Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) “has a special place” in Lisa’s heart because “it has everything.” “I spent quite a few years there. I won’t say how many.” She winks. After the controversial Robert Mugabe was elected as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, it became “impossible to survive.” “No food, no electricity, no water. It was so ingrained to have water saved up, that here I have over 40 litres of water in the laundry just in case the water goes off. When I go shopping, I buy two of everything,” she says. As the economy continued to worsen in Zimbabwe, Lisa knew it was time to come back to Australia. When back in Melbourne, she found a private rental in Bentleigh. Yet soon, the landlord doubled her rent and Lisa was forced to find alternative housing. “I was having a very hard time finding a place to live. I was desperate, going from one end of Melbourne to the other. Not finding anything suitable,” Lisa recalls. That’s when she found a Wintringham flyer through a community centre, a specialised welfare company that provides housing and care to elderly, frail men and women who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Wintringham helped Lisa find her Housing Choices unit. “What I like about Housing Choices is when something goes wrong, they come and fix it.” Now living as a Housing Choices resident for over a decade, Lisa has created her
own paradise within her urban apartment. The walls of Lisa’s unit are filled with images of African scenery, clippings of articles she has written, and photographs from her African adventure and beyond. “Each picture has a story.” Dozens of red folders are lined neatly on a shelf – where Lisa has documented her travels and musings. She channels her creativity through a variety of mediums. Sitting boldly in her living room are two majestic model sailboats she handmade
from recycled materials. Lisa’s next project is a glass mosaic peacock made from coloured glass, which she has foraged from op-shops. “I was so disorientated after coming back to Melbourne, that I needed something to relate to, something to ground me. I’ve created my world, it makes me feel good,” she says. When asked what Lisa wants residents to know about her, she decisively says “travel is the best educator. That’s sincere.”
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