Susan Street, Rose and Victoria Street, Newtown on Sunday, 10 May 2020

Susan Street is where Ali used to live. He is one of the people I met when I first came to Sydney, but we lost contact. He is a cobbler and ran a shop in Missenden Road.

I never ventured any further into the small streets past Ali’s flat. It’s a part of Newtown where I feel the past speaks to me. Small dwellings, local industry, a few pubs, a church and a cemetery.

Victoria Street ends at the gate to the old cemetery of St Stephen's Anglican Church. On this sunny Sunday afternoon, I see people walking in and out through the gate as if there is a special event. Even though we are still in lockdown and the streets are mostly empty. It’s a peaceful place to go for a quiet walk, like a sanctuary. The graves are old, and flowers grow in between. Pink cosmos, one of my favourite summer flowers, have grown very tall above the graveyard wall towards the sun.

Later I learn from the 'City of Sydney Historic Walks' website that the 'NSW Railway and Recreation Club' used to be at the corner of Victoria and O’Connell Street, now converted into apartments. The 'Older Women’s Network NSW' is also housed in Victoria Street in a gated, freestanding bungalow with a library and outdoor space.

“O’Connell Town”, Newtown on Wednesday, 27 May 2020

I have read in the meantime that the area of Victoria, Susan, Rose, and a few more streets around there was created as a kind of village under Governor Maurice O’Connell in the 1840s. It was intended as a service centre for the surrounding estates. It’s said to have been the only purpose-built entity in that district. I guess that's why I felt that history was speaking to me. It’s still nestling in the corners and niches, as I can sense the village and workman’s atmosphere here. On my several visits to this area, I see many young people on bicycles or scooters with delivery food bags. Sometimes they sit on or next to their vehicles with their mobiles in hand, waiting for the next job. It's still a service centre. Even Ali’s cobbler trade fits well.

Back to my history research: Victoria Street was formerly called Brick Street, and there were brick manufacturers and stone masons for the adjacent graveyard.

There is still a Mechanic Street in this area. ‘Mechanic’ was a common term for working-class men who were not farmers or domestic staff. There is also still a ‘Colonial Engineering Co.’ at the corner of O’Connell and Victoria. I wonder why they’ve kept a name like that. After reading some more, I learn that 'Colonial Engineering' ceased to exist and was converted into flats by 1997. They must have kept the signage for historical reasons.