Footscray Reprezent

While I grew up in Footers for most of my teens and still only live 7 kms away, I don't frequent the place enough any more.

Today, on a quick work mish into the city, I had my chance to visit the heart and soul (and at times the rectum) of the western suburbs. I parked my car just next to the train station and directly across from a group of junkies, alcoholics and junkie alcoholics.

As I headed into the city it was great to see the Footscray train station being upgraded. I am sure the ecletic mix of first gen Australians, Indian students and Werribee crack heads will all admire the architecture and modern design.

It was on my return to Footscray as I alighted the 4.24 Sydnemham (nee St Albans) and was walking towards the soon to be demolished overpass that I saw the symbolic mis en place that poignantly sums up my love of the west.

Pushing through the crowd was the most sterotypical Aussie tradie you could imagine. He was decked out in the carpenter shorts, a fluro organge work singlet, had two sleeves of tatts and capped it off with Jim Beam hat. He most definetly loves Bathurst and most probably bashes his girlfriend, sister and mother. Oi Oi Oi.

Now that alone does not symbolise my love of the west; it was the food that he was smashing into that really sums it up. What you ask? Olympic Donut? No. Subway? No. Knackers was smashing into a Viet Pork roll, complete with chilli popping out the top and fish sauce staining the bag.

Now I don't have some werid fetish for tradies eating pork rolls, but I do appreciate this reverse form of assimilation where the host culture assimilates from the minority. While I doubt this particularly tradie was attending multicultural rallies in the city, it demonstrates that the malignant red-neck tumor is slowly going into remission(even if it is one pork roll at a time).