People of Avondale
Inspired by Humans of New York, People of Avondale tells the stories of people from our neighbourhood. Our suburb is one of the most diverse in the country and the people that work, live, study or play here have many interesting stories to share. Check out #PeopleofAvondale for more examples.
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Sok Heang Nguon, Cambodian business owner
“In Cambodia, it’s a third world country. It [can be] really hard, but life’s pretty easy over there, it’s more relaxed. Here you’ve got to fight hard to get things done.”
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Jennifer Dann, surrogate mother
“My sister could no longer carry kids… so I offered to carry for her. We all wanted her daughter to have a sibling and we knew we were gonna lose her.”
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Scott Aitken, champion kickboxer
“I was influenced by what was around me, a product of my environment. I try talk to all the up and coming thugs. I try and push this training thing their way instead.”
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Matalena Tulisi, siva practitioner
“The way I was taught was that siva, it’s the dance form of telling a story so it’s all about how you tell the story. The story’s told through your hands, your face, your grace.”
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Pania Taka-Brown, Avondale born and raised
“For us growing up, everyone knew everyone. Those were the days where you went to the local school. I felt a sense of safety, family, community.”
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Royden Redman, overcoming anxiety
“I couldn’t even leave the house really. Originally it was just a travel sort of thing, going in the car I felt real sick. Then over time it became sitting around, in bed, just on and off whenever the hell it wanted to.”
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Smita Upadhye, creative
“Art is a basic thing, but it's got so much variety, novelty, techniques, mediums. I really like to learn from other cultures and pass on mine.”
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William Brown, youth worker
“In order to break down a lot of the stuff that young people go through, you need to create a space. Quality relationships don’t happen in a week, it’s over time.”
