Nothing Shows Community Like Acts Of Inconvenience …
April 3, 2024, 7:45 am
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Comment We live in a place called Birkenhead in Auckland, NZ … not to mistaken for place in Liverpool with the same name.
We had no idea what it was like when we bought our house on an online auction one Sunday morning in December 2020.
At 2am.
In England.
Hell, we didn’t really have an idea what the house was like beyond some photos and a video from the real estate agent.
No mortgage organised.
No building check done.
No nothing of nothing.
But we absolutely loved how it looked and that was enough for us to take the plunge.
And while that might sound stupid – and probably was – it was peak-COVID, so getting anyone to see anything was almost impossible and we had moved countries enough times to know we could deal with pretty much any situation. Plus we’d done a similar thing before in Australia – which had turned out well – and acknowledged that given we were in the very privileged position of being able to buy rather than rent, if it fucked up, it would all be on us.
Which also sounds stupid and probably was.
But, as we hoped, it all worked out and we love our house more than any other place we’ve lived – and that’s saying something as we’ve been privileged and fortunate enough to live in a lot of lovely places we could call home.
Anyway, Birkenhead is on the North Shore of Auckland and when we told people in NZ where we’d bought, we were met with some shocked faces.
And a few judgemental comments.
Not in a nasty way, more a confused way …
Part of this is because the general attitude among some Aucklanders is if you live in the North Shore [which means going over a bridge] you’re basically living in another country. Hell, even Jill’s sat nav in the car announces we’re ‘approaching the border’ when we go over the bridge.
The other part is they thought we would want to live in a ‘posh area’ … which says more about their judgement and prejudice, than us.
Oh we heard it all …
“But the traffic is terrible”
“What will you do when the bridge closes in high winds?”
“You’ll regret it when you see how hard the bridge is to get onto at peak times”
And while some of those things are true, there’s 3 key points to note.
1. We’d already bought the house so what the fuck could we do about it.
2. The bridge has only closed 3 times since moving here. Mostly late at night.
3. The traffic is bad all over Auckland. [And so are the drivers, ha]
What was interesting – as has been wherever we’ve lived – is how many people focus on what they perceive as the inconvenience rather than the joyful bits. It’s similar to those people who try to talk others out of moving overseas by reiterating what they’ll miss, rather than what they’ll gain. Made even more ridiculous when they’ve never even lived overseas. They’re the same folks who get upset when someone not from there, questions some of the things being done. Not to be rude. Not to try and make their new place like their old place. Just because they see something that could make a big difference to others. And rather than listen to the perspective of someone with fresh eyes, they choose to attack … sensitive and fragile to a situation they know they are complicit in, but also don’t want to give up as it’s personally profitable.
I swear half of the planets problems is it’s full of big talking, small minded individuals. Daily Mail readers basically … though in my experience, it tends to be greater in people who have wealth/influence in their field and live in a nation that was either once powerful/influential and has lost their power/reputation or are located far from centres of political/financial/culture influence and are desperate for acceptance.
I generalise of course – but for someone who has lived in a lot of countries, they are the nations where I’ve experienced it most [hence NZ is not immune from these pricks, despite being a very special place] which is why I am reminded of something a friend of mine – who works for the UN – once said, which was ‘watch out for countries who always refer to the great things they’ve done, rarely the things they’re doing now’.
But I digress …
Within weeks of moving into Birkenhead, we found a place with a real community.
By that, I mean a place where everyone looks out for everyone.
The young.
The local shop owners.
The overall wellbeing of the people and the environment within it.
We’ve experienced this before – most notably Manhattan Beach in LA – but that felt more about exclusivity rather the inclusivity of Birkenhead.
Reinforced by the fact Manhattan Beach is very ‘rich white’ whereas Birkenhead is far more diverse in almost every way.
Anyway, recently I spotted something that – for me – reinforces the sense of togetherness Birkenhead has.
Not in a Pleasantville/Truman Show kind of fucked-up way, but terms of wanting to convey a spirit that is welcoming for all.
It was this …
Yep, painted electricity boxes.
I know … I know … it’s not a big thing, but for me, that’s the thing.
Someone chose to do this.
Someone decided to make them have a theme.
Someone wanted to do make something that enhanced the streets we live in.
I have no idea who is behind it.
I have no idea if more communities have this sort of thing.
The last place I saw anything like this was in Manhattan Beach where we saw things like this on the side of the kerb:
I don’t know who did that either … but I do know it was quite a revelation when I saw it.
And while communities are so much more than simply painting infrastructure, I do think it’s about having an attitude of welcoming things into the community rather than keeping them out. Or taking them for granted … whether that’s people, shops or electricity boxes.
It may be why we see more of a community spirit in areas that lack the luxury of the truly wealthy places.
Maybe that is a subjective view … but I know when I was a kid, collecting money for charity, it was always the more humble places that donated more than the rich.
A lot more.
Made even more noticeable by the fact you knew they could afford it the least.
So whether I am right in my thinking or going off on a tangent that even a protractor can’t measure, I just want to say thank you to the people of Birkenhead, especially the people who painted all those electricity boxes.
Because while we won’t be here – or NZ – forever, I’ll remember what this community has done for me and my family for a lifetime.
Filed under: Comment
We live in a place called Birkenhead in Auckland, NZ … not to mistaken for place in Liverpool with the same name.
We had no idea what it was like when we bought our house on an online auction one Sunday morning in December 2020.
At 2am.
In England.
Hell, we didn’t really have an idea what the house was like beyond some photos and a video from the real estate agent.
No mortgage organised.
No building check done.
No nothing of nothing.
But we absolutely loved how it looked and that was enough for us to take the plunge.
And while that might sound stupid – and probably was – it was peak-COVID, so getting anyone to see anything was almost impossible and we had moved countries enough times to know we could deal with pretty much any situation. Plus we’d done a similar thing before in Australia – which had turned out well – and acknowledged that given we were in the very privileged position of being able to buy rather than rent, if it fucked up, it would all be on us.
Which also sounds stupid and probably was.
But, as we hoped, it all worked out and we love our house more than any other place we’ve lived – and that’s saying something as we’ve been privileged and fortunate enough to live in a lot of lovely places we could call home.
Anyway, Birkenhead is on the North Shore of Auckland and when we told people in NZ where we’d bought, we were met with some shocked faces.
And a few judgemental comments.
Not in a nasty way, more a confused way …
Part of this is because the general attitude among some Aucklanders is if you live in the North Shore [which means going over a bridge] you’re basically living in another country. Hell, even Jill’s sat nav in the car announces we’re ‘approaching the border’ when we go over the bridge.
The other part is they thought we would want to live in a ‘posh area’ … which says more about their judgement and prejudice, than us.
Oh we heard it all …
“But the traffic is terrible”
“What will you do when the bridge closes in high winds?”
“You’ll regret it when you see how hard the bridge is to get onto at peak times”
And while some of those things are true, there’s 3 key points to note.
1. We’d already bought the house so what the fuck could we do about it.
2. The bridge has only closed 3 times since moving here. Mostly late at night.
3. The traffic is bad all over Auckland. [And so are the drivers, ha]
What was interesting – as has been wherever we’ve lived – is how many people focus on what they perceive as the inconvenience rather than the joyful bits. It’s similar to those people who try to talk others out of moving overseas by reiterating what they’ll miss, rather than what they’ll gain. Made even more ridiculous when they’ve never even lived overseas. They’re the same folks who get upset when someone not from there, questions some of the things being done. Not to be rude. Not to try and make their new place like their old place. Just because they see something that could make a big difference to others. And rather than listen to the perspective of someone with fresh eyes, they choose to attack … sensitive and fragile to a situation they know they are complicit in, but also don’t want to give up as it’s personally profitable.
I swear half of the planets problems is it’s full of big talking, small minded individuals. Daily Mail readers basically … though in my experience, it tends to be greater in people who have wealth/influence in their field and live in a nation that was either once powerful/influential and has lost their power/reputation or are located far from centres of political/financial/culture influence and are desperate for acceptance.
I generalise of course – but for someone who has lived in a lot of countries, they are the nations where I’ve experienced it most [hence NZ is not immune from these pricks, despite being a very special place] which is why I am reminded of something a friend of mine – who works for the UN – once said, which was ‘watch out for countries who always refer to the great things they’ve done, rarely the things they’re doing now’.
But I digress …
Within weeks of moving into Birkenhead, we found a place with a real community.
By that, I mean a place where everyone looks out for everyone.
The young.
The local shop owners.
The overall wellbeing of the people and the environment within it.
We’ve experienced this before – most notably Manhattan Beach in LA – but that felt more about exclusivity rather the inclusivity of Birkenhead.
Reinforced by the fact Manhattan Beach is very ‘rich white’ whereas Birkenhead is far more diverse in almost every way.
Anyway, recently I spotted something that – for me – reinforces the sense of togetherness Birkenhead has.
Not in a Pleasantville/Truman Show kind of fucked-up way, but terms of wanting to convey a spirit that is welcoming for all.
It was this …
Yep, painted electricity boxes.
I know … I know … it’s not a big thing, but for me, that’s the thing.
Someone chose to do this.
Someone decided to make them have a theme.
Someone wanted to do make something that enhanced the streets we live in.
I have no idea who is behind it.
I have no idea if more communities have this sort of thing.
The last place I saw anything like this was in Manhattan Beach where we saw things like this on the side of the kerb:
I don’t know who did that either … but I do know it was quite a revelation when I saw it.
And while communities are so much more than simply painting infrastructure, I do think it’s about having an attitude of welcoming things into the community rather than keeping them out. Or taking them for granted … whether that’s people, shops or electricity boxes.
It may be why we see more of a community spirit in areas that lack the luxury of the truly wealthy places.
Maybe that is a subjective view … but I know when I was a kid, collecting money for charity, it was always the more humble places that donated more than the rich.
A lot more.
Made even more noticeable by the fact you knew they could afford it the least.
So whether I am right in my thinking or going off on a tangent that even a protractor can’t measure, I just want to say thank you to the people of Birkenhead, especially the people who painted all those electricity boxes.
Because while we won’t be here – or NZ – forever, I’ll remember what this community has done for me and my family for a lifetime.
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