Spring 2020 ear nd y 42 ISSUE 190 THE NORTH & WEST MELBOURNE NEWS IS PRODUCED BY VOLUNTEERS AT THE CENTRE: Connecting Community in North & West Melbourne Inc www.centre.org.au A stitch in Pandemic affects time behind the mask policing in the crusader inner suburbs Anna Huynh Nicole Pereira masks. “If they can’t pay the fine, eana Eddington began stitching it generally becomes a debt,” he says. Dgowns to protect front-line A policeman’s lot is not a happy Craig is keenly aware that healthcare workers during the first one (Pirates of Penzance) homelessness isn’t easily solved. lockdown. “It’s a long-term project for housing In the harsher stage-four lockdown, ergeant Craig McIntosh can services. But most of our local the new North Melbourne resident Sgive the lie to that old line. A homeless are reasonably easy to talk found another way to help her policeman for 14 years and now to, and we run several operations community. She turned her sewing based at Melbourne West Police and support programs that involve skills to making masks, and her Station, he loves his work. “I dreaded chatting with them,” he says. efforts have seen her turn out well a desk job and I didn’t want to be He is heartened that recent COVID- over 700. doing the same things day in and related offences are generally milder It all started in her own apartment day out,” he says. than the occasional mayhem of complex. Deana was taking a craft At Melbourne West, Craig’s beat Friday and Saturday nights. “Much group in her unit when the news extends across the CBD and includes of our work has been on hotel of a second lockdown hit. She North and West Melbourne. “There’s quarantine, monitoring arrivals, quickly went upstairs to hand out no doubt city policing is very checking lockdown road blocks, and extra masks for the people in her different to suburban policing. My compliance checks at home.” Louis XVII helps Deana stitch masks. class. That small action immediately area rates high regarding alcohol- Police actions during lockdown are fuelled violence, protests and sparked a bigger idea. at once. I ended up making a whole less extreme than those portrayed homelessness,” he says. “Oh, many people are going to new batch of masks just for them,” on social and general media. “We With pubs and bars shut because need masks, I’ve already got the she says proudly. only arrest people if they fail to of COVID-19 restrictions, alcohol- pattern and I know how to make She admits she has virtually never provide their details. If they do as related violence has dropped it,” Deana thought to herself. Then, left the building since she threw requested, they are free to go,” Craig sharply. Also, the ugliness of street rather than keep the idea bottled herself totally into mask making. says. homelessness has been reduced as up, she posted an offer on the ‘North “I love doing it as it’s kept me busy This friendly cop smiles as he councils have taken on responsibility Melbourne Good Karma Network’ and productive. If I wasn’t doing it, recalls creative excuses from people and have placed the homeless in Facebook group. I’d be sitting around doing nothing,” caught without a mask. “One man vacant buildings or in budget hotels. “I put up a notice saying I’m going she says. claimed he had a long beard and This move of many homeless from to make masks and, if you want Deana is first to admit she couldn’t it was getting in the way. Another the streets to safer and sheltered one, just contact me,” she says. have immersed herself in the masks fellow was fined for being too housing has been a welcome result Immediately, 150 orders poured in without family help. Husband Grant far from home, then next day he of the lockdown. However, Craig and, without knowing it, Deana had Deana’s colourful masks. has been her right-hand man, returned and copped another fine.” mentions that homeless people embarked on a journey that has looking after delivery issues. And can still incur fines for not wearing Nicole Pereira writes regularly for the News. filled her days in lockdown. her standard poodle, Louis XVII, has Her post had somehow reached That first Facebook post led to the happily taken on the role of greeting the healthcare workers at the Royal floodgates opening. Soon, supportive recipients during mask pick up. Melbourne Hospital. Soon, Deana SPECIAL FEATURES: Good Karma network members Deanna’s crusade began at the received an unexpected call. “A lovely were donating fabrics and elastic hair time of the forced lockdown of the Melbourne City Council election: lady from the Royal Melbourne said bands for the masks’ earpieces. North Melbourne high-rise towers. one of their professors, who was “People were buying me gifts of Since then she has sewn virtually What you need to know about the candidates wearing a disposable mask, had flowers, chutney and chocolate. I without a break. “The numbers are broken out in hives and was forced was feeling the love and it was really big, but so is the joy. Okay, I admit I – Pages 13–16 to go home,” she recalls. nice. It was so gratifying,” she smiles. sometimes have an afternoon nap.” However, she never suspected that Deana was asked if she could help The Centre: Annual report to the community her talents would be called on well out and provide her own beautifully Anna Huynh is a new contributor to beyond her usual contacts. stitched masks. “Of course I said ‘yes’ the News. – Pages 23-26 INSIDE Page 6 Page 7 Page 22 Page 28 2 North and West Melbourne News SPRING 2020 Nicole Pereira communities in dire need when the government failed to,” she says. allis Hamilton works at Inner Busy time for legal service Inner Melbourne Community WMelbourne Community Legal Legal has since continued to reach on Queensberry Street in North and Human Services (DHHS) to It became apparent that there out to clients to check on how they Melbourne. She started at the ensure residents received food and were few policies in place to offer are coping and to see if they need centre in 2018 as a volunteer, soon essential medications. “While we the support required. Wallis lists any legal assistance. became a paralegal and is now a met some roadblocks, the legal some of the problems residents The legal centre welcomes graduate lawyer, specialising in centre was able, in conjunction faced. the Victorian Ombudsman’s fines and tenancy law. with other organisations, to set up “DHHS had communicated that investigation into the lockdown After working at home for six a help-line for people to call at any they could be relocated into hotels, and will work closely with him months, she says the legal centre time during the crisis,” she explains. but we found this hard to arrange and with community members to has adapted well to COVID-19. It Wallis played a key role in being a in practice, which often led to other ensure his recommendations are has continued to serve its clients, ‘legal observer’ at the towers. She family members falling ill when self- implemented. including those residents trapped worked with the many volunteers isolation wasn’t possible.” in the recent local high-rise who brought food supplies into the Wallis explains that DHHS’s lack Nicole Pereira writes regularly for the News. lockdown. building, negotiating and liaising of coordination and effective “More than 3,000 people were with them at that fraught time, management resulted in Want to know more? subject to detention orders with while hundreds of police monitored community members volunteering If you have recently received a one tower closed for 14 days, and the situation. to supply residents with basic COVID-19 related fine or you require no-one was allowed to leave,” Wallis “Many of our centre’s clients who necessities during lockdown. any general legal assistance, please says. needed food and medicine felt very “The volunteer groups did Wallis Hamilton of Inner Melbourne contact Inner Melbourne Community Much of her work involved liaising alone and unable to communicate incredible work, implementing Community Legal. Legal on 9328 1885. with the Department of Health with DHHS,” she says. efficient processes and assisting Trip to Peru ends in quarantine Laura Misale that rich, but we realised that if we “You could get groceries didn’t jump in, we would miss out.” delivered, but we had nothing ack in March, North Melbourne After an anxious night, she woke to cook with. Some people were Blibrarian Heather McKay was up at four and realised she would toasting bagels on an iron,” Heather enjoying dinner in Lima, the capital just have to pay up. “I had to load laughs. of Peru, at the end of her 14-day up the credit card and call in a few Like the organised librarian she South American holiday. friends,” she grimaces. is, she passed the time profitably In the background, the TV news On the morning of the flight, two with some good Audiobooks. was being delivered in Spanish. weeks after lockdown began, a bus “The first Harry Potter book was a It was only next morning that picked her and her fellow travellers favourite. I also caught up with all Heather realised the country had up from their hotels at six o’clock. Dervla McTiernan’s crime novels,” been placed in tight lockdown. “I They filed into the bus, masks on she recalls.