Streetsheet
Stories, poems and pictures by Big Issue vendors and friends
VEN DO R SPO TLI GH T
DAVID L
Just Another Word Freedom is just a word What does the action mean to me and you in a world absorbed by war? Trust is just a word When does that action help me and you in a world thrust to use and abuse trust? Honesty is just a word How does the action help me and you
DAV ID L KN OW S HIS GN OM ES!
Gnome Man’s Land
06
THEBIGISSUE.ORG.AU
G
nomesville is located deep in the Ferguson Valley, hidden under trees and bushland, in the Shire of Dardanup. If you head to the South West region two hours from Perth, you will be on the right track (the visitors’ centre will put you on the right path if you get lost out there). Gnomesville is a tourist attraction that’s free to wander around in, at no cost to you or the family. It’s open to the public all year round, with no open or close times either. Make sure you have a bottle of water and you’re sun smart if you decide to spend the day out there, looking at more than 10,000 gnomes. It has been around since the mid 90s, and people all over the world check out this site (I was surprised it’s actually ranked in the top‑100 visited tourist attractions in Australia). You can ask your nextdoor neighbour for a gnome, if you don’t have one. Put your names on it and drop it off to Gnomesville to join their other friends. If your neighbour can’t let go of their gnome, you may be able to buy one out there – there is a shop up the road. Across the road from the shop is Frog Hollow, where people are laying frog ornaments around – what’s next? Remember to drive out at a reasonable time as there are kangaroos on the roads, which could surprise you at dusk. If you get hungry, head to Donnybrook. In the small town lies the Big Apple Bakery, which is rated four stars on TripAdvisor. OMG it’s the best bakery in WA! It has a huge range of pies, cakes, sandwiches etc. My favourite is their curry pie, which is filling and yummy, but their whole selection looks mouth‑watering. It’s one place I highly recommend – I know my food! DAVID L OXFORD ST, LEEDERVILLE I PERTH
in a world that dislikes honest love? Perfection is just a word Who in the hell made up that word? For you see when we become blind individuals, freedom, trust and honesty are just an illusion Perfection blessed by money and material waste is just as good as God and war And we all waste away to numbers and run with no time to think Then we often forget that flaws are freedom, trust, honesty and childhood games along the creek bed were so much better. Then the sad perfection of adulthood turns those childhood games into nightmares of hate. Then words like unique, true and blue fade away into a sea of disgrace, forgotten until... RACHEL PYRMONT I SYDNEY