Con’s connection

“I have a life-long connection to the market. I grew up in Lalor with migrant parents. Preston Market was the closest thing that resembled a market in Greece.”

We would travel by train on a weekly basis to shop for meat, fruit and vegetables, deli items etc. The Market is a place of community and inclusion as there are lots of migrants with similar background to  my parents.

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What is a special memory that you have about the market? 

“When I was about four I got lost at the market. It was in the meat market, and I remember a butcher picking me up and putting me on his shoulders and from this vantage point. I remember being so distracted by the market,  and the kindness of the butcher made me feel at home in that environment.”  

As an adult do you still come to the market? 

“My wife and I lived in Preston, initially when we were first married. We moved away but now has been our home for the last 15 years. The market has been our mainstay, our anchor.”   

Why are you opposed to the government’s market plans? 

“The market gives Preston a social fabric, including people from all walks of life and ages, and that will be jeopardized.  If this development goes ahead with 2,200 units,  the market will lose its community feel and a lot of  foot traffic. The key concern is that the value that the market represents to the general public of this area and the surrounding areas has not been taken into consideration: It’s more an afterthought.

What do you think should be done to save the Preston Market? 

“Realistically the market should belong to the people, and the way in which that can happen is by there being a effort between local, state, and even federal government to acquire the market in order to protect it.”  

What have you done to raise your concerns? 

“I’ve written to local MPs Robyn Scott and Ged Kearney, but I haven’t heard a response, which is really disappointing. If  the different levels of government were to listen to the people they would make a strategy to acquire and then protect the market. Preston is a strong, proud and diverse working class area, and a particular party has had dominance for a long time. Why aren’t they listening to their constituents? These are the people who attest to supporting the working class movement, however the ‘voice’ of the people has been taken for granted.”