Dear Belly,

I think I'd better keep quiet. It's been years since
I last visited Bankstown or for that matter Parramatta,
or Wentworthville where I grew up. I looked up my old
church in Wentworthville - and did a back flip. I
didn't recognise it at all. It was so different inside.
It had been a lovely church - and now looks rather gaudy.
Painted in very bright colours instead of the lovely wood
that I remember. So, possibly, I may not know what I'm
talking about - and what I remember is probably very
nostalgic and no longer exists.

So who am I to judge anything? I live in the safe, lovely
eastern suburbs of Melbourne - it's probably an entirely
different world.

Yep Islam is a very sick and sad ideology with it's founder of very poor character. Toss up between secularism and Islam which is worse. That's probably why they both defend the indefensible. Mohammed and Stalin would have much in common.

I was a sales representative in Sydney for 22 years and knew well every suburb in Sydney Newcastle and Wollongong. Suburbs like Cabramatta a large Vietnamese population no problems to service the shops and entering the area. Cabramatta the most common responses for religion in Cabramatta were Buddhism 43.0%, No Religion 19.8%, Catholic 14.0%, Not stated 8.1% and Eastern Orthodox 2.9%. Though hey had drugs and gangs there for a while there was no threat to people entering the area. However shops owned and operated by white Europeans in Auburn were loosing sales and selling out because of failing patronage.

//However shops owned and operated by white Europeans in Auburn were loosing sales and selling out because of failing patronage.//

Where is your evidence Josephus? What types of businesses are you referring to. Auburn street strip of shops has been under pressure for many years, with a large Westfield's located down the road at Parramatta. Many of these older small street shops have been in decline for years with the competition from large regional shopping centers, where most people shop, Muslims and all. People who fail in business like you, are always looking for scapegoats

Just back from a post-christening party, Catholics family, the guests were Christians,Hindus, Muslims (Bhoris), Buddhists and the odd non-believer, all good friends.
The music was bloody terrible being strictly Bollywood Rock (which is a genre all its own!!)

The food was its usual high quality but the beer and whisky were not the best.

The Madeira in which we toasted th baby was a good drop though.

A great time was had by all.

Hi Issy,

Glad you had a good time. I have a good mate, Turkish/Muslim met him through work. Started off out at Lidcombe, wife and him both well educated, three lovely children, grown up now, all doing well, oldest daughter is in America. When the opportunity came up my fried built a beautiful home at Cheerybrook, still there. They both worked hard for what they have got. A real asset to Australia.
The odd thing, even though Hal is Muslim when the kids were small they always celebrated Christmas, tree and all, photos with Santa etc, as he would say "Why should my kids miss out." My friend told me that most educated Turks, like himself, don't view religion in the same way as many do, he has an important secular life as well.
BTW my friends hates the extremists as much as anyone, he can't understand what motivates them at all.

p/s What is Bollywood Rock? Elvis after a hot Vindaloo. I like naan bread with an assortment of Indian dips myself.