Redfern Waterloo TOUR OF BEAUTY bus at The Block, Redfern

Photo by Ali Blogg

With areas like Redfern-Waterloo where existing communities are at threat of being displaced by gentrification, the issues are extremely complex, and not easy to grasp simply by reading news articles or looking at maps. The best way to "get a feel" for the area is to see it with your own eyes, and have a chance to ask questions and raise concerns "on the ground". This is why we are co-ordinating the bus tours. We started in 2005, and they are ongoing. We have done about 20 tours since then.

We happened to own a small mini bus for a while, an old Transit Van, pictured here, but since then we have accessed cheap community transport, a twenty seater bus, from the City Of Sydney for $20 a day! http://cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Community/ServicesAndPrograms/CommunityBu...

Community organisations and groups must apply for accreditation to use the scheme, but it's a very simple process.

You will need a driver with a LR licence, and get them listed with the council. We avail of the services of two indigenous bus drivers that drive kids to school on weekdays, and we collect donations from our "tourists" and give that to our driver.

The Overview

Photo by Ali Blogg

We unearthed a whole swag of interesting local people that had very important things to say about their neighbourhood and what is happening to it. We started the tour with local architect Jack Barton using a map of the area to describe all the forces at play in the area.

We ourselves don't say very much about the area, as we are there to learn as much as the next person.

Richard Green from The Aboriginal Housing Company at The Block

Photo by Alexandra Crosby

Visit important sites, get off the bus and sit with your speaker at that site. It is important that the tour is no bigger than 20 people. Your guests need to be able to ask questions and enter into meaningful dialogue so that the info is not all one way. Also, later, when a "tourist" and a speaker see each other in the street, the bond may have been intimate enough that they can strike up a conversation, and maybe even a friendship.

Ross Smith amplified at the public housing towers

If any of your speakers are as softly spoken as this fellow, there are creative ways to amplify the voice!

Ross Smith lives in the public housing towers, and he is a great advocate of how strong the community is in this area. He feels very strongly about the Department Of Housing's policy of turning over tenancies there. He reckons it takes a person 5 years to become an integral part of a community. But when there are 3 year tenancies and then eviction, existing community bonds are severely disrupted.

Geoff Turnbull on the bus

Find the grassroots political organisers in your area and get them to spell out what is going on.

Here we see Geoff Turnbull from a group called REDwatch, set up to to monitor Government involvement in Redfern Waterloo and to push for outcomes that benefit the community and not just the Government.

Most people are dying to brush up on what decisions are being made about their area. Get your speaker to talk for ten to fifteen minutes, and then provide contact details, URLs etc for follow up

Snacks

We take about four to five hours to get across Redfern and Waterloo on the TOUR OF BEAUTY. Bring snacks for your guests. And at the end of it all, hang out in a local pub, to talk about what you've experienced and learnt!

more info at www.squatspace.com