PKMG

Jason and I have spent a good bit of time in the Port Kembla neighborhood lately (shortened to "Port" by most locals). It is a very interesting area. It's a place of contrast. It has some of the best views in the city if you look West towards the mountain escarpment, South towards Lake Illawarra, or East over the ocean. It also has the worst view in the city if you look North towards the steel works (a massive complex that looks like something out of a Mad Max movie). In many ways it's a vibrant community - there is always something going on there - but in other ways it is dead (the main strip looks like it has more boarded up shops and businesses than open ones). The most interesting thing about Port is the people - of all the people I've met in the Wollongong area, Port residents are the most proud of where they live. If you ask people around other parts of the Gong what they think of Port, they usually say it's all drugs, crime, and smog - but Port residents will tell you a different story; Port's the best place in the Gong, who wouldn't want to live here?

Jason and I are both member's of the Port Kembla Men's Group. The Men's Group is a place for local men to come hang out, work on projects, and mentor one another. We meet at the Port Kembla Community Centre every Wednesday. We work on projects (we're in the process of setting up a shop), do a little gardening and yard work, drink heaps of coffee, and make lunch together. Our favourite lunch is homemade pizza cooked in our wood fire oven - mmm! Here's a few pics: