First Post, First Draft, First Step…by Gary Malcolmson

I recently moved away from Drumchapel. It is something that saddens me deeply, to have to move away from a place I knew so well, in which I grew up. Twenty one years I lived there, in two different apartments, with my mother and brothers.

I was given the opportunity to join and help in this project by my mother and our friend Anne Flint, whom both knew Anna from previous work she had done here. I was given little detail on what the project was but I accepted, and a few days later I was introduced to Anna and Mireia at Annie’s house.

My first impression was one of shock. Two women, who look like they are going to greet you with a hug, then kiss you on both cheeks. Not your average Glaswegians way of saying ‘Hi’ but they were foreign after all. We caught a bus to Drumchapel and were on our way, first stop was the Drumchapel Arts Workshop (DRAW) for a quick cup of tea and plan the next few hours. I took Mireia for a short walk down to where I used to live in Southdeen Road, showed her the park, the houses, taking pictures all the while we wandered back to DRAW.

The route back to DRAW took me along my old school route, which used to pass by tenements, and now just passes open lots of wasteland. Even more buildings are gone, even more land is clear and there is no real sign of habitation anymore. Habitation is not really the right word, but life doesn’t fit either since there are grass and flowers, weeds and insects. The grey scars of tarmac are wound through this Green Place and show some signs of being healed. Small plants are pushing through some cracks, tufts of grass at the edges pushing ever further. I didn’t like what was happening here. Abandonment.

Meeting back with Anna we went to visit some young people in the G15 Project, who sadly seemed to find what we were doing more bizarre than interesting. They hid their faces and suppressed giggles at us, then left when we finished speaking. In Drumchapel there are too many people I feel, who do not care for not only other people, but the place they live in, or how their actions would or could affect the world around them. They are all too happy to point and laugh at or abuse what’s around them, simply because it’s different, or because the people around them are doing the same. As much as I miss the place I do not miss the majority of the people, the visible majority at least.

We travelled around more of the area and took a lot more pictures, some of which when I upload this from my PC to the blog, I will have included throughout the article to help show the things I talk about.

I hope that by getting involved in this project I can not only find a way to express my worries and thoughts on Drumchapel but also find a way to get back there, become involved in my home. I want to be there, but can’t.

As an indication of how this is difficult and important for me, this has taken 2hours to write, and I haven’t begun to look for the right photographs for the post yet…