Around September 2020 Mebourne was in lockdown and the Government was tightening restrictions. There was a fine of $4957 for anyone that tried to leave Melbourne to go to the 'Regions'. Where I live was just outside of the ring of steel but with most of my friends and connections inside the ring, it impacted me significantly. I felt guilty that I had more freedom than they did yet it was freedom I felt too afraid to use, or too busy to enjoy. My heart went out to those in Melbourne who felt frightened, discriminated against and imprisoned by the restrictions.
At one point I needed to see my doctor, so I had an exemption and drove into the city. There were no cars on the Calder Freeway. It was eerie and surreal. And so, so quiet. Waiting for a plane to cross the freeway around Keilor, I realised that the world had changed. There was no way to know when it would shift. The grief felt like a heavy wool jacket and my heart was broken.
When I reached the checkpoint that signaled the edge of the ring of steel, there were numerous police officers talking to drivers or sitting down talking to each other. It felt like a bad dream. My drivers licence checked, I was free to move on. I will never forget the feeling of separation and division. This was our new life.
- Subject Matter: Inner landscape
- Collections: Under One Sky