On edge in the centre

I live and work in Mparntwe, or Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory, which is a town with edges. The edges I have in mind are not spatial constructs but rather the multiple levels and types of anxiety that operate in the social fabric of the town.

Town residents not born and bred in Alice Springs are essentially an expatriate community. They come for six months, twelve months, three years or even a full career, but all of them, always and at some level, have an exit plan. This “foot to the door” mentality manifests as a persistent anxiety that pervades our lives, producing a profoundly different experience of place from that of someone born in the town – those who are centred there for many and varied reasons, from cultural ties and obligations, a profound relationship with the land and kinship