gathering ground

So I went to gathering ground at the block last night, on the coldest day in November for 100 years.. and despite technical difficulties and a wind chill I can safely say just about everyone there was feeling warm inside by the end. It was awesome! It's only on for another two nights but if you happen to read this and live in Sydney GO! Great talent Allan and Aleatha take you on a tour of the block imparting their knowledge and history of this incredibly important site. Included is a smoking ceremony & ceremonial dance, a beautiful projected slide show of some of the people and memories from years ago. A great setup outside of Mundine's Gym with boxers, breakdancers, acrobatics and a band! Then a protest walk leading to the basketball courts where wire mc and his proteges drop rhymes, beats, and some krumping to boot! We then got a fashion show, and it was so nice to see these beautiful girls building confidence (as strange as the idea of deportment is). And finally a number by the redfern community choir and some great videos made by the residents. So fun! And so much talent concentrated in such a small area. I've had conversations with the organisers today, and I feel that this is the most positive event i've seen in my five years of living in Sydney. Credit has to be given to all the people who have been doing things over the past year including the Squat-space guys for the Tour of Beauty, the walking tour of the Block protest that was organised a couple of months ago, and the monthly reggae and hip hop afternoons for slowly helping educate people and contribute to a growing sense of community and understanding in wider Redfern. I think this is a culmination of all those efforts. Last night left me with a great sense of hope, and I'm sure the momentum will only grow of the next couple of nights. I've flickr'd a few photos if you want to check it out. Friday & Saturday 7.30pm - meet outside Redfern Station.