Ali & her Girls
My final meeting took place at a beautiful cottage home tucked away in Thirroul. When Ali reached out to me, I felt anxious about capturing her and her daughters as she too is a photographer (ALMC Photography) whose work I admire.
“My Mother Village is missing a commune!”
I visited Ali and her girls (aged 5 and 7) at their home on a Saturday morning. The living room was filled with natural light and the girls were setup and ready to do some watercolour painting.
The girls spent time planning colours, shapes and themes of each of their artworks, seeking mum’s advice when in doubt. Ali and I discussed something that I found interesting being that before she moved to the coast, she didn’t have a mother village to turn to even though she lived among friends in a city that she had grown up in. It wasn’t until she made this move that she found the mother village that she had been desperately seeking. Ali now spends time with her community of mothers socially and also shares parenting responsibilities on occasion.
Later in the morning, we moved to the kitchen where the girls made Anzac biscuits from scratch. It was special to witness the gentle flow that Ali proceeded with, teaching her girls each of the steps with soft music playing in the background. I didn’t stay to see how the biscuits turned out but I bet they were delicious!
Each of the mothers involved in this project were interviewed about their experiences and connections to community. Throughout this blog, I will share some direct quotes captured in these interviews.
How would you describe motherhood?
Amazing
Monotonous
Life-changing
Tedious
LOVE
All-consuming
Scary
Challenging
Soul stripping
What does your Mother Village look like? My Mother Village has only developed since moving down South away from Sydney 3.5 years ago. I was searching for the community that I didn't seem to align with in Sydney despite having grown up there and experiencing motherhood with some of my oldest friends.
How do you connect to other mothers?: We have a Whatsapp group which includes about 20 women - all with varying degrees of connection to me or each other. Some are busier than others, have older kids, already have an established friendship group. Others I'm closer with, we'll meet for coffee, cocktails, swims, beers, gigs, child minding or share the dinner/bath monotonous routine!
Where is somewhere local that you visit to meet up with other mothers?
Ryan's pub, Thirroul
Black Market cafe, Thirroul
Pickled Poet, Thirroul for Book Club
Thirroul beach
What do you love about your Mother Village? Non-judgement and the ability to say it how it is.
Is there anything missing from your Mother Village? My Mother Village is missing a commune!
Pickled Poet, Thirroul
Black Market Coffee, Thirroul
These photographs were made on the 25th March, 2023.