Footscray - Foundation of Australian multiculturalism
Roving reporter Yvonne looks into the culture and history of Footscray, in Melbourne's inner west.
Looking for a holiday destination? Well, how about going local... to Footscray, perhaps?
Footscray is an urban salad bowl. Whether it is Chinese, Vietnamese, Muslim, Indian, Greek or Morroccan, this small suburb has it all. The presence of these people is indicated by their grocery stores, restaurants and their infiltration on the bus and tram services.
To add to that, just over the last couple of years, there has been a splash of Sudanese migrants. Therefore Footscray is and has always been part of the foundation of Australia's multiculturalism.
If you are a tourist, or a person who has never set foot in an urban melting-pot, Footscray is your ideal destination. A few sites that you must visit include:
- Footscray Market - the floors are a little sticky, so my advice is to not wear your best shoes
- True Beauty Fashion Store - my parents' store - self-explanatory ;)
- Hot Bread Bakery
- Duchess
- Maribrynong Library
- Last but not least: Bubble Cup
These are all the stores I visit every time I'm in Footscray. It is not too hard to spend a whole day there.
My life in Footscray
My parents have been in Footscray since they set foot in Australia back in the 1980s. They are not the only immigrants who have settled into Footscray on coming to this country. These days lots of Sudanese and other North African immigrants are doing so. Why? Because of the affordable housing and the convenience of public transport. One out of two people in Footscray has had no proper English education.
Admittedly, it was only early in 2007 that I officially moved into Maribyrnong. Before that I was living in St Albans. However, nearly all my childhood memories have been played out in Footscray.
I remember the New Year festivals, the Vietnamese noodles, Sunday school at Footscray College, feeding pigeons with peas that I and other children collected from trees (which is actually illegal I later found out) and so on.
However, some other worse memories I have are of theft in my parent's store, druggies approaching dealing heroin, road rage, and lastly - what I still see everyday - heavy racism.
Racism? Or clash of cultures?
A suburb that is flitting with at least eight different nationalites - believe it not - will inevitably have some ethnic tensions. This may have something to do with Footscray's colourful history.
Back in the 1970s, according to my Dad's memory, Footscray was dominated by Greek and Italian migrants. Then gradually, Footscray was taken over by Chinese and Vietnamese migrants. More recently a surge of North African immigrants and Asian international students have poured into Footscray, changing what was Vietnamese noodle shops to take away stores and Muslim convenience stores.
My Dad tells me that his business is doomed because the new immigrants are not interested in buying fashionable, good quality clothes. I know a lot of Chinese and Vietnamese who say the new immigrants are a 'waste of space' and 'dummies', while there are recent immigrants who think that Asians are 'gold diggers' and 'greedy'.
Australians and migrants
Many Australians dislike the migrants and refugees Australia welcomes. They think that that they're taking over jobs, university places and aren't big enough consumers because most come from countries where they've had hard lives.
My parents have were migrants who came to Australia back in the '80s, and their English is still limited to being able to read a picture book. But even though they have been Australian citizens for decades, they're still branded as 'migrants'. So will their status as 'migrants' ever change?
Footscray, perhaps, will always be a safe haven for new and old immigrants. Although racism is in the air, at least the majority of the people who live there are equals. There is no mindset of 'You are an immigrant. Get off my land'. They are all, in some way, outsiders.
Come and visit!
If you are in the city and would like a new experience, take a Sydenham or Werribee line train to the modest suburb of Footscray. As simple and ordinary as it is for a shopping district, it is by no means ordinary to me.
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