Maida Street, Five Dock, Margaret Street, Abbotsford (Russell Lea) and Mary Street, Drummoyne on Saturday 27 June 2020
The streets I have picked for today are in different suburbs, but it is all in the same geographical area and they all belong to the City of Canada Bay Council. It has several bays, Hen and Chicken Bay, Kings Bay, Canada Bay and more.
Maida Street seemingly only exist to get to a group of residential buildings with scrawny lawns, Holt’s hoists and walled-in recesses for the garbage bins. It’s just a block away from Kings Bay. The occupants facing the waterside on the upper floors probably have a view of the bay which I cannot see on ground level. The flats look rather on the poorer side of the property market scale. They must have been built when the bay hadn’t been developed yet into a pretty green zone with footpaths and playgrounds. I am happy for the people living here to be able to enjoy a nice location. The grounds themselves don’t look very attractive. In one section are a plaster buddha on a tree stump and some other Chinese figures scattered around the lawn. I take a photo and go back to the car to find directions for my next location.
Suddenly there is a man at my car window. He’s wearing a singlet and wants to know if he can help me. Which, I learned a while ago, means “What do you want?” I tell him that I am just looking for directions. So he comes to the point and asks why I took photos. I stick to the truth: “It’s an art project”. He doesn’t seem to find this weird and only says, “Next time, it would be nice if you would ask permission.” Sure, I am going to ring every flat to ask if I can take a photo of an ugly statue. Of course, I’m not saying that aloud. It turns out, he is concerned that I had photographed into the windows and intruded on peoples’ privacy. “Oh no, I am not doing that. I would never do that.” He seems immediately relieved, believing me surprisingly quickly. He is suddenly very friendly and almost apologetic, wishing me a nice day. I am guessing his real concern was that I am from the Council or some authority to check people out.
Margaret Street is near the water at Five Dock Bay and ends at a park. Cockatoos live here or maybe just came for a visit, sitting on the powerlines and fences.
Mary Street is dominated by the brand-new Scalabrini retirement complex. It contains “The Village” and “The Palazzo”, featuring all types of building materials. There is a red brick front piece with a church-style window and two flagpoles without flags, flanked by cypress trees. That’s possibly something left over from a previous building. In addition, the complex features polished sandstone, dark and red brickwork as well as grey and white slabs and yellow vertical panels. It’s a wild mix.
Further down the street, a boy is jumping on a trampoline in a backyard, popping up from behind the tumbling fence every few seconds. At one corner is a tree with rusty red autumn leaves, while there are still a few roses blooming in another garden.
