James O'Brien

The long-running garage in my street has closed and moved to Peakhurst, I discovered this morning. As I don’t have a car, I’ve never actually entered the business in the twenty-something years I’ve lived here, though I’ve often glanced inside, as I’ve walked along the street or the back laneway.

I noticed it, as I went for an early morning walk. Along the way, I also snapped some photographs of the light rail construction underway on Devonshire and Bourke Streets, as well as the closure of a nearby cafe. The owners of The Book Kitchen were in the paper the other week saying the light rail construction had forced them to close, and from the photograph you can see why they had little choice.

These are times of change in Surry Hills, and I’m involved in a project which I hope will launch in a couple of months time, which seeks to tell the story of a strong, living breathing community, and people who love this area. Watch this space.