MONTY BENFICA | Amusements | CONTACT
A local mother of 3 who verges on cardiac arrest whenever she sees graffiti in her local Queensland suburb has had a surprising change of tone on her weekend visit to Melbourne.
Debbie Walsh (59), recently decided on a spontaneous trip to the nation’s southern city, hoping to soak up the culture of the former number 1 most livable city in the world.
While at first taken aback by the artistic culture of Melbourne’s inner city, Debbie found that it had awakened a part of her she had no idea even existed.
“Don’t get me wrong, I loath graffiti or any form of un-regulated expression, but these alley ways… they’re just so edgy and cool!” Debbie explained.
Within minutes of arriving in Melbourne’s inner city, Debbie was spotted taking dozens of selfies to upload to her Facebook.
“I’m still not a fan of the squiggly stuff that you can’t even bloody read, but this is actually creative” Debbie said while surrounded by indecipherable graffiti tags.
“I just wish we had some of this creativity back home! it’s just so fun!”
Debbie’s friends back in Queensland were shocked by her sudden shift in attitude. Known for sending strongly-worded letters to council about every local spray-paint incident, Debbie’s newfound appreciation for Melbourne’s street art left them bewildered.
“I didn’t recognize her at first,” said Sandra, a long-time friend.
“She used to rant about ‘vandalism’ ruining our town, and now she’s posting photos of graffiti”
By the end of her trip, she was eagerly hunting down the most Instagrammable spots, diving into Melbourne’s famous laneways like a seasoned street art aficionado.
“These alleys have soul. You can just feel the raw energy,” she gushed, sounding less like her usual suburban self and more like a hipster art critic. “Back home, it’s all just rude kids with spray cans, but here? It’s like an urban gallery.”
Despite the skepticism from some, Debbie remains undeterred. “It’s about embracing change,” she said.
“I feel like I’ve unlocked a new version of myself. If graffiti can evolve, so can I.”
