The lollipop lady waiting for children who never come, a chilling experience of a COVID-19 ward, families separated by borders.
Photos and stories from Together Apart: Life in Lockdown, a book by Altona photographer Jude van Daalen and journalist Belinda Jackson, will be displayed in two exhibitions.
The pair live next door to each other and together they documented 60 stories of Hobsons Bay residents during Melbourne’s first lockdown.
“Like so many others, I felt more isolated than I’d ever felt before,” van Daalen said.
“I needed connection, and taking these photographs was a way to reach into our community and bring people together.”
Jackson, who had been a travel writer before the world shut down, said the stories captured a moment in time.
“These stories create a time capsule of this extraordinary period in our lives,” she said.
“Told to us in the midst of the pandemic, they are raw and emotional without the colouring of hindsight.”
A selection of photos and interviews from the book will be displayed at Williamstown library until August 17 and the Hobsons Bay Civic Centre from August 2-30.
Flags featuring images from the exhibition will be flown at various locations in Altona.
Jackson and van Daalen will give a free talk at Williamstown library on Tuesday, August 3, from 6.30-7.30pm.
Bookings required: libraries.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/library-events/1267-together-apart-life-in-lockdown
The book is available via lockdownstories.com.au
