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After successfully campaigning against live music at the 103-year-old pub at the end of her street, Lillian Paisely-Smallwoods (42) views herself as someone of a community organiser.
As one the pioneering gentrifiers in the once blue collar ethnic enclave known as Betoota’s Flight Path District, Lillian says it was beyond the pale to expect all of these new young families to put up with electric guitar and drum solos until midnight every Friday.
“We live about twenty metres from the Freemasons (Hotel) – I don’t think it was out of line for rate payers to have a say in the volume levels of her neighbourhood”
After months of vicious social media campaigning and thousands of noise complaints to the police, Lillian and her mothers group had a win.
“They were banned from playing music after eight on Fridays and ten on Saturdays. Even that was generous in my opinion.” she laughs.
“But obviously they didn’t have a very good business model because they went broke shortly after that. So it’s a win win for everyone haha”
However, with the issue of noisy small businesses in her rearview, this stay-at-home-graphic-designer-mother-of-one-31-month-year-old has set her sights on the swathes of public land that old men play with little balls on.
“Golf courses sit in the middle of our cities, using up valuable space in places that need more genuinely public land.” she says.
“They should all be dog parks”
Of course Lillian isn’t talking about any of the Golf Courses she grew up drinking vodka cruises on at night time, she’s talking about the Wog Palace that backs onto her property. The Flight Path District 18 Hole.
As a high-income young urban professional, Lillian has had to be very careful about how she pitches this debate, knowing full well she’s effectively calling for the demolition of a generational ethnic club house.
That’s why she’s gone with the ‘rich old white men narrative’ – in a hope to win over other stone and wood socialists who think this debate is about something other than the value of her property.
“Not all clubs… Obviously”
When asked if her newest campaign means her recently retired hedge fund manager father should hock his clubs and take up lawn bowls with all the old whingeing Labor voters down the road, Lillian giggles.
“Haha I’m not talking about the Royal Betoota. That’s a real golf club” she says.
“Plus it’s gotta be like heritage listed or something right?”
“Plus I think that’s a pretty good private venue as well, right?”
“I had my formal after-party there. It’s like, not just a golf club”
“I think my sister even had her engagement party there. Haha. Nooooo not that one haha”
