I haven’t seen the SBS series Struggle Street, but I have seen the news lately and the hype/furore (depending on which side of the fence you sit) regarding the much talked about series and it’s apparent intentions to film the second season right here in Brisbane and more specifically, Inala.
I’m assuming that unbeknownst to many of you, my readers (or those outside my direct circle of friends and family) I actually live on the border of Richlands and Inala and have done so for almost a year now.
It’s not my first time living in the area, either – my mum, siblings and I moved to Inala during the last part of my high school years and I even worked at Inala Plaza as a check-out chick at Bi-Lo up until my early twenties.
Affordable and affable
People like to harp on about how dangerous or horrible a place Inala is, but I don’t see any of that and rather I see a place full of life and culturally speaking, a place that would rival the likes of the United Nations! I see great food, delicious, CHEAP fresh produce, and some of the best Vietnamese pho in town.
It’s also cheap to live here, with rent and/or house sales some of the cheapest in Brisbane and only approximately 25 minutes from the city—depending on when you travel and if you drive a car or take public transport—it’s great value for money.
In terms of all the “dangerous” or “criminal” people living in Inala, there certainly aren’t any evidence of them in the Inala-based playgroup I attend weekly and only warm, caring women who love their kids and who derive from all kinds of different countries such as Samoa, Sudan, Fiji and Vietnam.
These women are mothers just like anyone else and each has their own story to tell. Our kids don’t notice either who is dark or who is not, or that one child may have more expensive clothes and the other does not and I’m really proud and excited that I am able to provide such a rich, cultural interaction for my girls.
Melting pot of cultures
I’ve lived in many different suburbs in Brisbane and in fact many different countries, and what I really love about Inala is the rich diversity that exists and the melting pot of different cultures.
Yes, there are problems, and yes, there are sometimes people screaming profanities at each other, but if you’re walking around the city as I did yesterday, there is also plenty of that happening there as well, it’s just not something a lot of people like to talk about.
So I just want to say to SBS, go ahead and film in Inala and highlight the struggles that many people there are facing, but I hope you can also keep an open mind and shine some light on the kind, interesting people that also reside there.
Myjanne Jensen is a full-time journalist and mum of two girls, soon to be four (twin girls due April 2018).
Myjanne has written for She Society (formerly She Brisbane) in addition to her full-time role for more than two years, where she has focused on writing about life as a mother to two young children and has covered a range of other topics such as physical and mental health and well-being, relationships, beauty, fitness, societal trends and issues.
To follow Myjanne, visit her on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/myjannejensenjournalist/), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/myjannejensen/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/myjannej/) or Twitter (https://twitter.com/myjannej)
Myjanne has a strong interest in a variety of different issues ranging from women’s rights, social justice, health and wellbeing, multiculturalism, human behaviour, music and the arts.
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I was born and bred in Inala and went to school in Richlands and Richlands East I then came back 40 years and resettled with my kids and then moved we still go there every week to shop see the doctor and use all services in Inala. Not once did we feel it was run down Inala doesn’t need to be shamed out . Lets all go to the houses of the film crew and see how this mob that wants to bring down Inala lets all see whats in there back yard. In every suburb your going to find the poor people of this country not only that Inala has grown with a lot of people who have become high up one in Parliament then ya got football players people in the legal system then ya got great schools achieving out standing students attendinding Uni. So when ya run down Inala think twice you grubs because Inala is a community that is well on the map of great cheivments…
I grew up in Inala in the 60’s 70’s and 80’s. I cant imagine having grown up anywhere else. There was no pressure to attend a certain school or get pressured into a certain ‘profession’. We were not rich, but we didn’t know it. It was and still is a great place to raise a family and it has every service you could need, except for overpriced snob shops. Why did Inala suffer more than most suburbs? The “Inala Court House” used to get mentioned in every article about a crime that happened anywhere south of the Brisbane River. Commit a robbery in Graceville or Sherwood, and you ended up in the “Inala Court House”. So everyone thought these things were all happening in Inala. My heart will always be in Inala.
There’s a lot of snobbery about Inala based on old reputations. It’s a great place to live because it’s alive with an impressive range of genuine, thriving communities. I’ve lived here for over 10 years and my big concern is that the yuppies found out about it and start moving in.