Stones (nickname) with his Sufi.
“ I was born in the Blue Mountains. There were some great people but I can’t really remember them. I really want the young ones to know not to get into things when you’re young. I got into mushies and other drugs and the affect on my brain has been long term. I used to make jewellery. I’m sorry I am finding it hard to talk to you. I also had paralysis ticks recently which make me a bit slower. I’m alright though.
I’ve been trying to find somewhere to live with my dog. She has real bad arthritis. She’s 9 and I’ve had her since she was a little pup. I lived in caravan parks for a while but now I’ve been homeless for a couple of months. I don’t function very well because of drugs I used to do so I can’t get work. I just worry about the young ones because I know what happened to me. It’s great to get wasted but you don’t want to waste your whole life. I must have done some hard core stuff as well but I don’t remember it.
I’m 50 now and I appreciate people being patient and understanding with me. 50 is the new 40 for me now. I have a new life direction because I’m clean. I don’t do anything at all. I’ve cleaned up and I’ve got back on track. My living standard has dropped and I now know how hard it is to be homeless. Living on the streets here I see war veterans, women with kids, people from all walks of life who have somehow got lost. There’s a 10 year waiting list for a house and I have a dog so I’m at the bottom of the list, which is how it should be. I’m not complaining. I would rather go without a home than have to give up my dog. She is my family. When I first got her she could fit in my pocket. She was the runt of the litter. I don’t have family close by so she is my whole family.
I do see that I am responsible for her. It’s been a while since I had a missus. When I did Sufi knew to leave the end of the bed when the romance was happening. She has good manners. She saved a sugar glider from being attacked by birds. She kept chasing them away. She looks out for other creatures. I push her around in a shopping trolley because her arthritis is painful if we walk a bit. I carry her up stairs some times when she’s sore.
I’m hoping for her sake we have a home soon. I mean I want a home too. I want to be able to go out and do things and not worry that she’s on the street or that she’s cold. If we have a home I know she’s safe. I might have to go elsewhere to do that. The Lismore community has been really good to me. There are good hearts in Lismore but there are so many needing a home. I saw some good graffiti… ‘Live more, love more, be more, Lismore.’ I like that!
There’s always people doing it harder. At least we don’t have bombs dropping on us. We have social security. It’s better to look on the bright side and just seeing your smile right now warms me up.
I think back to the convicts sometimes and I think the people that stole a loaf of bread were humanely more moral than someone who would leave their kids hungry.
It’s getting a bit hard. There’s a lot of people needing resources and we do get frowned upon. People here have been really good and patient. I wanted to get on the internet to thank people. Maybe someone out there might have a room or garage we could rent. Sufi is very clean. Sometimes I get misinterpreted and I’ve misinterpreted others but I’ve never meant any disrespect.”
(Stones was too embarrassed for me to take his photo. He was the sweetest person.)