Alex Day
GAY, lesbian and transgender residents of the Canterbury area are being urged to contribute to an ongoing project that seeks to document the area’s history of the community.
President of Come Out NSW, Alex Day, encouraged residents to contact him with any information, photos or memories they can share to help piece together the area’s gay and lesbian past.
“There have been a few histories done looking at Australia, Sydney or NSW, and we thought, ‘well, Canterbury’s got a bit of history as well,” Mr Day said.
So far, the investigation has uncovered accounts from senior residents about life before the legalisation of homosexuality in NSW in 1984.
“We found out that one of the founders of the Campaign Against Moral Persecution (CAMP), a precursor to the Mardi Gras, was born in Belmore. He used to hold meetings at his house in Belmore in the ‘60s.”
Mr Day said the investigation would be twofold, encompassing interviews with residents as well as primary historical research by Come Out sleuths.
A Come Out meeting was held at the Belmore Community Centre in October to record locals’ experiences of their sexuality in southwest suburbia, but Mr Day urged more residents to contact him with stories or suggestions.
In particular, he is on the lookout for photos of Charlie’s Place, a gay bar that existed in Earlwood from 1977 to 1985, as well as clues as to the identity of two drag queens who hosted the bingo at Punchbowl RSL Club from the late ‘80s to early ‘90s.
Mr Day said the results of the research would be published in a booklet in March as a resource for locals who are coming to terms with their sexuality, to let them know that they’re not “the only gay in the village.”
He said the finished product would also help challenge the misconception that gay and lesbian culture in Sydney is centredin areas such as Oxford St in the city.
To contribute to the project, email Alex Day at cbd@comeout.org.au.
Source: whereilive
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