Australia's most evil and repugnant nightspot

The Foco club, named after a theory of revolution by guerilla warfare inspired by Che Guevara's successful army victory in the Cuban revolution- was a counter culture venture headed by the SDA.

We were fortunate enough to interview one of its founders and the financier of the Radical Student Movement today and look forward to sharing his story in the project.

The club ran in its entirety for longer than a year, when it was eventually shut down. To find out more there is a nice little article here

From Hardgrave Road to Torbreck

West End was my home for 4 years and it has always been one of the most important parts of Brisbane for me.

It was a place where you could feel at home even when you felt a little crazy, because West End was the kind of suburb where EVERYONE was accepted, its openness and community spirit was what made it great. Also when I lived there it was a place where the Coles supermarket had run at a loss for years because everyone preferred to shop at the small vendors as they had better products and better prices.

 Once, I remember walking past one of the halfway houses for people with mental disorders and a whole group of guys was in the backyard watching while one mowed the lawn. This girl from the suburbs walked past in a black t-shirt that said MENTAL across the bust and all of the guys just cracked up laughing. 

It was a suburb you never really needed to leave for anything. And if you wanted to not run into anyone, you would have to take long elaborate routes to get into the city just to avoid the main street. 

This was six years ago, so I am wondering how all the new development and bars have affected the area. I was interviewing one of the key figures in local publishing for my first interview, who greeted me rather stylishly in a bow tie. Not disimilar to his earlier outfit when he first got into advertising. 

After scouring the area for a few more contacts and some really helpful information from locals and everyone alike I headed for my final interview in Torbreck. Recently flooded the ground floor smelt like a wet and mouldy rag. I always find it intriguing when places of decadence are in a state of decay. 

This photograph was there with some information about the building, it is a cut out photograph stuck onto an old image of Brisbane. Its original plans were quite extravagant according to the heritage register - 

"Due to spiralling construction costs and/or lack of Brisbane City Council approval, some of the more elaborate aspects of the scheme had to be abandoned: shopping facilities and professional suites at ground level; basement laundry service; a top-class restaurant offering room service; a terrace cafe; roof and indoor gardens; and a tennis court, putting green and fully equipped children's playground. A planned rooftop observation lounge translated as an enclosed rooftop viewing deck."

There is a pdf with all the news about it in the day here and a host of stories about the building as told by former residents here

my first memory

When I first moved to Brisbane 23 years ago, I was at an age where I had just been taught the difference between the countryside and the city. I was born in Singapore and landing in Brisbane was like stepping back in time. I remember gazing out at the patchy grass landing strip from the plane and wondering where the hell the airport was. 

When I realised it was the tiny shack next to the runway, confusion addled my 10 year old brain as I had been told we were moving to a city, but surely this was the country? As we drove from the airport to our new home this thought was compounded as I looked in shock at all the wooden houses on stilts. 

This memory seems to be a common one for most of the people who moved here in their youth. And yet for all of its country town character, Brisbane still knew how to have glamour in the evenings.

Two landmarks that stand out in so many memories are the Lennons hotel and Cloudland. 

These two places seem to be imbued with a majesty straight out of a Hollywood classic film. They were places where everyone used to dress up in gowns and dinner suits. 

One of the great things about this project is getting a sense of all the things that people really loved about the city. In a lot of ways,the atmosphere and personality of the place hasn't changed too much. 

But what definately seems to have changed is this sense of glamour. 

As much as the super clubs in the valley may have tried and the various hipster enclaves with bearded beer experts that keep popping up to attest to the new, the sense of glamour is still amiss. 

It could be an opportunity for the launch to try and recreate it.  

We Need Your Stories!

a citywide listening project for Brisbane

Call out for Stories

Do you have a tale to tell?

Calling the Past is an oral history project mapping the people’s history of Brisbane.

We are currently looking for contributors with strong personal experiences of what it used to be like to live in Brisbane - witnesses to events that shaped the city, interesting professions, love stories, transformative tales, funny anecdotes and unforgettable characters that were all part of the memory of the city.

We will be recording your stories, editing them with sound and mapping them to their locations. The project will go live for the month of June, transforming public phone booths into free listening stations.

This is an opportunity for your story to become part of Brisbane’s greater history, aswell as to share in the memory of other’s experiences.

If you have a story to share, please get in touch with either Nick -0468497690 or Laura -0468433697 to arrange an interview. Alternatively, email callingthepast@gmail.com with your contact details.

Calling the Past is a project supported by Telstra and the Brisbane city council. Calling the Past is a project supported by Telstra and the Creative Sparks Grants Program.

Creative Sparks is a joint initiative of Brisbane City Council and the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland.