The project began in 2006 when Annie noticed an absence in
her life, after the death of two elderly neighbours whom she used to see on an
almost daily basis. After they died, she heard snippets of details about their
histories and regretted not having spoken to them more fully about their lives
and their recollections of growing up and living in the area. The sense that
Erskineville was losing its memories and these valuable sources of oral
history, inspired Annie to capture some of the remaining long-term residents on
film.
The stories in the film glimpse a rich history of tough
times and show changes in the social fabric of a suburb transformed from gutter
brawls to gentrification. They tell of how the Rabbitohs got their name, how a
local boxer made it into the Guinness Book of Records, the sadness of living in
an orphanage in the Depression, dancing with a fisherman and falling in love
with his secret letters. Annie says that Erskineville Stories shows local
residents as charming characters and highlights their amazing resilience over
time.
Such a huge project was far too big for one individual to
produce alone. Annie formed the Erskineville Historical Association with some
local friends and applied for funding. The project is now supported with a
Cultural Grant from the City of Sydney
Council. Ray White Real Estate, Newtown, has also been extremely generous as
a major sponsor in the screening of the film. In fact, the first resident
interviewed for the film came directly through one of the agents from Ray
White. She was selling an estate. Annie and Prue had a lengthy discussion about
how many older residents had recently died and their homes, now sold, were
being renovated. There was such a strong sense of permanent change taking
place. It was the urgency of that house going on the market and yet another
long-term resident leaving the area that prompted Annie to start filming. It
was one of those ludicrous situations. Annie bought a camera and took a leap of
faith in the project. It was one of those ideas that took a deep hold on her
imagination and just “had to be done”.
The local Erskineville community has also rallied behind the
project with residents making donations to help with the costs of producing the
film. Residents were asked to pay $5 to become associate members of the
Historical Society. This created a data-base of supporters. At one point when
funds were needed to pay for professional editing these supporters donated
items for sale and a big garage sale was held at a local park which raised
enough money to ensure the project could continue. Some residents have been
extraordinarily generous. One such resident donated $500 saying how important
he thought it was to respect our elderly residents and how important their
stories are to the community as a whole.
The generosity of the local community has been very
heartening. In the film, many residents speak about the kindness of others
during the depression and how people were good to each other. Annie’s
experience is that Erskineville is still a place where kindness and generosity
is shown and where the sense of local pride remains alive and well. Thanks to
the major sponsors, the Erskineville community can continue to enjoy a sense of
generosity with the screening being free for everyone to attend.
The film will be screened as a free Moonlight Cinema Event
On Saturday March 8 from 6.30pm at Harry Noble Reserve on Swanson Street, Erskineville. Enquiries:
erskinevillestories@gmail.com
Photo: Annie Kennedy focuses on Erskineville Photo: Ali
Blogg
Source:
South Sydney Herald February 2008 – www.southsydneyherald.com.au