We need Accommodation

We phone Sue, Fred’s sister, she is going to help us find a flat. She tells us she’ll pick us up after lunch. She’s a hairdresser and is taking the afternoon off for us. We have more coffee and lunch at Charlie’s cafeteria until Sue arrives. She sits down with us for some coffee too. She has circled several flats in the local paper. Most of them are in the Red Hill area; Sue also lives at Red Hill. She explains that Red Hill is close to town and a handy suburb for young people with limited funds.

The first place she takes us to is a flat in an old divided Queenslander in Red Hill. It looks a dump to me. The garden is overgrown, the paint is non-existent and the corrugated roof looks like its rusty and would surely leak in a storm. We walk into the house and it looks worse inside. The floor is made of old vinyl with gaping holes through which you can see the dirt ground below. Louvered windows with broken glass louvers some missing altogether. The furniture looks like it’s seen better days and very filthy. There is no way I would live there.

We drive to another place not too far away. The flat looks brand new. It smells of fresh paint and there are still building materials in he yard, but the landlord is there and tells us he won’t let this new flat to two single blokes, he is looking for a married couple. Sue explains we’re from Switzerland, clean living and well brought up, but he doesn’t budge. What a shame I would have liked this flat.

Our block of flats in Kennedy Terrace

Finally, we arrive in Kennedy Terrace where a block of four flats is situated on the corner of a small Street opposite a church. Both flats are vacant on the ground floor. The upstairs flats have tenants but there is no one around. We like the flats, they are built of brick, nicely painted and the furniture look ok as well. They have a large lounge room, two bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen and a laundry downstairs.  We decide to take one of the flats and sign all the necessary papers and hand over some cash. Sue leaves and instructs us how to get into town by bus. There is a bus stop right outside the block of flats. She tells us that the Jubilee line will take us right into the city.

We’re investigating the flat and surroundings. We even have a garage downstairs, next to the laundry complete with automatic washing machine.

On the other corner of Kennedy Terrace is a small shop. Sue had told us we could buy all our groceries in this shop. The name on the shop is Cook’s Emporium. We’re happy. But there are some things we need, like sheets, blankets, pillow cases and we didn’t see any cleaning utensils, brooms buckets etc. So we’re grabbing a bus from outside the flat and stay on it until we’re in the heart of the city. Queen Street. There are more people in the city now than there were last night when we drove through the city.

We find a place called Coles in Queen Street. We find the things we need or think we need, sheets, blankets, brooms, buckets etc.

City Trams

Back on the street, Ben says do you know which bus number stops outside our flat.

No,  I thought you knew

I don’t, do you know the name of the bus line?

No, I thought you knew!

We better call a cab, do you know the name of the street?

No, I thought you knew!

So here we are late afternoon, in the middle of the city, not knowing how to get home or the name of the street. I do however remember the area is called Red Hill, at least that ‘s something.

There is a policeman directing traffic at the top of Adelaide Street and I remember learning in school that in English speaking countries the “Police - Your Friend” motto is applicable, so I tell Ben to wait and minding the stuff we just bought and I venture into the middle of the intersection and tell the policeman in broken English that my friend and I are lost and can only remember Red Hill. He is a friendly cop and tells us to wait at the side of the intersection, which is right outside the George Street Police Station. Not long after he comes across and beckons us to follow him. We walk together into the yard of the Police Station and points for us to get into his police car. He drives out of the yard and heads for Red Hill. He drives up and down the hills of  Red Hill until we recognise the block of flats in Kennedy Terrace. He pulls into the yard. There are some girls sitting on the stairs to the upstairs flats. We get out of the Police car to the amazement of the young ladies and the cop explains that these two were New-Australians and cot lost in town. We thank the cop and smile at the girls before entering our flat. They tell us they are students at the Kelvin Grove Teacher’s College all in their first year. There are four girls living upstairs in one of the flats.


Next - Life in Kennedy Terrace