Video celebrates life in West Footscray

A musical video celebrating life in West Footscray has quickly racked up more than 2000 views on YouTube.

The project grew from an idea shared in the “WeFolk” Facebook group for an entry in a radio station competition and quickly took on a life of its own.

Sharni Page, who co-stars in and wrote a rap for the video, said it revealed the strong community ties in West Footscray.

“We had an absolute ball and everyone jumped on board,” she said. “We came out the other side with something that really captures the essence of the area.”

The video takes a dig at a recent report that ranked the suburb 174th of 321 Melbourne suburbs for “liveability”. It features snapshots of the neighbourhood including parents queuing for coffee and getting tipsy at kids’ cricket.

The pièce de résistance is a Latin American meets Bollywood dance-off.

Ms Page said that after five years in West Footscray, she couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

“It’s one of those suburbs that takes you by surprise,” she said.

“You think it’s a simple little place but it’s a great community.

“It’s like a little country town close to the city, it embraces cultural diversity and there is just a real sense of connection.”

Sonia Lear, who helped film and edit the video, said she was happy to have been roped in.

“It’s a nice celebration of our suburb, the community all really got into it.”