Mak was sitting outside Chorba Cafe, a popular Turkish cafe in Victoria Mall. She was enjoying a coffee and a Turkish delight. Mak was generous enough to spend some time between sips to regale the Meddler with some stories.
MAK: I’ve lived all over Melbourne, but I was raised in Coburg. I’ve recently re-bought in Coburg, so I’m over the moon. My mum is 15 minutes away, my sister lives in Brunswick and my brother lives in Carlton. My son lives interstate and he has a beautiful young family; I’m a proud grandparent.
MEDDLER: Did you spend a lot of time in Coburg when you were young?
MAK: Yes. When we first immigrated from Turkey, we were all staying at the hostel in the old army barracks, and then we mainly lived in Coburg. We shared a house with another family and then we lived at Jewell Station at the flats there, and then we actually purchased our first house in Coburg. Now I have a big family, which I love. We’re all spread out. That’s just what happens with migrant families.
MEDDLER: What was it like growing up in Coburg?
MAK: I first started going to Coburg Primary and then I went to Brunswick Girls High. When we moved back to Coburg, I went to Newlands High. When we first moved here, the real estate agent gave us a little booklet explaining the cafes and stores in Coburg; she also told me about Chorba. It’s beautiful, because it’s my heritage. It’s familiar. When we first came here, there were a lot of immigrants in the area. I experienced bullying at school because of my name; no one could pronounce it. When I started working in childcare, where I’ve worked for 25 years, people started calling me ‘Mak’. Which I thought was easier for people. I was originally named after my mum’s first child who she lost to whooping cough.
MEDDLER: What changes have you noticed?
MAK: When I was young I was quite comfortable walking around. Me and my sister used to walk to school with no problems. I didn’t remember seeing any homelessness or drug use, but now I see it. It’s sad, but it’s a part of life in this day and age. No one wants to be in that situation. I know it’s because of their circumstances that they get pushed aside by their families.
I love all the stores that I used to come to, but I can see a lot of change and struggle, too. The small milk bar that we used to go to doesn’t exist anymore because of bigger stores like Coles and Woolworths who are open 24/7. And now the cake store, Ferguson Plarre, has closed. But despite all this, I always feel home when I’m here.
The Coburg Meddler 