In March’s issue, I posed the question about what is in a suburb’s derogatory nickname, deciding head-on to own ‘Scumshine’. As a former resident, and frequent visitor now, I never considered anyone else beyond my suburb’s borders would even bat an eyelid to the postcode prejudice that Sunshine attracts. One man did. And he did something about it.
Luke Buesnel, a former journalist, galloped in, swung open the saloon doors, and every Sunshiner he encountered (or Sunshinian as he calls us), was drawn to his sincerity to listen to their story. And listen he did as he willingly surrendered his holster (and downed a few beers at the bar).
With film posse in tow, he managed to showcase, in less than 15 minutes, what I consider to be the heart and soul of Sunshine; hard-working migrants, second generation tertiary-educated residents, and most welcome newcomers who are proud to shine scum off to reveal the suburb’s glistening offerings.
Luke could not fault the warm welcomes, culinary delights from the kitchens of Vietnamese and Ethiopian migrants, the sense of community spirit, the likability of residents, hot property on the market, the clean streets, and the sunshiny vibe.
Luke had been expecting to be held at knifepoint, attacked in an alleyway and offered a powdery packet of illegalness. But like me, Luke sees a suburb that is not tarnished by its high crime rate. Like me, Luke questions why Melburnians not living in Sunshine, grimace when they hear or read about Sunshine. Like me, Luke, although not tied to the suburb by his heartstrings, seeks to share the real story behind Sunshine, unlike the one so often reported by the media.
One could argue the gentrification of the suburb is giving voice to the silent who have been caged by a name-driven outcome; you are, or become, what you are referred to. If you are looked down upon by someone condescendingly, commenting ‘Oh you’re from Sunshine’, coupled with what everyone has been told about its residents by commercial media, do you not succumb, and follow suit? I did not. And never will.
Through to my early 20s, I lived in a sunlit garden and in that sunshine weeds grew aplenty.
Every garden has weeds. Some more than others. Heck, a garden needs weeds. Weeds are nature’s healing remedy for sites that are in a wounded state. Could it be that the proliferation of weeds in Sunshine is a cry for help? Or is it possible that Sunshine provides the ultimate conditions for weeds to thrive, namely a stigma that drives continual undesirable life choices by some residents?
Whatever the cause for the abundance of weeds, Luke did not spot any among the thriving blooms, and he has visited Sunshine a number of times. He also tells me St Kilda East, where he lives, is a hotbed of crime yet it barely gets a mention in the media. Perhaps this exclusion serves his suburb well. It may likely control the weeds from proliferating on his side of the fence.
Street Stories started as a passion project for Luke, hitting the digital space earlier this year, but has now become a movement. After more than 75k views, the project has been rebranded to Streets Discovered with a website being developed and new social media platforms populated.
Luke is back in our fair West (and why wouldn’t he be?) for episode two, to address why Wyndham is one of Australia’s fastest-growing regions. Luke will kayak the river while talking to a representative of the Werribee River Association, and sample Filipino cuisine and discuss Filipino immigration, among its other distinctive offerings.
Connect and follow Streets Discovered on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
View video: https://youtu.be/Hp8Hl11PFyo?feature=shared
