Aurora (right) with Andrea (left).

Aurora, who lives in a Junction property in the north-western suburbs, has always remembered this quote from her dad.

“Apples are rare in the Philippines – it’s the wrong climate for them,” Aurora said, “So when dad would bring one home, we would always split it 6 ways evenly. That way, we would all get a taste.”

Rooted in her family values, it is this generous mindset and want to share that has helped her form strong connections with her neighbour Andrea and others in her neighbourhood.

Having migrated from the Philippines about 30 years ago, Aurora raised her three children, now adults, as a single mother after escaping an abusive marriage.

The Filipino dishes she cooks not only remind her of family but are also a great way of introducing her neighbours to her culture.

“She’ll never give you day-old dishes,” Andrea, Aurora’s neighbour, said. “If she makes something and you’re not home, she’ll cook you something fresh the next day. That’s just how she is.”

An avid gardener, Aurora is also generous with the produce she grows.

“This garden was grown over time,” Aurora said. “I take plants, I give plants away and then my neighbours will give me more back. It’s a shared effort.”

Having nurtured lush plantations of vegetables and flowers, her motto is to ‘always grow too much’ so that she can share it with those around her. She will also take in sick or dying plants to regenerate and return, better than ever.

“Every so often you get lucky, and you meet a neighbour like Aurora,” Andrea said. “She just has so much to give. Even when she doesn’t have much.”

Now that COVID restrictions are beginning to lift, Aurora looks forward to travelling to England to visit her children.

“When I do, I already know that Andrea will take care of my garden for me.”

(Left to right) David, Alex and Sandra.

Communities can’t be manufactured – they’re nurtured by those within. Such is the case at Melrose Park.

David and Sandra, who live in Junction’s Fig Tree apartments, are guided by this with the pair a driving force behind many neighbourhood events and initiatives.

“Some of us will decorate, some of us will cook – it’s always a collective effort,” Sandra said.

“If you can contribute, you do,” David added. “But if you can’t, that’s ok too.”

For David especially, the community has been a great source of support.

“I spent a lot of time in and out of hospital before I moved here. There was a lot going on in my life,” he said. “When I moved in, the community really helped me settle.”

“It’s about watching out for one another, but also respecting their boundaries,” David said.

Alex and Vivienne, who also live in the apartments, agreed.

“I don’t attend most of the big gatherings,” Vivienne said, “But they don’t hold that against me at all and still consider me a friend.”

“It’s like having a support unit outside of your usual family and friends,” Alex said.

Glenys (top left) with Anne and Richard.

We’ve all heard of life-long friendships, but how about life-saving ones?

For Mitchell Park resident Glenys, the compassion of her neighbours during a medical emergency blossomed into a wonderful friendship.

Originally from Queensland, Glenys was navigating the transition into a new home and community without the support of friends and family. Shortly after moving into her new home, she suffered a serious medical episode.

Neighbours Richard (an ex-Paramedic) and his wife Anne knew that something was seriously wrong when they could hear Glenys struggling to breathe. Wasting no time, they called an ambulance and supported Glenys while they waited.

“I didn’t know them from a bar of soap,” said Glenys. “But I somehow knew that I could trust them.”

After being treated in hospital, Glenys was told that her neighbours’ actions had quite literally saved her life.

Richard and Anne visited Glenys often during her hospital stay, bringing food and keeping her company during her recovery.

They also walked and fed her two beloved dogs, kept on top of her household duties and even maintained her garden in preparation for her return home.

The trio have now become ‘infamously’ great friends, with their good-nature spreading across the surrounding community.

“I’ve got a lot of faith in these people, they’re just good-hearted.” Glenys said.

On 7 March 2022, Junction hosted around 100 business and community leaders at our One Voice event – a discussion about how we can all work towards gender equality.

Janine Hendry,  founder of the inaugural March4Justice was our guest speaker. Read her column in the Advertiser below:

A little less than a year ago, I stood at a podium in Canberra ready to address 10,000 women and their allies who had gathered. We were protesting against gendered violence and its underpinning cause – inequality.

I will admit I was a little surprised at the numbers, having always believed I would be standing there with my seven mates, and a few placards.

But there we were, and a further 110,0000 women and men listening to similar speakers at another 200-plus events across Australia. What started as a tweet ended up with a plethora of people, brought to the brim of frustration at the levels of gendered violence in this country, desperately wanting to make changes.

What March4Justice did was break the silence. It has been pivotal in starting to change the narrative around gendered abuse in this country, in the community, in boardrooms and in schools.

On Monday I stood in front of 120 business and community leaders at an event hosted by Junction – a social enterprise supporting about 10,000 South Australians a year through housing and community services. Gender inequality underpins so many of the social challenges we face and I have no doubt it will also be a defining factor in the upcoming elections.

The situation in Australia is not pretty. We see 23 per cent of university vice-chancellors are women. As well, 34 per cent of 2000 ASX-listed board positions are held by women. In the Supreme Court 38 per cent of judges are women. The federal parliament has 32 per cent of representatives being women.

Why does this matter? Because those working in these positions are making decisions daily that affect us all.

If politicians are not representative of who we are then how can they represent us fairly and equitably?

Judges create precedent which affect women. Universities make decisions about research programs and courses which affect women. Board directors make decisions about products and services which directly target women. How can they represent women when they don’t have women making the decisions?

Is it any surprise, then, that the gender pay gap of 14.1 per cent, which had been declining until the pandemic, has now started to rise again?

Knowing this, is it any surprise that the levels of gendered violence and abuse in Australia are some of the highest in the world? When inequality is so embedded at every level in our society.

The good news is, we can create change. There will always be the need for someone to go first. The important thing is to take a step.

We need to have the hard conversations. Ask the hard questions and if you don’t know the answers, seek them out.

Abuse happens in the shadows, behind closed doors. Abuse happens in the silence. Asking the questions will bring this abuse into the light, and it is from there that we can make change.

Tuesday March 8 is International Woman’s Day.

Breaking free from a cycle of homelessness and domestic violence wasn’t easy for Christies Downs resident Amy – but now in her mid-20s, she finally feels in control again.

Having had a rough start after moving from England, Junction initially supported Amy until she successfully obtained her very first private rental – where she and her young children looked forward to settling down.

With the birth of Amy’s third child during this time, everything was looking up.

However, this all ground to a halt when ongoing health issues and a severe relationship breakdown forced Amy and her family to re-enter the homelessness cycle.

With nowhere else to turn, Amy re-connected with Junction and soon moved into a Transitional Property – where, without giving up, she continued to try to get back into the private rental market.

Eventually, Amy received the news that set everything back in motion – a long-term property offer through Junction. After years of uncertainty, Amy felt as though she could finally move forward again.

“I don’t know how bad my life would’ve been without it,” she said.

Now looking forward to the future, Amy is well on her way toward achieving the goals she previously had to postpone – including completing her Certificate 3 in Childcare.

“No matter how hard you think life is going, never give up,” she said. “If you can overcome the bad days, you’ll get even better ones.”