Never A Dull Moment

The atmosphere in the pub was completely normal when the shooting happened. Suddenly, there was a commotion, a rush of people pulling out their phones to capture the unfolding events.

My friend Godfrey who lives in the area and, like me, frequents the Crown Hotel, told me those grainy videos have been all over the news these last few days. He clarified that the shooting didn’t actually happen at the pub, but across the road at the BP service station. I imagine those who were on the ground at the time had a front-row seat to the whole terrifying ordeal.

Even though this is only a couple of hundred metres from where I live, I slept through the entire thing! I came home from work on Friday exhausted and went straight to bed. I vaguely remember hearing the whirring of helicopters overhead, but I didn’t connect it to any incident at the time. It wasn’t until the next day, when I bumped into my friend down the street that I learned about the shooting.

Of course, by then, my phone was flooded with messages from worried friends and family checking if I was okay. I felt a bit sheepish having to reply with, “Sorry, I slept through it! I don’t really know what happened.” From what I’ve gathered from news reports, it seems like a drug-related incident that occurred in the car park of the service station. The details beyond that are still a bit murky.

Earlier today, I witnessed something quite amusing. A Sky News crew was in the area doing a live cross. As I was watching the reporter, he waved awkwardly at me after finishing his segment. I couldn’t help but think he missed a golden opportunity! He could have easily brought me on camera for a quick interview – “You live in the area, did you see what happened?” The old journalist in me would have jumped at the chance, but I suppose I understand why he didn’t. It seemed like a missed opportunity, even if all I could say was “Sorry, I slept through it”.

This whole incident has made me reflect on the changes I’ve seen in this area over the years. I remember when I first moved to Surry Hills, the local pub, The Clock had a drive-through bottle shop, and I remember experiencing an armed robbery there. I ducked down and hoped for the best, but I never told my family about it. This was long before the days of ubiquitous camera phones and social media, so it wasn’t plastered all over the news.

There have been other incidents too. A few years ago, the street was closed off near the mosque, and then there was the time an elderly couple across the road were arrested, apparently for heroin dealing. I missed that one too, thankfully. It seems like there’s never a dull moment around here! Even if I’ve slept through it.

Oh, and to be precise, the shooting was in Redfern, not Surry Hills. Cleveland Street is the dividing line!!!