I recently wrote a post about my time living with Melbourne's transvestites, murderers, prostitutes and saints in the infamous Gatwick Hotel. During my time there I tried to volunteer with some of Australia's most vulnerable and tight-knit sub cultures.
My time there was amazing and there are so many stories I need to tell. Here is the first of them!
Cleaning The Worst Toilets With Pleasure & A Smile! 😃
During my time at The Gatwick I tried to assist in many ways. The Gatwick was run by these two amazing Twins who I fell in love with and spent many hours assisting and chatting with them. A reoccurring theme within our conversations was the concept of Dignity!
This was to change my life! 😘
While I lived in The Gatwick I cleaned the public toilets once a week. Even once I had moved into one of the only three rooms that had it's own private bathroom. Cleaning the toilets consisted of picking up hundreds of used needles, cleaning human waste and used condoms. Then the cleaning began!
I cleaned these toilets with a smile on my face for free! I left those toilets sparkling with fresh toilet paper, empty needle boxes, flowers and incense burning!
I learnt a very valuable lesson which I had known before:
We loose dignity when our toilets are filthy!
Cleaning The Worst But Finding The Best Of Humanity!
One fine spring morning instead of volunteering to clean the toilets I volunteered to clean the outside courtyard. It was full of toxic green phlegm, 1000's of used needles, condoms and extremely noxious human debris. As usual I left that outdoor courtyard sparkling - avoiding flying phlegm planets as I worked!
While working outside The Gatwick that spring morning I discovered something interesting. Pages and pages torn out of somebodies journal. Maybe it had been torn out by themselves or a friend or a jealous lover. I had no idea but I collected the pages to try and return them to the owner with other items from the courtyard.
Some items were able to be returned or donated but the diary pages not. I asked around and the Twins plus all residents at The Gatwick at the time agree that perhaps these notes should be published. So here they are. They are full of pain and heartbreak but I present exactly as the author wrote them.
I don't know if you will like them?
This is my friend and I doubt that the notes reproduced below belong to her!
An Important Preface
It is important to remember that these notes are often written from pain and addiction. Often the criticisms we dish out to others we are levelling at ourselves. These notes are often written from the depths of drug desperation and despair. I publish these here as a window into these depths of humanity and to give solace to those who are experiencing the same things.
If anything they are honest!
A big shout out to Bella, her mum & dad for being so human, swallowing their fear and making these photos happen! 😃
Notes From The Gatwick 1:
"You'll become so argumentative and insulted that the uncomfortable feeling of admitting that the truth can't be said - because you are a pathological liar and cold hearted because a habit of heroin is the only thing you want to care about. Because you can't be confident - drug fucked Mick - who loves and enjoys the high so much that your habit has become helpful ideals the druggie defends proudly. No matter how hard they try to explain that!" - Unknown from The Gatwick
If you want to know more about this astounding place and meet the Twins and some other amazing people please watch this video:
Jockey loves you All, the Twins & The Gatwick! 😉 Jockey votes for 