Lesley Browne
Most of these town houses, they’re built the wrong way around…

I’ve lived in Minto going on seven years now, in the Housing Department and I’m 67. It was here or nowhere else. We needed to get down from Queensland, to be near our children and we had an offer to come into the Minto area.

When we first saw our house, it was with horror because it had been absolutely wrecked. It was a putrid mess and we worked so hard to clean it up.

This is a different house now. I was in a townhouse but I’ve had an accident and I can’t climb the stairs; I was in a wheelchair for two and a half years.

Our neighbours were very good. We had a Vietnamese family next to us, and they were lovely people and still are. We see them. The other lady on the other side of us was Australian and we still see her and her family. We’ve had no problems but we did have a problem with a neighbour down the street, but that was by the way. You just ignore it.

I think the redevelopment announcement is the biggest thing that has happened around here recently. It’s affected a lot of people very much. One lady was crying up the street because she had to move and it wasn’t what she wanted. It’s really hard for some of them; they’ve been here for 30 years.

Most of these town houses, they’re built the wrong way around, the maintenance on them must be horrendous. The place we were in, the sink kept blocking up. The house was built in such a way, you couldn’t even get to it.

I was told I was staying, then they interviewed me and told me that the house might stay but I might have to move. I said, I’m not moving and I’m not.

The happiest thing for us is that we’re near our family. So many people are going to have to move and be away from their families and that must be upsetting for them. I feel we’re very lucky.