The Uniting
Church, holders of Paddington
Markets, hopes that such a market in Redfern will draw visitors into the area,
providing a meeting place for local residents and acting as a start-up for
creative businesses wanting to showcase their work.
The successful Paddington Markets is the oldest of its kind
in Sydney and
has been around since 1973, showcasing a wide range of contemporary art,
gourmet food, crafts and fashion. The open-air market is situated in the
grounds of the heritage-listed sandstone Paddington Uniting
Church.
Many local business people in Redfern are supportive of the
idea, including Leanne Fraser, owner
of the Appetite Cafe on Regent
Street.
Ely Crouch, local resident and owner of a small dress shop
in the area is also excited at the prospect. “As a Redfern small business owner
working in the field of fashion and design I am thrilled to hear about the idea
for a Redfern market. It would be somewhere I could show my work and make a few
sales. More importantly I think it will be a great opportunity for the local
Aboriginal artists and designers from the Redfern community to showcase their
exceptional talents. Hopefully it will attract people from all walks of life
into Redfern.”
Trevor Davies,
Chair of the South Sydney Uniting Church Parish Council and SSH editor has been
involved in recent meetings regarding the Redfern market. He says, “The markets
at Paddington have been very successful in raising money for the Paddington Uniting Church’s
community activities. We hope we can do the same for our local community
activities – the SSH in particular – as well as caring for our heritage church
building in Raglan Street,
Waterloo.”
If the Redfern market is to go ahead it will initially run
on a 6-month trial basis on the last Sunday of the month.
Photo: Trevor davies with Leanne Fraser
of Appetite Café Photo: Andrew Collis
Source: South Sydney Herald July 2007 http://www.southsydneyherald.com.au/