It's hard to describe to people who didn't experience the police state that was Bris Vegas at that time. I didn't have more than close shaves myself, such as being searched on the street for merely looking.... like whatever I was looking like, or being shoved up against a wall and threatened with the watch house for smiling at a plain clothes officer as he checked my ID at The Treasury. I did, however, know of people who had the phone book treatment at Roma Street or the CID building alongside the Gabba. The police were an ever-menacing presence, and ugly, ugly, ugly. I hasten to add that I wasn't particularly up to no good, it's just that as far as the constabulary were concerned, I simply looked it, which was more than enough to attract their unwelcome attention.
I flicked straight to the chapters dealing with the eviction of 4ZZZ from the UQ campus. I'd all but forgotten the morning* I woke to hear the "emergency signal" being broadcast telling of the early morning ousting and calling for all and sundry to rush to the studio to occupy the building. I was living in nearby Toowong at the time, so duly made my way over after a coffee or two. I don't remember a great deal about the day, just being crammed into the tiny basement studio with the most astonishing array of freaks, some just having fun, some deeply committed to seeing wrongs righted, some just deeply and violently disturbed. All screaming for all they were worth at "the fucking pigs". It turns out that John Birmingham was there reporting the whole debacle for Rolling Stone.
It's all a long time ago now, and both Brisbane and I have become more middle class and bland. The Treasury has been turned into a faux-Irish pub, ZZZ has a professional-looking website, police are polite and helpful on occasion, and I live in the 'burbs with two kids and sensible clothing. I'm looking forward to being reminded of a time when we were all a little more colourful. Now excuse me, I'm off to do some reading.
*Probably early afternoon, actually.
3 comments:
I used to live with a guy who was there at the time - I thought he was unbelievably paranoid, but apparently he learned that behaviour. Sounds like an interesting time to be a Queenslander!
Punter who weren't there have no idea. I get called a fantasist for labeling the joh era proto-fascist, but that's what it was.
Lara: Ye-e-e-es. Another source of derision for southerners: our meerkat-style jumpiness brought on by savage policing. And the young 'uns up here these days? They think we oldies are ridiculous. Which brings on tiresome "we had it tough in our day" stories. And serve them right, eh?
Birmo: The man hisself! Nice to hear from you.
That's the thing, isn't it? It's impossible to get the reality of that time across to those who didn't experience it. It's a stretch to say that it's like an East German trying to describe pre-unification life to a Wessie, and yet there are similarities. And "fantasist" be damned: it WAS proto-fascist!
You know, I didn't realise just how much of the fear and paranoia of that time I'd squashed from my memory until I started reading the book. It's all a fair while ago now, but as they say, those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. If John Howard is so keen to have Australian history taught in schools* then this is the kind of thing that kids should be told about. How many 18-25 year olds know this grassroots local history? I think it's important that they do.
*Not that his wishes are worth the foul air they waft out on now, anyway.
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