The perfect park

Last Saturday, I was happy to be a part of the opening of the brand new Harmony Park, next to Surry Hills police station, MC’d by the ever glamorous Claire de Lune. We got to see numerous performances by various cultural groups in the Darlinghurst and Surry Hills area. The park was officially opened by the lord mayor Clover Moore -“ there was even the unveiling of a plaque.

Everyone was treated to free food and we were able to take home our own plant, provided by the City of Sydney. You have to love free stuff. My mother would walk an extra five kilometres if she knew she could get something for free, and we have all taken that walk with her.

I worked closely with the boys from the Anti-Violence Project to try to increase awareness of the problems in and around the area. Yes, I am still banging on about the safety issues -“ I guess this one is not going to go away unless we keep at it.

Decked out in candy pink stripes and matching umbrella (which was to provide shade, but I am not really sure if it did its job as well as intended as I returned home as pink as my outfit), I gingerly waddled around the park, handing out awareness cards and whistles. After many years you’d think I would have learnt by now: when working in a park, wear flat shoes. Forgetting this rule I spent most of the day on my toes, praying that I wouldn’t go A over T.

So why is it so good to have a green park smack in the middle of our suburb? With summer just around the corner, many of us are not lucky enough to have a backyard or any green grass to lie on. It is a great area to take a book, have a picnic, or even take the dog down for a run. I hope all the locals take the opportunity to utilise the park. It’s basically in our front yard.

Talking about opportunities, after many years of mindless late night TV viewing -“ I like to call this the BF period (before Foxtel) -“ I have decided to audition for Big Brother. What could be better than a showgirl 24-7 on national television? I can imagine many readers’ eyes rolling already. With official drag days, I could see a whole house experiencing heels, lashes and make-up. Proving to many that there actually is a boy behind the make-up would not only open the eyes of many in the straight community but also our own gay and lesbian community. I wouldn’t be representing anyone apart from myself, but I think it would be a shake-up the community needs. Either that or a butch lesbian -“ now that would shake the house up!