Creative Brimbank 2020 - Yours Sincerely Booklet Issue 001

Brimbank Stories during COVID-19 Issue #1

What is Creative Brimbank? Creative Brimbank supports and brings quality creative experiences to the west. Artists and community come together to boldly create a vibrant, connected and creative community. creativebrimbank.com.au @ creativebrimbank Join the conversation: #WeAreBrimbank #BCreative Subscribe to our eNews: creativebrimbank.com.au/enews We’d love to hear from you Brimbank City Council acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of this land, the Give us your feedback about this booklet by filling in our online feedback form Wurundjeri people, and pay our respects creativebrimbank.com.au/YSfeedback to Elders past, present and emerging. Or send us your thoughts and feedback via Disclaimer: The stories and opinions expressed belong entirely to each email [email protected] or individual contributor. They do not necessarily reflect those of call us on 03 9249 4600 Brimbank City Council. These stories were gathered during the second lock down in Melbourne in 2020. Pg. 2 | Yours Sincerely Brimbank Stories During COVID-19

Dear Reader, We hope you enjoy this booklet Lead Writer - Sherryl Clark dedicated to telling just some of the stories of our local community and Sherryl Clark has worked as a their experiences during the COVID-19 writer in the community over lockdowns in Melbourne in 2020. many years, and published two oral histories with older You’ll read uplifting stories, stories of people in Yarraville. She writes reflection and resilience, stories of crime novels and books for new-found discoveries and simple joys, children, as well as poetry and and more. articles. Her children’s books have won awards, and her Look after yourselves and each other crime novel Trust Me, I’m Dead, and most importantly, stay safe, and set in the western suburbs of stay healthy. Melbourne, was longlisted for the CWA John Creasey New Yours Sincerely, Blood Award in 2020. She taught Professional Writing Creative Brimbank and Editing at VU Polytech for 23 years. Currently Sherryl is a full-time writer and editor, working on her own books and those of many others who have stories to tell. sherrylclark.com Yours Sincerely Brimbank Stories During COVID-19 | Pg. 3

Aunty Joyce & Uncle Boots Cooper Local Brimbank Aboriginal Elders, active members of the community, and over the years have fostered 87 children of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds. Words by Aunty Joyce & Uncle Boots, compiled by Sherryl Clark Aunty Joyce is a proud Yorta Yorta woman from about my foot and he told me to go straight Northern Victoria and Uncle Boots  is a proud home. We’ve done a lot of things we didn’t have Yorta Yorta, Mutti Mutti man. time for before – we painted a room, I’ve been baking a lot, making cakes for the grandkids. We didn’t take much notice of the virus at first, But we can’t see them; we have to FaceTime so it came as a shock – we didn’t realise the them and they grab their mother’s phone. extent of the damage it would cause. Then it got so it was on TV all the time; from the In the first lockdown I had a scare because moment you woke up it was in your face. We’ve I thought I might have had COVID-19. They stopped watching it now. kept me in isolation for four days then sent me home. They were very good, I had Aunty Joyce: I felt I could breathe again after wonderful treatment the whole time, but the first lockdown. The second lockdown is the tests were horrible in hospital with all harder than the first. We were ready to come the swabs. Later IPC Health in Sunshine even out. I can’t go out anywhere because of my came to the house and tested all of us, but illness, and I feel so limited. I went to the doctor every test was negative. Pg. 4 | Yours Sincerely Brimbank Stories During COVID-19

We used to go out for drives 2-3 times a week, just go to country and stand on country and breathe. Uncle Boots: It'll take us a long time to Zoom was a bit tricky at first, but we’ve learned get back to normal. A lot of people are it. Everyone in the community knows us so we being plain ignorant about how you’ve keep a lot going on Zoom, and keep up to date. got to be safe, and it will extend the lockdown. You just want to avoid everyone The worst thing for us is not being able to get in the supermarket. out. We used to go out for drives 2-3 times a week, just go to country and stand on country We do online groups, like the Aboriginal and breathe, or go to the beach and breathe. Wellness Program, work with the respected elders of the group, and we speak to the We did little socialising things, like having a kids about staying positive, responsibility latte, or a cuppa with friends. The feeling of and looking after themselves. I work with isolation is there – you get off Zoom and you the boys on Zoom, and they do shields and still just want to go and have a cuppa with boomerangs on it – it works well. We’ve your friends. been doing foster care for 25 years and that helped us with our program. Yours Sincerely Brimbank Stories During COVID-19 | Pg. 5

Elena Konikkos A high school student who performed driveway concerts during the first lockdown. Pg. 6 | Yours Sincerely Brimbank Stories During COVID-19

The following is a We Are Brimbank story from Studying from home has been a challenge for the Brimbank City Council website, check out many, and though Elena misses the structure more stories at brimbank.vic.gov.au of attending school in person she has loved the freedom of working at her own pace. With Elena Konikkos had high expectations for supportive teachers, she and many others are her final year of high school: it was going to persevering and making the best of the situation. be the fun, big year where she was going to “[The teachers have] definitely been amazing. rule the school as a senior student. She then They always take the time to make sure that found herself studying from home like so many if anyone has questions (or if you want to ask others after the coronavirus pandemic changed questions) they’ll end the call and they’ll call everyone’s year. you. It’s been really good,” Elena said. Never one to be defeated, the music After completing her VCE, Elena is hoping to performance VCE student decided to use her make progress on a long-term personal goal talents to bring light and joy to her community by taking her equipment and voice busking on by performing songs in her driveway. “You can Melbourne’s busy city streets. In the immediate do so much with singing,” said the Brimbank future though, she’s looking forward to heading teenager. “It’s another way of talking; your out for a meal with the friends and family that emotions and connecting with other people.” she’s been missing for the last few months. “I’m looking forward to going out and eating food! The young vocalist was inspired by artists half Restaurant food. Visiting my family. I miss them a world away in Italy and sought to replicate the quite a lot…I’m just worried. More socialising experience for her own street. Though initially means more communicable diseases go up. I’m worried that her neighbours may interpret the scared for that because I do have vulnerable sounds as a party and call the police, she quickly people in my family and I don’t want to be a discovered others on the street who were carrier. I am quite concerned. I might wait a really missing live music. long time until I see my grandparents,” Elena said. “When someone’s walking by, they’ll stand for Elena’s sure that the music scene will be a minute or two and then they scream out coming back, and she will be ready to join other ‘wonderful’ or start clapping, and then they just performers in celebrating once it’s safe to do so. continue doing what they do. So, I’ve got a lot of support from my neighbours,” Elena said. facebook.com/elenakonikkosmusic Yours Sincerely Brimbank Stories During COVID-19 | Pg. 7

Artists at home Serah Nathan Photo: Jess Schwientek Theatre-maker / Director / Writer Gennivieve Collier Multi-disciplinary Artist On taking care of health: I try my best On connecting with community: During to practise the same things I do when not the first lockdown my partner and I drew on the in lockdown; yoga, take deep breaths, eat concrete outside our house - we set up jumping delicious treats, be silly. races and hopscotch and put out free plants for neighbours. We made characters from 8-bit On how social distancing impacts on video games on windows with post it notes and work: My artistic process is eternally being drew slogans like we are commUNITY in the local refined but Zoom creative sessions have park. Making stuff, anonymously, was a way of surprisingly worked out okay and proved a connecting with our local community. great workout for one’s imagination muscles. On how lockdown has changed making art: On a source of strength: Working with the My art practice is often eclectic - I make Bowery Theatre to produce the web series paintings, drawings, jewellery and zines… The Uncertain Times with my partner Hayley pandemic has provided me with a reason to do Beveridge! what still works more thoroughly and find new opportunities to replace what I can no longer do. Watch series: bit.ly/UncertainTimesSeries On finding inspiration at home: My home is a bustling, colourful space - it can be a haven serahnathan.com from the world. Our dogs inspire me to play and enjoy outdoors. Our books and objects inspire my reflection. My partner inspires my growth and curiosity. Pg. 8 | Yours Sincerely Brimbank Stories During COVID-19

We spoke to four local artists about creativity and staying safe, sane and connected while in lockdown Photo: Jacquie Manning Phuong Ngo Ez Eldin Deng Visual Artist Filmmaker / Youth Mentor On creative practice in lockdown: On adjusting to lockdown: I took COVID-19 I relocated my studio to the front half of my house time to reconnect with myself, family and (I usually work from RMIT or The Substation), really fight for why I was in this world… [The and in that initial period I was hyper productive in lockdown has] challenged me because I love making work...the monotony of repetitive making working with a team, [where we] create was actually quite a positive way to deal with the together, showcase our work to people, and stresses of the first lock down. hear their feedback but that has changed. On finding inspiration at home: I generally On family well-being: I help my little brother do intense research, so inspiration is a process of with school, we go for walks, read and cook. I learning. It can happen anywhere with an internet have an amazing backyard and when I see the connection. sun in the morning and hear the sound of birds, I thank God for each day. On hopes for art sector post COVID-19:Theone thing that COVID-19 has catalysed is a frank and On a source of strength: I’m involved in an open discussion about race in the arts sector. By far online mentoring program and other creative this movement has been one of the more needed writing Zoom sessions are my source of strength. outcomes that we have seen come out of this. I don’t know where this would lead, but I hope that instagram.com/ez_eldin_deng the conversation around race does not die once we reach some kind of equilibrium with the Pandemic. phuongngo.art Yours Sincerely Brimbank Stories During COVID-19 | Pg. 9

Manal Kassab Teffaha A mother who lives with her husband and three children. Like most families, in March we weren’t sure what was exactly happening, we didn’t take it seriously as I was still working, taking kids to school, then suddenly people were buying all the groceries off the shelves! Now there’s so much on social media, lots of comments, and the conspiracy theories – it’s too much now. In terms of the numbers of cases, no school and home remote learning, the restrictions and fines etc; all of these have completely changed our lifestyle. Words by The restrictions have shocked me a lot. To Manal Kassab Teffaha be isolated at home and not to visit anyone compiled by Sherryl Clark or exercise with your mates or go for a drive or watch a movie at the cinemas or sit in a Pg. 10 | Yours Sincerely Brimbank Stories During COVID-19

restaurant – it’s a hard situation. We try our We do have more family time now – we watch best as parents to make things easy and help movies together, we talk a lot and we learn our kids understand that everyone is in the more about our religion. We stopped watching same boat. My kids are high school students the news. It makes me too nervous. We have a and they are very different from each other, so lot of online groups on WhatsApp, each one for one has no dramas with online studies, but my different things, and it’s good to hear different son is questioning everything, asking ‘Why?’ all opinions, it’s interesting, and you hear so much the time. He has had problems with the online diversity. We also use Zoom and Telegram. studies, and I tell him, ‘This is your future.’ I was teaching Arabic, so I still have meetings We can still do many things together like but I don’t teach online as I don’t have time. I’m grocery shopping, home movies, and we busy with work at home and study. We haven’t socialise with friends and relatives using social been used to doing everything at home, media. He now does his training for soccer at organising our time and everything we have to home and does shopping for me on his bike. I do. I have one religion class a fortnight which have a medical exemption for the mask, but I helps me a lot, and our childcare centre is doing don’t feel right not wearing it when I go out so I online classes with the kids so we did a science send him with a list or ask my sister-in-law. experiment – it was good and my daughter loved it. It was fun and it worked well. We have a lot of My faith in Allah (God) has always been my online groups on strength and I am hopeful things will get better. WhatsApp, each one for different things, As we go on, we should stay safe and positive, and it’s good to hear and don’t watch too much news as most of different opinions, it gives you panic and fear. I don’t think the it’s interesting, and vaccine should be compulsory as it is being you hear so much rushed and hasn’t been tested enough. I’m very diversity. concerned about people’s health. We have to give it time to make sure it works. Life won’t be normal and it will depend on how much effort people make. Most importantly, have faith in God. As Muslims, we believe God has written it so we don’t have to worry. Yours Sincerely Brimbank Stories During COVID-19 | Pg. 11

Eleni Robolas A mother and grandmother who lives at home with her husband. Words by Eleni Robolas compiled by Sherryl Clark When we first heard about COVID-19 virus in I used to go everywhere: senior citizens’ club, China and Italy, it was very bad. We thought it to dinner, Greek dancing every Monday with would go everywhere, and we were scared and a group of ladies, garden club, to school to worried. Then it came to Australia. drop off and pick up grandchildren, I cooked for them, took my grandson to Greek school, The lockdown is worse this second time. It helped him with homework, took my grandkids feels like a big blackout or disaster, with young to swimming. I would often stay at the school people losing jobs and having no money for and help out. I was very busy – but now, I am their families, and the children home from doing all things in the house. school. It’s all a lot of stress. Everything is closed – the shops are like a ghost town! I don’t I have cleaned the house from one corner to want to go to the shops now. another, throwing things out, fixing up the Pg. 12 | Yours Sincerely Brimbank Stories During COVID-19

Everything is closed The Sunshine Golden Age – the shops are like a Garden Club will celebrate ghost town! its 100th in 2021. Eleni’s garden is the current best bathroom, new wardrobes or moving them, exhibitor from the Club’s cleaning the garage – all things to keep busy annual show. at home. My husband has been doing lots of work around the house, too. Also we are still sunshinegardenclub.org tending our garden. I grow everything in my garden, with lots of plants in pots. I have no Yours Sincerely Brimbank Stories During COVID-19 | Pg. 13 favourites, because I like to grow everything. We managed to have our Flower Show at the Sunshine Golden Age Garden Club in March before everything stopped but we won’t be able to have the one in October. Since the lockdown, I have started using Facebook online to talk to my daughter, and to my grandchildren, and we use WhatsApp. I help my grandson do his Greek homework on Facebook, so we can see each other. I do talk to friends and family on the phone, too, but it’s not the same. We miss everything! I don’t think we will go back to normal life, maybe forever, but not for a couple of years at least. We won’t have a good life like before for a long while. I think what I hope for the future is that we will be more social! That we will see everyone again.

Words by Tu Pham compiled by Sherryl Clark Tu Pham A volunteer with the Vietnamese Families with Special Needs Group. Tu lives with her husband and two sons. We were really scared about the virus at first. In younger son learns online, does all of his work my mind I thought something very dangerous in 2-3 hours, and then we play together, we is coming and I have to protect my family. When exercise, and do our daily tasks. We are very we heard what the government said about happy to stay home and do not mind how long what to do to protect ourselves, we felt better. I it needs to be for. thought the lockdowns were necessary. Before they would both be at school all day, In the first lockdown, the first thing I did was and we would only have an hour together after set up a timetable for me and my two sons. My school, then doing lots of activities. But now I older son goes to Sunshine Special School and get to spend lots of time with them, learning it was still open then, but I kept him at home. and playing and doing things. It is really good My husband still goes to work as usual. My sons for our family. We are not feeling much stress and I stay home and follow the timetable. My about lockdown. Pg. 14 | Yours Sincerely Brimbank Stories During COVID-19

Now I get to spend stocking up on things (food, toilet paper, etc). lots of time with [my I hope all the governments in the world can sons], learning and see how dangerous and how fast this spread playing and doing of COVID-19 is. And how they have to prepare things. It is really earlier to stop this virus spreading. good for our family. I would say to people to enjoy the time with What I miss is not being able to go out and see your family and let go of your worries. In my friends and be part of the community. When lockdown we can’t do anything so try to spend we go out we feel a bit scared. But I have been time with family and talk – it’s very important learning how to use technology. I work as a to talk and share your feelings. volunteer for Vietnamese Families with Special Needs group. This group organises a meeting The Vietnamese Families with Special Needs Inc. on Zoom every Thursday for members to join to organise advocacy workshop and events in English talk, share experiences or have some speakers and Vietnamese to support Vietnamese parents to talk about some interesting topics. who have children with special needs. For more information visit vfsn.org.au or email [email protected] At first I went to Google to learn how to set up Looking for another the meeting and now it all works fine. I also interesting project? am talking on Viber every day with a group of friends – we meet at 2pm and talk, just if you Riding the Covid-19 Wave in Brimbank is a want to. We talk, laugh and share our worries to project by Brimbank Libraries to document help reduce stress. We started that in the first the current global pandemic within our lockdown and now we continue it. I also talk community. Between now and 30 November with my sister and brothers on the phone. locals were asked to submit creative works sharing their experiences. You can see a I think that I prepared well enough for my family selection of images, written work and videos and myself because we always feel safe, happy that capture how this period has impacted at home and ready for the ‘new normal’ coming. lives in a special exhibition later this year. We always follow what the government says when we go out – keep social distancing, wear To submit works or for more information visit masks, wash hands when we go home, only brimbanklibraries.vic.gov.au go out when necessary. The only thing I need to tell myself is not to worry too much about Yours Sincerely Brimbank Stories During COVID-19 | Pg. 15

Brimbank Stories during COVID-19 @ creativebrimbank creativebrimbank.com.au Issue #1 / © October 2020 Creative Brimbank