One Small World

by Sue Castrique

Soon after it opened in 1976, the immigration minister AI Grassby called Addison Road Community Centre ‘one small world in Australia’. He was describing a remarkable multicultural experiment at a place that has seen many transformations – from tall forest, to market garden, to an army depot that for sixty turbulent years was a focal point for war, peace, protest and social connection.

One Small World brings to life the enthusiasm, hope and purpose that have marked Addison Road in all its years. It reveals how a rich and fascinating history has made ‘Addi Road’ the special place it is today.

Sue Castrique is the author of the prize-winning, Under the Colony’s Eye: Gentlemen and Convicts on Cockatoo Island. Her essay, ‘On the edge of Gumbramorra swamp’ was runner-up in the Wildcare Nature Writing award in 2016 and forms the first chapter of One Small World.