Your voice – August 2025

A Love Letter from SoWeFo to NoWeFo

Dear North West Footscray (NoWeFo),

We don’t see each other as often as we should. Why is that? We could be so close—we have so much potential…

I know, I know — it’s bold of me. But hear me out.

We’re practically strangers, separated by train tracks, traffic, and a whole lot of urban planning oversights. But from down here in SoWeFo, I’ve been watching you from afar — your library, RecWest, your dining spots, your beautifully evolving, quirky charm of Barkly Street — and I can’t help but wonder… what if?

You see, I live in the little southern wedge of West Footscray, called SouthWeFo (SoWeFo). You may not have noticed us. We’re kind of like the Tasmania of WeFo — cute, a bit isolated, often forgotten. We’re a sporty bunch, with Hansen Reserve on our doorstep, and we keep it low-fuss with our local milk bar. We’re patient too — waiting for someone to open up a centrally located SoWeFo café. But honey, to be honest, we’re feeling disconnected.

My partner and I moved to Melbourne from Adelaide back in 2006. After a fleeting Brunswick West fling (cut short by skyrocketing rent), we lucked out and bought our first home in West Footscray in 2009 — a post-war little weatherboard on a quiet street off Roberts Street. I fell instantly in love with the original kitchen, complete with kookaburra tiles and creaky cupboards. She was authentic.

The street we landed on is a wholesome mix of old West Footscray and new. Neighbours take out each other’s bins, mow nature strips. We know each other’s dogs by name. The start of a solid relationship. So we planted our roots — and a silver birch out the front — and started growing our family.

But still… something was missing.

With a newborn baby taking 45-minute naps (24/7) and a growing need for community and fresh air, the pram started dictating my walks. I wandered along the path of least resistance — southward. Towards Seddon and Yarraville. To Cruickshank Park, where the paths were smoother, the footpaths and streetscapes offered just enough stimulation to feel refreshed and in control. Vegemite on toast and hot chocolates at a café on a good day. Date nights in the Village.

Over time, I built friendships and routines in those places.

Meanwhile, you, dear North WeFo, remained just out of reach.

And now, with my children starting high school, I’ve come to realise how sad it is that those years of building friendships, routines and memories weren’t spent in North WeFo.

I’m a placemaker by profession — I help communities feel connected, empowered, whole. And yet here I was, living just a few blocks from you, and feeling like it was just too much trouble to cross over. The divide between us? It’s not emotional — it’s structural.

But here’s the twist (relationships are like that): through a little grassroots magic called WeFo United, I finally met you. Really met you. I met your people — your doers, your champions, your dreamers. People like me, who want to connect.

And wouldn’t you know it? We clicked!

So this is my slightly awkward, wildly optimistic love letter.

Not to declare undying devotion, but to say: I want a future with you.

Let’s build the bridge.
Let’s stop pretending we’re worlds apart when we’re just a footpath away.
Let’s unite this beautifully fractured, warm, and wonderful neighbourhood we both call home.

Here’s how you can help make our community voice matter: sign the petition and show your support. www.change.org/p/build-a-bridge-that-reconnects-west-footscray

With love,
Jo Skladzien

Your admirer from SoWeFo,
Local West Footscray Resident and member of WeFo United