BUT I NEVER HAD THE CHANCE TO LEAVE Story and Photos by Sitthixay Ditthavong
The fortunes of many residents of Lightning Ridge in NorthWestern New South Wales depend on the success of the town’s STEP QMRMRK STIVEXMSRW %W XLI KPSFEP ½RERGMEP GVMWMW WXM¾IH HIQERH from the opal-buying market, the potential reward for opal mining diminished greatly. Consequently, so did the number of full-time opal miners. My work has focused on those with a limited ability to dictate their own fortunes. The value of a lamb’s life is forfeited when a driver makes no concession to their speed. Young girls, already battling the comparatively fewer opportunities afforded by small town living, spend a disproportionate amount of their time procuring and smoking cannabis. With little to look forward to, some of these teenagers engage in serious acts of self-harm. &] VI¾IGXMRK SR XLI HMWIQTS[IVQIRX SJ MRHMZMHYEPW PMZMRK EX XLI economic periphery of Lightning Ridge, the images draw quiet attention to the hidden social costs of living outside the sphere of MR¾YIRGI MR LMKL VMWO LMKL VI[EVH WSGMIXMIW 52