And Then It Hit Me !!

C

Citizen_Tiger

New member
For the first time in a long time I spent a few hours in Balmain last week, a place where I grew up, attended school, socialised through the formative years etc. I had not realised the extent to which the suburb has so significantly changed. Dress Shops, Plush Eateries, the transformation of Pubs, Saabs, Mercs, Rangies, Polo Ralph Lauren, Rolex, Blackberries, Patisseries, Organic Food Shops, Cosmetic Surgery Shopfronts, Private School Kids, Swans Bumper Stickers, Sophisticated Real Estate Agents and so on….

I probably should have made a forensic visit much sooner, because it made me realise that in reality, I have no spiritual connection with the Balmain Tigers anymore. I have some great memories, but no yearning to ever return to a 'stand alone' position. There is simply no community connection left with Balmain. The joint is a bourgeois horror show. I'd say that Leichhardt Oval is the one and only place in the area that provides the 'connect' with history.

Anyway, thanks for letting me get that off my chest, I feel better......GO THE WT !!
 
Things are better in Lilyfield and Leichhardt. I still have fond memories of how the area came alive during GF week in 2005\. Awesome time to be living in the area.
 
If we make it to the grand final you'll think differently. Darling St goes crazy. But I agree the Swans stickers have to go.
 
That's a big call to make Citizen
yes, there are a lot of yuppies in Balmain now, but having been here my entire life I've never seen local support for the (Balmain) Tigers so strong! Pubs are now having "free drink when the tigers score a try" promotions, Darling Street has gold + black street flag things strung between the shops and there are more and more Balmain jerseys out on the streets.

It's a bucket load better than the state of the area during most of the 2000's.

The gentrification of the suburb has seen a new type of resident enter the area, but the Balmain peninsula still features many pre-90's families with long connections to the area, its schools, its churches, its community groups and its club. Not to mention the fact that the peninsula still houses a few thousand housing commission residents in estates mingled between multi-million dollar mansions.

Yes, Balmain has changed and is no longer a suburb of the rough and tough, but in no way has it forgotten its heritage. If anything, the success of the team recently has brought out a renewed interest!
 
The walk past Callan Park to the oval hasn't changed much since the 80's IMHO.
One change I like is that I can buy a coffee at the game as I have outgrown (i.e. shouldn't eat anymore) hot dogs and pies.
 
Many of my Tiger supporting friends that grew up in the Ryde area are in their mid 30's and can now afford to live in the Balmain district. I'm with Kul the atmosphere is great especially around game day.
 
On the old forum, there used to be a link with dozens of photos of balmain during the grand final in 05\. There are dozens of shops with jerseys and old photographs, autographed. You have to look a bit harder than whats on the surface.
 
@Yossarian said:
Things are better in Lilyfield and Leichhardt. I still have fond memories of how the area came alive during GF week in 2005\. Awesome time to be living in the area.
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agree, the area was awesome in the weeks leading up to and after that wonderful night :slight_smile:
 
Not living in the Balmain area, I made a point of driving down Darling St during grand final week in 2005\. It felt like I was on holidays. Everyone had a smile on their face. Every shop was orange, black and white. It is something I will never forget and it is something I hope to relive many more times to come!
 
I lived in Rozelle for about 8 years up until a year or so ago, it's always a great vibe on game day on the streets & in the pubs, that didn't compare to the GF night. I still remember going to the Dead Lion (pub) to watch the GF & the place decked out in our colours…..the Dead Lion (stuffed lion) even had our colours on.
 
As far as the joint venture goes, I can report that after leaving Homebush on Grandfinal night in 2005 I dropped off my fellow WTs supporter and decided to drive through the main street of Campbelltown, which was well out of my way home but I wanted to see what the atmosphere was like. It was one of the greatest feelings there were wests Tigers supporters everywhere cheering, celebrating, it was a crawl driving which meant people came up and were very positive (I had WTs flags on the car). I have never seen Campbelltown like that before and not since. Like Citizen Tiger I also remember past years in the Balmain area where I was born and spent my younger years, my family lived in Annandale. As a result I went to many games at Leichhardt Oval with my family as a kidf and have fond memories of that area as well. Needless to say the joint venture suits me.
 
@Kul said:
That's a big call to make Citizen
yes, there are a lot of yuppies in Balmain now, but having been here my entire life I've never seen local support for the (Balmain) Tigers so strong! Pubs are now having "free drink when the tigers score a try" promotions, Darling Street has gold + black street flag things strung between the shops and there are more and more Balmain jerseys out on the streets.

It's a bucket load better than the state of the area during most of the 2000's.

The gentrification of the suburb has seen a new type of resident enter the area, but the Balmain peninsula still features many pre-90's families with long connections to the area, its schools, its churches, its community groups and its club. Not to mention the fact that the peninsula still houses a few thousand housing commission residents in estates mingled between multi-million dollar mansions.

Yes, Balmain has changed and is no longer a suburb of the rough and tough, but in no way has it forgotten its heritage. If anything, the success of the team recently has brought out a renewed interest!
Click to expand...

Well, that's uplifting, on the surface I thought the spirit and the openness of the neighbourhood might be dead and buried. I note the old Housos are still in Nicholson St, trust there's less crime there than comes out of the HoComm at Rozelle and Lilyfield.

Saddened that there's no more Forth and Clyde and the Cricketers Arms has become the fu….. 'Monkey Bar', but good to see the Commercial still in top gear. Keep the home fires burning Kul !!
 
I grew up in Balmain, lived their from the ages of 7 -26\. Funny it was still mostly working class in my early years, I would say most of the other children I went to primary school with, their father would have been a wharfie.

Place has changed so much in the time I lived their and in the dozen or so years since I moved out. Most of the people I grew up with moved out of the area as well, just too expensive to live their nowadays. Balmain was a great place it still is, it is just different. You can still find a great pub in Balmain (just go past the trendy ones) and great restaurants (Satasia is still going strong).

Trust me for all changes Balmain still has a lot of people that care about the Tigers, I remember being in Balmain after I got back from the grand final in 2005, it was a great night, pity most of the trendy pubs shut up early, ended up catching up with so many old Balmain people at the West End Hotel which stayed open way past their opening hours. .

Balmain will always be my home, yes it will change but every time I go back it still reminds me of home. I must admit most of my recent visits I always run into people wearing Tigers gear, I have never once seen someone in Balmain wearing and Swans jersery.

My parents still live close by and I get back as much as possible. My favourite part of the year is the 4 home games at Leichhardt, I make sure i don't miss them. It was expensive to get back to the games when I was living on the Sunshine Coast but I did anyway. Know I live in the southwest of Sydney and a lot closer to our other home ground I still go out of my way to get back to every Leichhardt game.
 
@Citizen Tiger said:
For the first time in a long time I spent a few hours in Balmain last week, a place where I grew up, attended school, socialised through the formative years etc. I had not realised the extent to which the suburb has so significantly changed. Dress Shops, Plush Eateries, the transformation of Pubs, Saabs, Mercs, Rangies, Polo Ralph Lauren, Rolex, Blackberries, Patisseries, Organic Food Shops, Cosmetic Surgery Shopfronts, Private School Kids, Swans Bumper Stickers, Sophisticated Real Estate Agents and so on….

I probably should have made a forensic visit much sooner, because it made me realise that in reality, I have no spiritual connection with the Balmain Tigers anymore. I have some great memories, but no yearning to ever return to a 'stand alone' position. There is simply no community connection left with Balmain. The joint is a bourgeois horror show. I'd say that Leichhardt Oval is the one and only place in the area that provides the 'connect' with history.

Anyway, thanks for letting me get that off my chest, I feel better......GO THE WT !!
Click to expand...

:astonished: ..you should take a drive out to MAC Square…where the gearzone shop is All Wests Tigers All the time...and the sight of the Mighty WESTS Tigers jersey rules SUPREME........
 
Yes you can get WTs gear at MAC Square Geo but the best Place to go to is Gearzone in Queen St Campbelltown its in the factory outlet centre I think its called BFO or something like that, it's across the road from Toyota car yard and just down from 'Proton'. Say hello to Wade who will look after you.
 
Plenty of those "yuppies" played plently of footy and are die hard supporters. Suburbs change, the supporters love of the team does not. Balmain is still miles better and less over-the-top than the Eastern Suburbs, and has a great unique atmosphere that suits the Tigers.
 
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