Elesia Hoffman
I thought I’d be here for the rest of my life

I first moved to Minto on the 25th of May, 1982. I was 21 years old and I had two kids at the time. In the time I’ve lived in Minto, I’ve seen the area change in many ways. I’ve lived in the same house for 22 years and raised my four kids in the Minto area. My four kids all went to Sarah Redfern preschool and primary and also attended the high school. They attended TAFEs in the area and the whole family worked at Minto Hub except for three of us. I have four grandchildren born in the area and I thought I’d be here for the rest of my life.

There have been so many people who run Minto down but that’s everywhere you go, you see the good and the bad. Nowhere’s perfect. Some people think where they live is perfect but everywhere has their troubles. The good thing about Sarah Way was you lived close to shops, schools, public transport, a public library. Minto has had its fair share of troubles in the area, like police chases, drugs and cars being stolen and houses robbed and people get harassed sometimes, but Minto is not as bad as they say it is. You can’t judge an area by going there. You have to live there and see both sides of Minto.

They had good things in the area for people each week, for example open house where someone would cook. They also had things on weekends like morning breakfast and learning groups like kids’ study time which they run at the library and also groups held at Uniting Care Burnside.

Minto becomes a part of you when you live there for so long like I have and whoever else has been here and I’m sure they’re all sad to move because there are a lot of good memories of Minto and they won’t be forgotten. A lot of people will miss Minto.