drinking is anything but beautiful. Every day, the street corners of Smith, Stanley and Moor are occupied by the parkies.
SENIOR SEARGENT PETER SEIZ, VICTORIA POLICE: It doesn't matter what community you come from, when alcohol's involved and people don't abide by community standards, you have assaults, public drunkenness, forms of harassment and so forth. A person's ability to understand and compromise is affected, and that's when the issues occur.
VOICEOVER: A public ban on drinking, called Local Law 8, is one of the solutions to curb the alcohol problems on Smith Street.
PETER SEIZ: A local law on public drinking wouldn't just address issues in Smith Street, you know. It would address issues throughout the whole police service area. Once again, it's about community standards. If people are prepared to accept community standards and not step over the mark, you probably wouldn't need a lot of the laws that we've got.
VOICEOVER: Yarra City Council is reluctant to back the Local Law 8 on public drinking, saying the law won't address social problems.
STEPHEN JOLLY, YARRA CITY COUNCIL: Well, all it's going to do is move the problem from A to B, because if you drink and you drink regularly and you're told you can't drink here, you're going to go down the road and drink somewhere else. They're not trying to stop drinking on Smith Street, because if you're drinking as a whitefella outside a nightclub or outside a restaurant with a licence, then you're very welcome here in Smith Street.
VOICEOVER: Local shop owners say public drinking is affecting their business and keeping potential customers away, and they're fed up.
DIARMUID HANNIGAN, SHOP OWNER: At its worst, you'd have a violent incident probably three times a week. And what happens in the end is you just don't get any customers coming to your shop. The City of Yarra needs to turn around and enact Local Law 8 so that there isn't any drinking in the business district.
VOICEOVER: The problem is obvious to Victoria's Aboriginal Affairs Minister, whose office is just a few hundred metres away from a popular parkie meeting spot.
RICHARD WYNNE, MINISTER FOR ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS: The behaviours that are happening on Smith Street at the moment are dangerous, and I've seen shocking episodes of really violent behaviour. It's not acceptable. It's not acceptable to the Aboriginal community and it's not acceptable more generally.
VOICEOVER: The public drinking ban is a contentious issue, but it seems that everyone agrees that a cultural centre providing counselling and support could benefit the wider community.
EUGENE LOVETT, PARKIES' SPOKESMAN: They need a centre. They need the opportunity to do something within that centre to show people that they're not just drunks. There’s a lot of people who could be qualified, given the right training, and given the right opportunity, could get a job around here.
PETER SEIZ: Look, I'd be in favour of a cultural centre, for sure. Somewhere where all the Indigenous community could meet and socialise and liaise.
STEPHEN JOLLY: There's nowhere in the community for the Aboriginal people to call their own, in terms of an indoor spot.
VOICEOVER: Denise and the parkies are willing to abide by the public drinking ban, but only if a cultural centre is up and running first.
DENISE LOVETT: Everybody's a part of this. Now, if they want something done, then they've got to start pulling that money out to get this culture centre up and going, because the longer they leave it, the longer the issue is going to get worse.
(PARKIE SINGS) # We've spent a thousand miles... #
RICHARD WYNNE: Please, I say to the council, enact Local Law 8. That's a really important first step. The Government will support a centre where Aboriginal people can meet.
VOICEOVER: For the meantime, the parkies will continue to meet in the park, and they wouldn't have it any other way.
FRANK WANDIN: God bless the ground youse walk on.
Source: Living Black, SBS
Your Say: Will a ban on public drinking in Collingwood curb antisocial behaviour?
Watch the video
It's been a meeting place for many troubled and homeless people who call themselves "Parkies". The Parkies, not all of them are homeless, say they are one big family looking after one another.
Unfortunately, when alcohol comes into the equation, trouble starts and it's got many local businesses upset. So much so, that they, with the support of the local member of parliament, are calling on the local council to enact a public drinking ban.
Living Black video journalist Kris Flanders meets some of the Parkies and learns about the challenges they face. Some belong to the stolen generation; others are simply wanting somewhere to belong.
The Parkies' spokesperson, Eugene Lovett, says a cultural centre would help. "They need a cultural centre for them to be able to do something. They need a centre, they need the opportunity in that centre to show people that they're not just drunks."
With another cold winter approaching, living on the streets is anything but ideal. But there are many Indigenous people in Fitzroy and Collingwood that call the streets and parks home. Video journalist Kris Flanders has the story.
DENISE LOVETT, PARKIES' SPOKESWOMAN: They're not just black, they're different nationalities, different culture, and they probably haven't got anywhere to go - and so they come and sit with us, have a drink with us. Some of them don't even drink, they like just telling stories.
VOICEOVER: Denise Lovett has been a parkie since she was 13. Her teenage years were spent sleeping on the street. Today she's a spokeswoman for the parkies that call the streets and parks of Collingwood home.
DENISE LOVETT: You find a lot of people are trying to find themselves as well, not just trying to find families, but what's in themselves, what they really want and what they need in life.
VOICEOVER: The parkies that meet here have been doing so for years.
DEREK 'DHEKKA' SMITH, PARKIE: I can go back as far as round about 20 years, when I was a young bloke. I've been reared up by most of the elders and respected all of them, because they're the ones that you've gotta look at and get guidance.
DARREN 'SNAKEY' HAYES, PARKIE: If there's something going on between in the crowd, it's always, "Talk it out."
VOICEOVER: Surprisingly, not all the parkies are homeless. Some live in the housing estates behind the park and many will open their doors to provide shelter to others who need a bed.
CATHLEEN HUDSON, PARKIE: There's a few of us that live in the high rises here and a lot of people are from outer suburbs, but we all come here and meet because we know we can all catch up with each other here. As you can see, I've got my nieces and nephews here. It's a place where it's safe for children, kids as well and we're not off on the streets.
VOICEOVER: Some, like Frank Wandin, affectionately known as 'Papa Smurf', says the parkies are his family.
FRANK WANDIN, PARKIE: I remember when my mum told me "Never go into Collingwood, Fitzroy," when I was only 16. But I did - that's how I got to meet all of my rellos, my people.
REPORTER: Everyone like a big family here?
FRANK WANDIN: Yes, and it's beautiful. We all look out for each other and we all look after each other.
VOICEOVER: But according to local businesses, the parkies' public drinking is anything but beautiful. Every day, the street corners of Smith, Stanley and Moor are occupied by the parkies.
SENIOR SEARGENT PETER SEIZ, VICTORIA POLICE: It doesn't matter what community you come from, when alcohol's involved and people don't abide by community standards, you have assaults, public drunkenness, forms of harassment and so forth. A person's ability to understand and compromise is affected, and that's when the issues occur.
VOICEOVER: A public ban on drinking, called Local Law 8, is one of the solutions to curb the alcohol problems on Smith Street.
PETER SEIZ: A local law on public drinking wouldn't just address issues in Smith Street, you know. It would address issues throughout the whole police service area. Once again, it's about community standards. If people are prepared to accept community standards and not step over the mark, you probably wouldn't need a lot of the laws that we've got.
VOICEOVER: Yarra City Council is reluctant to back the Local Law 8 on public drinking, saying the law won't address social problems.
STEPHEN JOLLY, YARRA CITY COUNCIL: Well, all it's going to do is move the problem from A to B, because if you drink and you drink regularly and you're told you can't drink here, you're going to go down the road and drink somewhere else. They're not trying to stop drinking on Smith Street, because if you're drinking as a whitefella outside a nightclub or outside a restaurant with a licence, then you're very welcome here in Smith Street.
VOICEOVER: Local shop owners say public drinking is affecting their business and keeping potential customers away, and they're fed up.
DIARMUID HANNIGAN, SHOP OWNER: At its worst, you'd have a violent incident probably three times a week. And what happens in the end is you just don't get any customers coming to your shop. The City of Yarra needs to turn around and enact Local Law 8 so that there isn't any drinking in the business district.
VOICEOVER: The problem is obvious to Victoria's Aboriginal Affairs Minister, whose office is just a few hundred metres away from a popular parkie meeting spot.
RICHARD WYNNE, MINISTER FOR ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS: The behaviours that are happening on Smith Street at the moment are dangerous, and I've seen shocking episodes of really violent behaviour. It's not acceptable. It's not acceptable to the Aboriginal community and it's not acceptable more generally.
VOICEOVER: The public drinking ban is a contentious issue, but it seems that everyone agrees that a cultural centre providing counselling and support could benefit the wider community.
EUGENE LOVETT, PARKIES' SPOKESMAN: They need a centre. They need the opportunity to do something within that centre to show people that they're not just drunks. There’s a lot of people who could be qualified, given the right training, and given the right opportunity, could get a job around here.
PETER SEIZ: Look, I'd be in favour of a cultural centre, for sure. Somewhere where all the Indigenous community could meet and socialise and liaise.
STEPHEN JOLLY: There's nowhere in the community for the Aboriginal people to call their own, in terms of an indoor spot.
VOICEOVER: Denise and the parkies are willing to abide by the public drinking ban, but only if a cultural centre is up and running first.
DENISE LOVETT: Everybody's a part of this. Now, if they want something done, then they've got to start pulling that money out to get this culture centre up and going, because the longer they leave it, the longer the issue is going to get worse.
(PARKIE SINGS) # We've spent a thousand miles... #
RICHARD WYNNE: Please, I say to the council, enact Local Law 8. That's a really important first step. The Government will support a centre where Aboriginal people can meet.
VOICEOVER: For the meantime, the parkies will continue to meet in the park, and they wouldn't have it any other way.
FRANK WANDIN: God bless the ground youse walk on.
Source: Living Black, SBS
