Us and Them

Admit it, you're either Us or Them. Most people refer to themselves as Us and everyone else is Them. Either way, everyone identifies themselves from one camp or another. You're either QLD or NSW, State School or Private, Heavy Metal or Pop, Today or Sunrise... North or South. And it's a comment about the latter that prompted this blog.

In Brisbane there seems to be a definite divide between North and South. It makes sense that the dividing line is the river. So for arguments sake, let's say the river is the divide.

So I'm Northside. Always have been and in my heart, always will. I grew up here. I still live here and all my oldest friends are here. I went to school here, went to parties here and know my way around with confidence. Give me almost any Northside suburb and I'll find it, even if I haven't been there before. I'll generally know where abouts it is or what it's near. Without a map I'd probably even get pretty close to most of them. The roads don't bother me, going out at night doesn't bother me and the public transport doesn't bother me (aside from general public transport issues for another blog).

Growing up it seemed that all the crime in Brisbane was committed on the Southside. Sure that's grossly inaccurate but to the 8 year old me, that's how it seemed. And I'm sure my friends thought the same. We heard rumours of certain Southside suburbs, suburbs you'd never go to during the daytime, let alone the night. If by chance you did find  yourself there, you'd lock your doors and drive as quickly through as you could. When we hit our teens and started going to parties, if the venue was South of the river it was a no go. Driving on the Southside is a nightmare. The roads are strange and the drivers don't seem to know where they're going. When my brother was in a bash car rally out near Ipswich a girlfriend and I went to watch. It was a great day watching boys drive around in muddy, beaten up old cars (my first datsun was one of them) but when it ended we were faced with a problem. Should we tackle the huge drive home or find somewhere to stay over night? We pulled into a motel in Ipswich about 5pm and prepared for one of the strangest nights of our lives. Now grown up me knows that Ipswich, while a fair drive from home, doesn't require an overnight stay. At the time we were 18. Living and learning. 

To make things difficult, my darling husband Patrick is Southside. Very Southside. In fact, if he hadn't lied to me when we first met about where he lived, we wouldn't have had a second date. He was born and raised in one of those suburbs (that as a Northsider) we considered the most notorious in Brisbane. Over our dating time I spent a lot of time in that suburb. And overall I generally felt safe. There were definitely times and places that I wouldn't go alone, and there was that one night about 2am that his friend bashed on the bedroom window and screamed at us that people were chasing him and to let him in.

So how have we combined the North and South? Easily. When we moved into our first unit we agreed that we'd do 6 months leases on each side of the river to find out which area truly suited us. Our first unit was in Ascot on the North. We stayed there for 2 years until we bought our house, even further North. Each time the lease was about to run out we discussed moving and both agreed (both!!) that North was the place to be.
Over the years I've copped heaps of shit from his friends and mine over the North V South thing. Recently a comment was made by a friends dad that brought it all crashing back. The conversation went something like this

Friends dad: "There is a definite divide between the North and South. How'd you feel spending all that time in <insert name of Southside suburb that Patrick grew up in> when you're so Northside? I mean you probably went to Private school too, didn't you?"

Well yes I did. But take that up with my parents. It wasn't a decision I recall making. And I wasn't aware that I was "so Northside". What does that even mean? I know his friends thought I was a stuck up Northside snob back in the early days (they told me) but we're all good now. Geez.

So our household combines North and South quite well. These days we spend more time in the North but still plenty in the South visiting friends, family and places we like to go.

But for tonight there is only one camp in our house. North and South is forgotten, tonight it's all

QUEENSLANDER!!