James O'Brien

Although I know for a fact a lot of people in my ‘hood really hate it (our Body Corporate sends regular reminders the City of Sydney has regular pickups for large items), I really quite like that people use our back lane-way as a short-term dumping ground for items they no longer need. By doing this, hopefully other people might be able to find some use in them. At the moment, for example, there’s a couch that’s in pretty good condition there for taking. If I didn’t already have a couple of very good couches, I’d consider it myself. A few years ago I remember seeing a washing machine which was also in pretty good nick. But yeah, I understand the argument discarded items like these have the capacity to attract vermin, as well as being unattractive.

What I quite like about these items is the potential stories behind them. Over the last few years I’ve tried, as much as possible, to document and share on this blog, some of the more “interesting” items, and to imagine/reflect on how they came to be discarded. The last time I wrote was when I discovered a wheelchair in the back laneway. Wow, what was that about? I also remember seeing, and being very touched, when I noticed some items discarded from the house of two older women who lived closeby when, presumably, one of them had died. But there were also some funny items. I still laugh about the furniture made from 44-gallon drums and the leopard-skin lounge.

I don’t know what to make of the cricket bat I saw in the laneway earlier today. Has Toby just grown up or has something happened that means he no longer needs his cricket bat?