Short Stories

Stories are all we are , they’re all we have . I had just turned 20. He was 35. His words eluded my emotional comprehension back then but resonate with me now. These memories percolated while I watched Charles Foster’s online presentation at the G10 . I was reminded of unpacking ideas in a chaotic world , specifically, Donna Haraway’s book Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene (2016) when Foster said in his talk: “ It takes a story to know a stor y”. Haraway explores our interconnectedness with the environment and other species, advocating for new forms of kinship and collaboration in the face of ecological crises. She asserts: “ It matters what stories make worlds; what worlds make storie s”. Stories are tools we use to create and share our realities, environment, and how we interact. Stories are necessary for navigating our place in the world. By sharing narratives about our connections with other human and non-human beings, Haraway highlights how these sto...

Edward Gibbon Wakefield. I pass his commemorative bronze bust almost every day - a metal cast of Dark Heritage. This term stems from  dark tourism studies associated with specific sites of  death ,  tragedy , and  disaster . More recently, the concept of Dark Heritage has expanded to include broader aspects of cultural heritage sites and artefacts associated with complex, contested, and  negative histories . So it is here where I suggest that we take the opportunity to contest the problematic plaque of Edward Gibbon Wakefield on Parliament House on North Terrace. Let me tell you why. The plaque reads: IN HONOUR OF EDWARD GIBBON WAKEFIELD  1796 - 1862 THE AUTHOR OF THE SYSTEM OF  LAND - SALES COLONIZATION UPON WHICH  THE PROVINCE OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA  WAS FOUNDED FOR FREE SETTLERS  WITH FREEHOLD LANDS AND RESULTANT  SELF-GOVERNMENT.  1952 The plaque highlights the idea that free settlers (South Australia was established as a co...

Linking arms, Mum and I left the thrift store in search of the toilets. We traversed through a busy car park devoid of pedestrian paths or crossings and had no choice but to cut directly across a drive-through to Hungry Jacks. It felt dangerous. Since our anxious steps moved along the oily road during our shopping excursion (now weeks ago), I have been mulling over the inadequacies of Adelaide's city and urban planning. A lack of designated safe areas for pedestrians in a mixed-use shopping zone exposes us to risks and increases the likelihood of accidents caused by negligent design. Protecting pedestrians from traffic and giving priority to the disabled, young, and elderly should be of paramount importance. Our city's layout, with its sprawling suburbs (often defended by our policymakers ) and reliance on cars, starkly contrasts other places I have lived in, such as Amsterdam, which has more inclusive and walkable urban environments .  Historically, the evolution of suburban d...