Julie Foreman
Some thoughts from Julie about Minto, March 2007

I began work as a Community Educator with the Animation Project of the St Vincent de Paul Society in Minto in 1999 - this is now the longest I have stayed in any job in over 25 years of working life. I was initially attracted to the job because I felt it was a social justice focused community work position that took seriously its theoretical underpinnings. Yet, I have stayed because of the people I have grown to know and respect in the Minto community.

My memories of Minto are many and include Lesley's Lemon Meringue Pie, Jeff's wisdom and helping hand, Aunty Eileen's cheekiness, Adele's insights, Steve's jokes, Yvonne's persistence, Uncle Ivan's patience and welcome, Bev helping families enjoy events in Kids Community Park, Gary and Jamie's beautiful gardens, exquisite performances by the Maori and Pacific Island communities and the beloved pets of just about everyone!

After eight years the people of the Minto community continue to inspire and motivate me in my work. I admire the community members I know for their resilience, humour and generosity. When the community projects the Animation Project have been involved with have faced difficulties, challenges or barriers I have discovered that the collective wisdom and insight of the resident participants have shown the way forward.

The Minto community have taught me the importance of listening and of alternate stories. This took me a while to understand and learn - quotes from 'The Lowest Rung' by academic Mark Peel describes this in a far better way than I could:

"The mistake of many ventures - and the mistake I made - is to think that you already know the story when what you must do is listen...
....I would bear witness to the inadequacies of the welfare system and to what abstractions such as 'downsizing' actually meant in people's lives. However, this wasn't the tale they wanted told. Nor did it do justice to the complicated, careful stories they shared with me. I had to learn what had to be said, about hope as well as pain...
their stories tell the intricate histories of individuals and families, as well as the impact of decisions taken by powerful people who don't live there."

In daily conversation I hear expressed in different ways the common experience of marginalisation, being stereotyped or studied, a relative powerlessness, a sense of being the objects of other people's decisions. Against these experiences, there is also the reality of wisdom, resilience, persistence, insight, creativity, and desire to work for a better world, particularly for children and grandchildren. I am privileged and proud to have had a small role in the 'Remembering Minto' project for it is a project like this that asks people to share their hope, insight and creativity. It uses oral history in its best possible way: to endorse the importance of what people said, and acknowledge them as speakers with a right to be heard.

When I first heard about the redevelopment I was very surprised and yet, not initially disturbed. The Government announcement promised new homes and improved infrastructure based on local community consultation. It was when I met with residents, witnessed their reactions and listened to their responses and questions I begun to understand my naivety. Many men, women and children expressed grief, anger and sadness at having no control over losing their homes, neighbours and community. For many it was like being ripped from the heart of their family. [This is not to imply that there were not individual staff within the Department of Housing who acted sympathetically and assisted tenants and over time the Department itself has publicly acknowledged errors in their process and actively sought more opportunities for tenant involvement.] My hope is that over the last five years all of us who work in Minto have grasped the importance of truly listening to those most affected by our decisions and respecting what they have to say.

What is the Animation Project?
The Animation Project is a program of St Vincent de Paul Society, Wollongong Diocese. It stands beside, listens to and respects those who are seldom heard, so we may act with each other for a more just world.

We are part of a broad tradition of popular education, community development and community action whose principal goal is social and personal transformation. Our approach is anchored in the Christian social justice tradition. We work with people living on large public housing estates in South Western Sydney. Many are committed and passionate volunteers in their communities. Together we work to make a difference by listening to and working with people that are struggling with poor health, poverty, exclusion, many forms of systemic abuse and discrimination. For further information: animation@svdpwgong.org.au

Mark Peel, The Lowest Rung Cambridge 2003