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1995-2005 EASTLAKES: WORDS FROM MM (RESIDENT OF EASTLAKES)

Eastlakes, over two decades ago, had several large public housing commission estates. 

There was the Rosebery Apartments that had the maisonette blocks, Eastlakes Apartments that had the red bricks and Longworth Court. At least a quarter of Eastlakes was just public housing – honestly, it could have been even more. 

The community was quite dense. Stereotypical housing residents, but yeah, there were also a lot of genuine, hard working class people in those housings and also around the area in general. There were also many migrant families moving into the area, especially into the housing estates, many of which had parents that didn’t really speak English.

All the boys from the 90s to the 2000s would always go hang at the beach or at the shops. It was the spot where we could show off and look fresh. Aside from that, it was sorta like the little luxury we had for living in the area. 

One thing that everyone was wearing was Nike FITS hats. Not the Dri-FITS but Nike FITS. Dri-FITS was an evolution of FITS but the real OG’s know what I’m saying. Can’t find them anymore at all. Regardless of whether the sun was out or not, whether it was morning or night, or even whether it was Summer or Winter, every one of the boys from the area was rocking the Nike FITS hats. 

In terms of fashion wise, Lonsdale, Henley’s, Everlast, Nautica, you know, all the stuff that became stereotypical for the lads and eshays nowadays. We were wearing all that stuff back then – we pretty much helped start that. What was on foot? The boys loved their Nike TNs, Nike Shox’s, even the leather Lacoste shoes, Adidas Bounce’s and Puma’s. 

The preparation for the Sydney Olympics was one of the major things that led to a lot of reshaping around the area. The airport started to expand in the mid 90s. Because we were so close to the airport, naturally, a lot of these public housing commission estates were repurposed, ultimately, demolished. And most of the residents there were either pushed to the West or South of Sydney, where there was still housing. 

Thinking about it, that was really the slow start of the gentrification of the area. And we were slowly being pushed out.

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