Youth and community organisation Fusion Western Sydney is inviting people to share their experiences during COVID-19 through their project ‘Postcards from Home’.
Running until early October, anyone in the Penrith Local Government Area can write or draw something about the pandemic on a postcard which will be form a digital archive about community life during isolation.
Project Designer and former St Marys Senior High School student, Kathleen Travers said she is excited to be a part of it.
“Fusion got in touch with me as they were putting forward an idea for the Magnetic Places Grant on a way to connect the community at this time,” Ms Travers said.
“I was feeling the social-distance from others as I began to freelance full time so was excited to be part of this creative idea.”
Ms Travers said people of any age can pick up a postcard from the Fusion Café, or from Penrith, St Marys or St Clair libraries to be involved.
“Whether you live in western Sydney or work or travel through you can fill one out to describe an experience, something you learnt or something you have observed during Coronavirus,” she said.
“I think the novelty of the postcard brings a physicality to how we are communicating over distance and also gives a different value to what is written down rather than being on a scrap of paper.”
With the postcards being digitally archived online and the physical copies being displayed at Fusion Café and then given to the St Marys Historical Society, Ms Travers said it will create a strong record of the pandemic.
“It is hard to know how it will affect the world, so this is a step to help people process it through reflections and also create an accurate memory of what it looked like for individuals in western Sydney,” she said.
“I hope this archive becomes a platform to honour our community’s experience through this time, whatever it may be and be available for future generations.”
For more information go to www.fusionwesternsydney.org.au or to request a postcard in the mail, call 8805 5900.
A graduate of Western Sydney University, Emily covers Local, State and Federal politics for the Weekender, as well as crime and general news.
