It’s fair to say that many of the best memories you have after leaving home are in that big sharehouse or warehouse you lived in. We’re talking cramming in more people to lower the rent, throwing big parties, meeting new people, arguing with the neighbours, painting the walls, drinking, smoking and the rest of it.
“You could say that this was nothing more than just a house full of kids, getting stoned and getting filthy”
I lived in one of these houses. Well, to be fair, it was a house with a warehouse out the back. On Addison Road, Marrickville, we had ten very naughty boys and girls living under one roof in the house, while we left the warehouse separate for some graffiti pieces, a quarter pipe, a bar, and a large collection of shitty couches.
Since we had so many people living together, who all had their own groups of friends to invite over, there was always something going on. It was a lot of fun. For many of us, it was also the first place where we could really do whatever we wanted, finally away from the all-seeing eyes of our beloved folks. It was something that everyone took advantage of.
You could say that this was nothing more than just a house full of kids, getting stoned and getting filthy. Although this may be true, I think living in larger-than-life share houses in your 20s is an invaluable and unique experience. There was a sharp learning curve for anyone living there and it’s understandable. We were bunking with heaps of people, from all different backgrounds, on different time schedules, in conditions that weren’t exactly comfy, while trying to figure out the rent, the bills and who invited those weirdos who were now crowding around their own fire pit in the back garden.
While getting a bus along Addison Road recently, I was surprised to find that the property had been demolished. I wouldn’t say that I was sad, or even moved, but it brought back a lot of good memories, some that I can still share with the power of the camera.
HJ Sparrow
