Angeline Penrith’s childhood memories of watching her mum Bronwyn’s relentless fight for Aboriginal self-determination and wellbeing have inspired her to spread the incredible history and stories of her people.

The actress has starred in short films, theatre, major TV commercials and school plays. She doesn’t aspire to becoming a Hollywood superstar; instead she’s just trying to make a living, supporting her nine-year-old boy, Mirrabee, and has a second son on the way.

“Music, dance and storytelling are natural for blackfellas so acting was an easy progression for me,” Angeline said.

“I’m inspired by my own people, acting creates empowerment and allows us to take control of our own stories.

Among her highlights; a school play for children based on the award-winning book Maybe Tomorrow, My Girragundji by Australian author Boori Monty Pryor.

“I worked with a lot of people over the years, but most love working with kids; they’re honest and not too judgmental,” the 29-year-old laughs.

“When Aboriginal kids see you performing, it makes their day and they make me feel like a superstar. I’m not sure I’m the inspiration, but I know a few have since been to some acting auditions which is fantastic.

The Wiradjuri woman has spent most of her life in Sydney’s Aboriginal heartland of Redfern and remembers her childhood fondly.

“I lived on The Block with my mum and dad and was raised there most of my life. We moved away for a while but came back. That’s the thing about Redfern – it’s like Central station for blackfellas – everyone visits, lives or knows someone here at some point in their life.”

Her mother, Bronwyn Penrith, has been part of many major national and local Aboriginal movements, including Mudgin-Gal women’s drop-in centre that served as a home away from home for Angeline as she was growing up.

“Mum’s worked here for over 20 years and came to Sydney when she was 16,” Angeline said.

“She’s been the biggest inspiration for me. She taught me that no matter what you’re doing, you should do it for the benefit of your own people.

“I’m still trying to make it just like anyone else I guess, this is my community and I want to help my people be better in life and happier.

“Redfern is such an iconic place for people even if they’ve never been here; it gets a lot of bad press but really these are just families living on the poverty line and we’re human beings – women, men and children like everyone else.”

2030 in Your Village
Sydney is a great place – and we want your help to make it even better. We want your neighbourhood to be a place where the environment matters, the economy thrives, arts and culture are encouraged, and people feel at home.

We invite you to have your say by answering a questionnaire and attending a community workshop in your village.

Your comments will help shape new Village Plans for Council’s consideration.

Click here to find out more.

In a past life self-confessed foodie Kristy Moore was an art director for celebrity homemaker Martha Stewart, but says that running Cooking Camp for Kids at the Sydney Sustainable Markets in Taylor Square is far more rewarding.

“I think it’s really important to teach kids about different foods and where they come from,” Kristy said.

More than 100 kids aged from seven to 13 have attended camp, which received a funding kick-start from the City of Sydney Matching Grants Program.

“For so many kids, things like pancakes are made from a mix bought at the supermarket. They can’t believe how simple and delicious they are made from scratch, from real ingredients that are already in their cupboard and fridge.

“We introduce city kids to farmers at the markets, help them choose fresh, ripe produce and encourage them to ask questions.”

Nine sold-out camps have been held in Taylor Square since early last year, teaching kids about sustainable, locally grown, in-season produce, how to set a table and the joy of cooking and sharing meals.

“Some parents cook with their kids all the time, but many are just too busy. We show kids that cooking is fun and show parents what their kids are capable of – including using knives.”

Camp begins at 9am leaving parents free to browse around the markets or run errands, coming back at lunchtime to taste dishes prepared by their kids.

Each camp has a theme, and food cooked has ranged from grilled Gruyère and caramelised onion sandwiches with a summer tomato soup; to pikelets with nectarine compote and perfect scrambled eggs and hand-squeezed orange juice.

Kristy, 37, moved to Sydney from New York five years ago and quickly embraced the East Sydney community. She is often found helping in the Kitchen Garden program at Crown Street Public School and is a former vice-president of the East Sydney Neighbourhood Association (ESNA).

“It’s so rewarding to be involved in something that’s bigger than you, interacting with kids and other people. The kids are so funny, it’s brilliant to be around them and you always get something you didn’t expect out of volunteering.

”Each Cooking Camp attracts new kids to the Sydney Sustainable Markets, making it a place where kids and parents can learn and shop each week.”

Kylie may dazzle this year’s Sydney Mardi Gras Festival and Parade, but original Kings Cross showgirl Ayesha Kazan remembers when times were less accepting – and it wasn’t so long ago.

Born Keith Robinson Best, Ayesha’s stage debut was in Sydney’s first gay club, the Purple Onion.

“I’d been performing all my life and started doing drag when I was about 20. Sunday was talent quest night and I sang I Want to Be With You by Nancy Wilson and I won.

“I was teaching during the day then doing shows on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights – but it all got too much and I thought ‘what do I really want’, so I just hopped into the frock, stayed in it and didn’t go back to school one day!”

Ayesha soon joined Les Girls – Sydney’s most popular transgender cabaret club, in the heart of Kings Cross.

“The other gay clubs had mainly gay clientele, but Les Girls was a mixed place and people bought their mothers, their aunts and their friends to see the show, then if they put on a dress a few weeks later no-one thought too much about it!” she said.

The show helped change public perception and Les Girls were pioneers of Sydney’s now open and accepting gay community.

“It’s quite amazing when I look back on it – it’s not easy being an icon, I tell you!” Ayesha said.

“I’m really proud of what we did, but we didn’t set out to change the world – it was just a by-product of us wanting to be ourselves. You couldn’t go out and get a normal job in those days; now a transsexual can go and work in a normal job and I think that’s fantastic.

“We girls paved the way and that’s all there is to it. Les Girls is where the gay guys would come with their straight friends and gently reveal they were gay; there was a lot of coming out in the audience when they’d come to see the show.”

The 67-year-old no longer performs, but still dresses daily in glamorous frocks to stroll through the streets of Kings Cross and Woolloomooloo. She moved into the area in 1966 and has lived here ever since, aside from a few years overseas and time spent touring with Les Girls.

“I just adore this area, Woolloomooloo’s a special place – it’s like a suburb right in the middle of the city, it’s a very well-kept secret,” Ayesha said.

“It’s so cosmopolitan and everything is right at your fingertips. I’m within walking distance to the harbour, the city, St Vincent’s Hospital, Bondi Beach, the Royal Botanic Gardens and The Domain, Sydney Opera House and all those fabulous restaurants along the Finger Wharf.”

“There are lots of people around here that I’ve known for years. It’s great to see young people moving in and children being raised here because they don’t have prejudice anymore, the kids don’t take any notice of me like they used to.

“I’m living with HIV but while I have the use of my limbs, while I can see and while I can move – I get up I get dressed and I go out. I’m as happy as a pig in mud living here and they’ll have to carry me out in a pine box!”

Bee Meng Soh has a fascinating past as an English and economics teacher; a chef who owned multiple restaurants across Sydney; and starring as an extra in movies featuring Hollywood heavyweights like Cate Blanchett and Toni Collette. But his true passion is his amazing backyard garden.

Tucked behind a terrace in Erskineville is a tropical green jungle filled with plants tended by Bee Meng, 65, who grows everything from bananas to bush tomatoes, grapes and chokos to jasmine flowers, parsley, ginseng and ginger.

“I’m a little chaotic, I don’t like uniform gardens so I just plonk everything down according to how I feel,” he said.

“It’s like a forest and it’s my escape. I walk from the street and traffic out the front through into the garden and it’s like two different worlds.”

Bee Meng says the garden has taught him to be peaceful and to meditate.  A trained chef, he also knows how to make the most of each garden shrub, flower and plant in his kitchen.

“My previous home was Malaysia, where we eat spicy foods, so I grow lots of different types of chilli,” he said

There’s a lot of love in this garden – a lot of bugs, too, but that gives him a reason to be proud.

“I use traditional methods in the garden: you respect the insects, try not to use chemicals or pesticides, and you can see my garden is like a jungle without any artificial fertiliser. I also water by having a big tank which collects run-off from the roof. I also have two worm farms and compost bins where I put most of my food scraps.”

Bee Meng is a regular at the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre, attending once a week to help knit blankets for those in need.

When he signed up five years ago, he was the only man in the group, but has proven his knitting credentials helping to create about 80 blankets with the other 20-odd Wrap with Love Newtown knitters.

“We send the blankets to many countries that need them. We sent some to Melbourne after the bushfires and others to Africa and Mongolia.

“When people find out about the blankets almost everyone agrees that’s a great cause – and yet not many get involved – I don’t know why.

“We make very beautiful blankets, then give them away and we never really know who it goes to. It’s good self-training in doing something good for other people without expecting something back.  We know the blankets go to people with smiling faces and that’s enough for us.”

Margaret Ng vividly remembers the day she walked into Ultimo Community Centre as a new arrival from Hong Kong – and got herself in the frame for an artist’s job.

She knew few people in Sydney but was determined to change that. So Margaret introduced herself and asked if the centre needed a resident artist. Happily, they did, so she began art classes for other Chinese immigrants.

A decade on, Margaret is in charge of the Ultimo Community Centre Chinese Senior Group.

Each week, 21 volunteers run five courses for more than 100 community members. The group is sponsored by Over 55 Services – City of Sydney.

“We organise different types of activities and classes for our groups. On Sunday we have social dance class, during the week we hold tai chi, folk dancing and knitting and crochet,” Margaret said.

“My favourite is the art class because I’m the tutor.  We do Chinese ink painting, ceramic sculpture, installation and many other arts and crafts. I also love the dancing classes because my husband and I love to dance.”

The classes help to bridge the gap between Chinese people and their community, especially those who speak little English.  Margaret volunteers three times a week, while her husband is the volunteer photographer.

“Our group has been involved in many activities such as the Living in Harmony Programs, Chinese Cultural Days, Seniors’ Weeks and UTS Infusion Festivals.

“We have received grants from the City for our Flourishing Life in Ultimo and Ultimo Community Centre Chinese Senior Group 10th Anniversary Celebration,” Margaret said.

“I joined the centre because I want to share and demystify Chinese culture and help people help each other.  We try to teach some English so newcomers are confident enough to meet new people.

“It gives people a support network. This is important because we have some retirees who are single whose grandkids have gone to high school or university and don’t need looking after any more.

“Suddenly, they find themselves isolated. We help to connect these people with the outside community and they come and enjoy retired life with us.”

The oldest student attending the Ultimo Community Centre Chinese Seniors Group is 88 and there have been a few romances, too.

“I know a couple who got together at dance classes some time ago but they’re very discreet and don’t like talk about it,” Margaret said. “There are definitely many new friendships.”

“We all have different talents and it’s important to respect each others’ expertise.  We learn to help each other and share, we learn to compromise if we have diverse ideas, talk it over and find a solution.  I feel very rewarded.”

Peter Miu has turned his balcony into a mini vegie patch, and now he wants all his neighbours to do their bit to make Green Square even greener.

The 33-year-old snapped up property here just over two years ago, but found it hard to connect with other residents in the developing area – so he decided to create his own.

“I have a balcony where I grow my own food and I started up Green Square Growers to meet up with like-minded people to share and inspire others to grow food in their own living spaces,” Peter said.

“I love that I can go out there and pick my beans, broccoli, and tomatoes for tonight’s salad. There’s something really wonderful about eating something you’ve nurtured yourself, and I wanted to help others to do it in their own homes.”

There are now about a dozen members of the Green Square Growers group and they meet once a month in the City of Sydney’s iconic Tote building in Zetland.

They focus on community cohesion, gardening in apartment balconies and communal space, green roofs, food security and community gardens. Anyone can join, for more information, visit: facebook.com/greensquaregrowers

“I’ve been living here for two years and still barely know my neighbours, but through Green Square Growers I’ve met so many people interested in growing and gardens, it’s really wonderful because it’s given us a chance to bond,” Peter said.

“I’d always wondered who else might be growing fruit and vegies on their balconies and I’ve learnt there are so many others like the elderly Greeks, Italians and Lebanese from nearby Rosebery who are just as interested and just as passionate, and have taught me new things about growing, too!”

Peter is used to seeing cranes, bobcats and construction and knows it’s an exciting time of change.

“We can’t wait! We’ve a new park, leisure centre and workshops on the way and there are new buildings going up all the time,” Peter said.

“New families are moving in and starting to use the parks and playgrounds with their children; it’s really great to be part of a developing community.”

Every Thursday afternoon in Glebe, local residents provide a perfect example of community spirit in action as a team of volunteers help local school children with their studies.

Homework Helpers Club, which is run by Hope Street Minister Julie Brackenreg and supported by a City of Sydney matching grant, brings together a pool of volunteers who spare time each week to provide one-on-one support to students.

Members of the community, from professionals to university and secondary school students, gather together to help local children with their homework, or provide general assistance and encouragement with reading, writing and mathematics.

“There was a real need for kids to have additional help because so many children were having difficulties at school,” Julie said. “Many of the children are also from non-English speaking backgrounds, so this extra support really makes a difference in their lives.

“We’ve had very positive feedback from parents – and the kids keep coming back, which says it all.

“We have children from three different schools taking part and it’s given the kids the chance to get to know each other better, as well as get to know people outside their school.”

Julie said the City of Sydney matching grant was invaluable in helping establish the club. “We used it to buy educational equipment, books and games and we are now able to continue as a fairly self-sufficient group” she said.

Julie says the community spirit shown through Homework Helpers is typical of the friendliness that defines the Glebe Point Road neighbourhood. “There are lots of examples of neighbours looking out for each other and among the groups and organisations who work here, there’s lots of support,” she said.

“It’s a very cohesive and cooperative community.”

Homework Helpers volunteer Deb Cernigoi said she enjoyed the opportunity to be more involved in the community. “Some of the children are just learning English and it’s rewarding to be able to help them,” she said.

“Receiving that one-on-one help has a real impact, and the kids are really enthusiastic about learning.”

Lexie Reeves has lived the high life – working with avant-garde fashion designer Rick Owens in Paris, then moving back home to Sydney as head designer for exclusive label Chronicles of Never.

But the talented designer couldn’t get past her fascination for those in the homeless shelter opposite her Surry Hills office – so she quit her job to keep a photographic record ever since.

“I was working in Foster Street and one day I started talking to the homeless men from the shelter and taking their portraits. Then it just snowballed into something I wanted to do all the time,” Lexie said.

“I love talking to them; they’re so amazing and you wouldn’t believe some of the stories they have. These people and their lives are so incredible – truth is stranger than fiction and it just fascinates the hell out of me.”

The 29-year-old walks local streets every day and plans to keep taking photos, build up her photography skills and make new friends for as long as she can.

“It’s not about the image; it’s about the interaction – they’ve become my friends,” she said

“Everyone says I’m hard to communicate with, but it’s amazing how much some of these people trust me – they let me into their lives and it’s quite heartbreaking sometimes but they’re always full of hope, so optimistic and I love that.”

Lexie has photographed at least 100 people and some of them she’s only ever seen once; others she sits with almost daily in Eddie Ward Park, which is next to the Northcott Housing Estate.

“I’ve met so many fantastic people such as Henry who’s just fabulous; and John who used to be a jockey and loves horses – he’s the most incredible and lovely person I’ve ever met,” Lexie smiles.”

Lexie recently took part in an exhibition for Mission Beat curated by Sydney artist Paul Davies where one of her portraits of a homeless man called John was sold. She donated the funds back to the charity.

She’s hoping to use her portraits in a future public artwork.

Wheelie bins and utes filled with tools usually line Parker Street in Haymarket but 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art Director, Aaron Seeto, knows that during Chinese New Year this small road is transformed with giant projector screens into a buzzing open air cinema showing contemporary Asian video art.

Now in its fourth year Cinema Alley is an annual event held during Sydney’s Chinese New Year celebrations. The street is temporarily closed to traffic and converted into a space where the local community, artists, workers and visitors congregate around art, film and animation. “It’s inspired by a very old fashioned idea like those cinema’s that used to travel from village to village and then set up in the street.

We truck in enough seats for about 1000 people, a huge screen then present some of the high quality contemporary video art that we’re lucky enough to see every day,” Aaron said “We organise Cinema Alley during the Sydney Chinese New Year Festival which is one of the most important times in Chinatown where the whole area just comes alive with people with families, young people – everyone is here.”

4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art was originally set up in 1996 by group of artists and has it’s since become Australia’s peak national body for contemporary Asian art and cultural thinking, promoting the work of Asian and Asian-Australian artists. Born in Sydney to Chinese parents, Aaron started as an intern at the Gallery a decade ago and has worked in the Haymarket area his entire adult life. “For me Chinatown is one of the really dynamic areas of the city. Because of new developments you’ve got young couples and young professionals living here and unlike other parts of the city which die when city workers leave at 6 o’clock – Chinatown is alive all the time. “There are a lot of layers here. This place is the symbolic heart of the Chinese community, not just for people who live in Sydney but also those in metropolitan areas and interstate. It’s a place where for many years, Chinese people have come to live, work and build businesses.”

There’s a buzz just south of the city centre that doesn’t quite exist anywhere else in Sydney. Haymarket is a cultural bubble alive with restaurants, shops trading after dark and entertainment every night of the week.

Vaughn de Vocht, an executive member of the Haymarket Chamber of Commerce, has helped play an important role in helping these shopkeepers capitalise on the culture and thriving night-time economy in Chinatown.

“Some colleagues and I realised this area needed a group to represent local development and businesses as on their own, they didn’t really have the clout or courage to speak up if something needed doing,” Vaughn said.

“It’s particularly important here in Chinatown, where some people feel they’re not properly listened to or understood because of the language barrier.”

So about five years ago, Vaughn joined the not-for-profit Haymarket Chamber of Commerce. The chamber has since grown into one of the most active in Sydney, boasting about a dozen people on its executive committee and more than 170 businesses that have signed up.

“We have multilingual members and direct lines of communication with council and other government departments to help make things happen,” Vaughn said.

“We’ve become the voice of the business community and have helped with some of the fantastic changes that have happened in Chinatown.”

When shopkeepers complained the traditional Chinese pagoda in Dixon Street Mall was being vandalised and slept in by the homeless, the Chamber approached the City of Sydney.

It has now become a vivid red lantern at night and a new information kiosk for thousands of residents, workers and visitors passing through Chinatown by day.

The chamber is also working closely with the City on a 10-year transformation of Chinatown, that has already seen extensive improvements to Little Hay Street, Factory Street and Kimber Lane with wider footpaths, street furniture, trees, bright new lights and colourful public artworks.

“I am very proud when I see those changes; they’re fantastic and they really lift the area,” Vaughn smiled.

“Laneways that were basically full of rubbish are now beautifully decorated and lit at night. It’s already made such a huge difference now that people are enticed to walk through there.

“I’m particularly proud of our Haymarket/Chinatown Visitor Guide and Map, which I initiated some years ago. It’s now in its second print run and is circulated throughout Sydney and Chinatown with details about our walking tours, history of the area and some of the best local stores and restaurants.”

Vaughn has a personal motivation, too – this neighbourhood is also his home.