“ I left high school in ’97, went home and told my Grandma I was moving out in a week. I had no idea where I was going and I moved to an area called Airds which was kind of like going from the frying pan into the fire. It was really rough. I lasted a week. My uncle David knew a lady looking for a flatmate so I moved to Dulwich Hill and lived in the inner west for 3 years.
In 2000 I had a bout of ill health and my doctor advised me to go on a holiday. I kid you not, I opened up a map of Australia, put my thumb on Sydney and stretched my hand out as far as I could on the East coast. My index finger landed on Lismore. My initial thought was that my dad was stationed there in the army and it’s the only time I had heard about Lismore. I knew no-one there and had no idea what the town was like. I came up and stayed at an M.O. at Tuntable Falls for 2 weeks. To occupy my time I would catch the bus from Nimbin into Lismore and walk the block. I was amazed at how welcoming and nice people were. It has never changed. I thought I love this place. I walked past the Mecca Cafe and saw a sign with a room to rent. I applied and got it. I applied to uni and got in to do Art. I had previously forfeited a position doing Fine Arts in UWS in Kingswood. I threw myself into the university lifestyle. A few years later I threw myself into the Tropical Fruits organisation, helping put on parties.
I moved away in 2006 and landed back in Sydney. I left a really bad relationship here. I felt like I couldn’t fart without it being front page news in the town I had fallen in love with. I ended up back in Sydney for 4 years living in Newtown and Enmore. I was bumping into people I’d met in Lismore all the time and I would come back here and bump into people I knew from the inner west. It was like this sister town.
When my father past away in 2010 I thought I would come back to the North Coast just for 2 weeks. I ended up meeting someone and we lived at Ocean Shores. We broke up and I moved to Mullumbimby then Cabarita but I always felt the pull back to Lismore. Things went pear shaped and my mate sold the place we were living in. The cafe I was working at sold so I also lost my job. I was feeling stressed and vulnerable so I called Erica and said ‘I think I need to come back’.
I arrived 3 days before the flood last year. I moved into a caravan in the back of my sisters place in North Lismore which is one of the only elevated properties over there and then Cyclone Debbie came. It was like the grand lakes of Lismore. Most of my stuff was in storage in Snow St. so it all took a bath. I salvaged some stuff but lost a lot. This might sound a bit hippy trip but it was a lesson on the emphasis we place on material things. It was a real experience of letting go. My stuff was stored in a room off my brother in laws workshop. I had carefully placed everything. It looked like someone had upended the room and coated everything with shit. I again reminded myself..I have my health, I have my family. I thought, Ok we are all in crisis now but how f#@king cool is Lismore that we can all band together as we did. It was so inspiring and still is today. It was also a big lesson on accepting help from people. I’m pretty independent but I was help be St Vincent’s and The Salvos. It was just amazing.
Let me tell you about Bunny. I became Bunny’s human just shy of her 3rd birthday in 2011. Bunny came from a kennel out at Bentley. She’ll be 9 this year so in Greyhound terms she’s getting on a bit. She was trialled as a racer, she never had a career and she wasn’t used for breeding. I was in a really bad way. I was going through a lot of grief about Dad dying. I have a history of high anxiety with bouts of depression and I was in a really dark place. I was at home a lot and my partner at the time said, ‘Let’s get a dog’. I was working at a cafe and a lady had a Whippet which I adored. She wrote down a number and said if you like my dog there are hundreds that need a good home. I called ‘Friends of the Hound’ in Murwillumbah. I spoke to Lisa who is responsible for the care and fostering of these Greyhounds. She said I have the perfect girl for you. The day she was delivered my partner and I were standing side by side and she ran straight to me and put her head between my legs. Damien and I ended up breaking up but he is still one of my best mates. We ended up with another Greyhound who adored Damien so Loki is his dog. She has been amazing for my mental health. She keeps me in check. We both get plenty of exercise and she lives a very charmed life.
I’ve been in the hospitality industry since I was 14 so I’m trained as an all rounder but in the last 10-15 years I’ve been mainly front of house and coffee which I still really enjoy.
About 6 years ago I retrained as a Massage therapist so I still have my foot in the hospitality door but I’ve been working as a massage Therapist for 6 years. Recently I took on a studio space in town on Woodlark St. It’s called The Woodlark Room.
I was working at Nook before it closed and I met Sharon Mullen. Sharon has really encouraged me to reignite my career. Sharon had the space where she does her classes and off that is a room I can do my massages. We’ve had 2 more Yoga practitioners join us now. I also work at Palate with Linda and David who are the new owners and I’m loving it. They have great coffee, great food and great staff. Years ago I was at Caddies which I loved. People still see me and remember me from Caddies.
I’m not leaving Lismore again. In the time that I’d been away my brother and sister have firmly set down roots here. They are very well known artists in town. I love taking people for a walk through the Back Alley Gallery because its like…That’s my brothers, that’s my sisters, that’s my brothers, that’s my sisters!
I have a background in visual arts as well. I’m doing a photographic exhibition at Muse Gallery in May and then I have a painting exhibition coming up at a gallery in Albury of all places. Working at Palate and the Woodlark Room still gives me time to devote to my art’s practise. One of my primary motivations for moving back to Lismore aside from being close to family, both biological and extended, was the opportunity to be around other creative people. It’s so lovely.”
In 2000 I had a bout of ill health and my doctor advised me to go on a holiday. I kid you not, I opened up a map of Australia, put my thumb on Sydney and stretched my hand out as far as I could on the East coast. My index finger landed on Lismore. My initial thought was that my dad was stationed there in the army and it’s the only time I had heard about Lismore. I knew no-one there and had no idea what the town was like. I came up and stayed at an M.O. at Tuntable Falls for 2 weeks. To occupy my time I would catch the bus from Nimbin into Lismore and walk the block. I was amazed at how welcoming and nice people were. It has never changed. I thought I love this place. I walked past the Mecca Cafe and saw a sign with a room to rent. I applied and got it. I applied to uni and got in to do Art. I had previously forfeited a position doing Fine Arts in UWS in Kingswood. I threw myself into the university lifestyle. A few years later I threw myself into the Tropical Fruits organisation, helping put on parties.
I moved away in 2006 and landed back in Sydney. I left a really bad relationship here. I felt like I couldn’t fart without it being front page news in the town I had fallen in love with. I ended up back in Sydney for 4 years living in Newtown and Enmore. I was bumping into people I’d met in Lismore all the time and I would come back here and bump into people I knew from the inner west. It was like this sister town.
When my father past away in 2010 I thought I would come back to the North Coast just for 2 weeks. I ended up meeting someone and we lived at Ocean Shores. We broke up and I moved to Mullumbimby then Cabarita but I always felt the pull back to Lismore. Things went pear shaped and my mate sold the place we were living in. The cafe I was working at sold so I also lost my job. I was feeling stressed and vulnerable so I called Erica and said ‘I think I need to come back’.
I arrived 3 days before the flood last year. I moved into a caravan in the back of my sisters place in North Lismore which is one of the only elevated properties over there and then Cyclone Debbie came. It was like the grand lakes of Lismore. Most of my stuff was in storage in Snow St. so it all took a bath. I salvaged some stuff but lost a lot. This might sound a bit hippy trip but it was a lesson on the emphasis we place on material things. It was a real experience of letting go. My stuff was stored in a room off my brother in laws workshop. I had carefully placed everything. It looked like someone had upended the room and coated everything with shit. I again reminded myself..I have my health, I have my family. I thought, Ok we are all in crisis now but how f#@king cool is Lismore that we can all band together as we did. It was so inspiring and still is today. It was also a big lesson on accepting help from people. I’m pretty independent but I was help be St Vincent’s and The Salvos. It was just amazing.
Let me tell you about Bunny. I became Bunny’s human just shy of her 3rd birthday in 2011. Bunny came from a kennel out at Bentley. She’ll be 9 this year so in Greyhound terms she’s getting on a bit. She was trialled as a racer, she never had a career and she wasn’t used for breeding. I was in a really bad way. I was going through a lot of grief about Dad dying. I have a history of high anxiety with bouts of depression and I was in a really dark place. I was at home a lot and my partner at the time said, ‘Let’s get a dog’. I was working at a cafe and a lady had a Whippet which I adored. She wrote down a number and said if you like my dog there are hundreds that need a good home. I called ‘Friends of the Hound’ in Murwillumbah. I spoke to Lisa who is responsible for the care and fostering of these Greyhounds. She said I have the perfect girl for you. The day she was delivered my partner and I were standing side by side and she ran straight to me and put her head between my legs. Damien and I ended up breaking up but he is still one of my best mates. We ended up with another Greyhound who adored Damien so Loki is his dog. She has been amazing for my mental health. She keeps me in check. We both get plenty of exercise and she lives a very charmed life.
I’ve been in the hospitality industry since I was 14 so I’m trained as an all rounder but in the last 10-15 years I’ve been mainly front of house and coffee which I still really enjoy.
About 6 years ago I retrained as a Massage therapist so I still have my foot in the hospitality door but I’ve been working as a massage Therapist for 6 years. Recently I took on a studio space in town on Woodlark St. It’s called The Woodlark Room.
I was working at Nook before it closed and I met Sharon Mullen. Sharon has really encouraged me to reignite my career. Sharon had the space where she does her classes and off that is a room I can do my massages. We’ve had 2 more Yoga practitioners join us now. I also work at Palate with Linda and David who are the new owners and I’m loving it. They have great coffee, great food and great staff. Years ago I was at Caddies which I loved. People still see me and remember me from Caddies.
I’m not leaving Lismore again. In the time that I’d been away my brother and sister have firmly set down roots here. They are very well known artists in town. I love taking people for a walk through the Back Alley Gallery because its like…That’s my brothers, that’s my sisters, that’s my brothers, that’s my sisters!
I have a background in visual arts as well. I’m doing a photographic exhibition at Muse Gallery in May and then I have a painting exhibition coming up at a gallery in Albury of all places. Working at Palate and the Woodlark Room still gives me time to devote to my art’s practise. One of my primary motivations for moving back to Lismore aside from being close to family, both biological and extended, was the opportunity to be around other creative people. It’s so lovely.”