Footscray Mechanics’ Institute librarian Cameron Borg has found a love for the power of books and the ideas they hold. He spoke to Matthew Sims about what he loves about the west and his other passions.
What is your connection to Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay?
I have been employed by the Footscray Mechanics’ Institute [FMI] as librarian since March 2020. Unfortunately, just as the COVID pandemic was breaking. So the first two years were quite challenging, given the constant pandemic lockdowns. 2022 has proved to be a positive year for the FMI library, with big increases in both memberships and loans. My first interaction with Footscray was in the 1970s. Dad was in the RAAF in Point Cook, and we lived in Laverton. Footscray was a family shopping destination, with Forges being the highlight. I also saw my first VFL live games out at Western Oval. Great memories!
What do you love about where you live?
I was given a free pass as a ‘westie’ as I currently live in Wyndham Vale, so guess the western suburbs meant I would be a good fit for the FMI library. The west has great sports facilities, parks, shops, cafes, restaurants, and easy access to the city, Geelong, Surf Coast, Bellarine, Ballarat and beyond. Pleasingly, live music is also on the rise and is being promoted and supported right across Footscray and the western suburbs.
How has your passion for the west informed your life and work?
I was lucky to have been employed as a librarian since 1995. Much of that time working in public libraries, both in Queensland, and later in Hobsons Bay for a decade. I literally worked my way up from a part-time shelver in 1995 to becoming a library manager in 1999. I hold dual qualifications with a master’s degree in librarianship and a post graduate diploma in archives. Mainly working in working-class areas, such as Rockhampton, Yeppoon, Biloela, and Runcorn in Brisbane, meant working in working-class Nicholson Street felt right at home to me. Knowledge is power, and I’ve personally seen how one book can change someone’s life for the better. So it is definitely a meaningful career.
Where is your favourite local place to spend time?
I spend half of my week at Wyndham Vale, surrounded by music and books, and the other half in our historic FMI library, here in Footscray. So I’m winning without even trying. Add in side trips to the bay, the city, Geelong and regional Victoria. It’s all in all a great place to live and work here in the west.
Tell us something people would be surprised to know about you.
I guess some people might be surprised that I grew up playing rugby league and Aussie Rules in Queensland. I won a few trophies in the Capricornia Australian Football League for Wandal in Queensland. Others might be surprised that I’ve written some books, some self-published poetry and some non-fiction rock books picked up by Moonlight Publications here in Victoria. I’m also the editor of the second longest running fanzine in Australia. The fact that I’ve played in hardcore punk bands since 1982 is usually the biggest surprise people get once they know me, especially as it has now been documented in two films about the history of Australian punk music. The latest, ‘Age of Rage’ by Jenny Ross, was shown at this year’s Melbourne Film Festival.
