Inarrabri

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Feature
Larissa Holland - Wee Waa
“One of the best things I ever got to do
in my life was actually leave the town
of Wee Waa. Growing up in Wee Waa,
getting over that levee bank is probably
one of the scariest things you can do. It
is literally like a mountain between you
and the outside world. So, I was very
fortunate in the fact that my parents
were very supportive in allowing me to
go travelling and attend a university that
was outside the normal. So I chose the
University of Newcastle and four years
later I am back in the town that I grew
up in and I’m actually very happy to be
back here.”
“I’ve just learned so much along the way.
I probably can’t see myself living any-
where else but Wee Waa or Newcastle. I
just grew attached to them so much but
the two are so different. It’s literally the
difference of freedom of choice between
the two. When I lived down in New-
castle it took me so long to work out a
budget for the fact that I could go shop-
ping every single day, I could go and
buy DVDs, I could use all the internet
I wanted and I could go to the beach as
opposed to being a six hour drive and a
novelty thing. This is where I lived now.”
“From Newcastle I also got to travel.
It allowed me to do an exchange pro-
gramme and I went to the United States.
I met lots of people from different coun-
tries and met so many people in differ-
ent life situations, all pretty much end-
ing up there like I did. And then coming
back and taking those experiences with
me and finishing off my degree. So,
eighteen years in Wee Waa, three and a
half years in Newcastle, six months in
the US and now I’m back here. I’ve come
full circle. There’s probably not much I’d
change about it.”
“There’s always something about small
towns that drags you back in. It’s just
that sense of familiarity, being able to go
and talk to people, there’s nothing that
can beat it. You can get a sense of isola-
tion in big cities, if you’re not careful.
You’re surrounded by half a million peo-
ple and yet you will not leave your house
because there’s no one that you feel you
can talk to. Because you don’t know
everyone it’s not the same. Where as in
Wee Waa, I went to work some days and
didn’t do any work for like an hour out
of the day because people would come
in and start talking.”
“The university is intimidating in a way.
photo: John Burgess
Words & Photography by Namoi based
professional photographer, John Burgess.
To contact John, phone 0423 690 586 or via Humans of the Namoi
14 | iNarrabri Magazine | November 2016