The Sydney suburb where fresh air is a luxury


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Illustration: Simon Letch

Illustration: Simon Letch


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How dare they? When New York motorway tzar Robert Moses stormed from a public meeting about the Lower Manhattan Expressway in 1955 he was outraged. No-one opposed his road, he roared, except “a bunch of MOTHERS”! It took years but the mothers – among them Jane Jacobs and Eleanor Roosevelt – stopped the road. Since then, even in Perth, in Melbourne, similar campaigns have succeeded. But in Sydney the forces of destruction rampage on, elevating their profit-craving over our love of home. They’re treating our city like a mine. And actually, how dare they?


Most of us have a door we can shut. When life gets too loud we shut the door, lock the gate, set boundaries. These boundaries, which we call “home”, keep us sane as well as safe. That’s why the sacredness of home centres our culture. It’s why safeguarding these boundaries is a core government role and home invasion so egregious a crime. But what happens when the home invasion is government sanctioned? When it’s actually government led? What then?


Kate Cotis’ lemon tree is in blossom the day I visit her St Peters terrace, and beside it the lime, their tangy velvet-white flowers fat with expectations of spring. But in this long, north-facing inner Sydney garden that’s it. The other garden beds, mounded with rich, dark soil, sit empty. Everything grew here, lettuce and kale, rocket and basil, courgettes, tomatoes and luscious salad greens, bitter and sweet. Not anymore. Not since WestConnex. “I’ve been unable to grow anything this whole last year.” Cotis’ voice is flat with resignation. “Everything’s covered in thick grey dust.”


Perhaps especially as vegetarians, Cotis’ family feel the loss. Even if the greens would grow, they’d likely be toxic now, and worse next year when the road arrives. But even this is the least of Cotis’ worries. For the source of dust, 50 metres from the side fence, is WestConnex.


Article source: http://smh.com.au/domain/domain-news/latest-news/splitting-a-block-in-two-things-to-consider-before-you-invest-20170220-guh4c4.html

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