BILLERICAY: Photography student Susan Craig-Greene captures travellers' lives
SNAPSHOTS of the everyday life of travellers under threat of eviction have been unveiled by a photographer who wants to break down social barriers.
The vibrant gypsy weddings and mass gatherings at funerals have been captured by student photographer Susan Craig-Greene, along with scenes of children playing together and parents going about their chores at the Dale Farm site.
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Susan said: "I am interested in social documentary photography, and this is a local issue that everyone is talking about so I wanted to come down and find out more."
The mother-of-two, who lives in Billericay, admits feeling uneasy when she first arrived at Dale Farm, in Oak Road, Crays Hill.
"It certainly has a very different feel about it compared to the rest of this area," she said.
Susan spent a Sunday afternoon photographing people as they walked to and fro between the caravans and chalet-type buildings, and her images were used as part of her BTEC course as well as going on display in an exhibition.
But stepping inside the barricade gave her a greater insight into the lives of the families of Dale Farm, and she found it difficult to detach herself.
"Since I have got to know everyone, I have realised that they felt under threat," she said.
"There is this barrier between the two communities here, there has not been a lot of communication between the travellers and their settled neighbours, and there are a lot of misconceptions."
She believes her portraits open up the gypsy community to outsiders and show they are just everyday people.
She continued: "Photography is only part of what I am doing – this has become a long-term project to show the human side of this battle."
Susan has been given a unique insight into the travelling traditions, including their grand weddings.
She said: "The best thing about the weddings is that everyone comes together, and everyone goes to the funerals. It is part of their culture that everyone turns out, and that is why they are such vibrant affairs."
Grandmother Mary Ann McCarthy, who lives on the site surrounded by her daughters and their families, explained that there is always a veil of secrecy surrounding weddings.
"We don't know who is going to come, we don't send out invites, we just tell people they are getting married," she said.
"Even the mother and father of the groom don't know where it will be until the morning. If people found out that we were travellers they might cancel it."
Another observation that struck Susan fairly early on was the open-door policy.
"It is like being back in the 1950s. People take care of their families, they just accept that is their job to care for the elderly."
3 Comments
by Gravy, Chelmsford
Tuesday, July 20 2010, 6:37PM
“The only pictures I want to see of travellers are the ones of them leaving and the baliffs pulling their illegal camps down.”
by Michaela, Essex
Friday, July 16 2010, 2:10PM
“Kim, I am with you 100% having also experienced, on more than one occasion the "delights" of living next to travellers. I hope your message remains on this website. The editor of this paper appears to be extremely keen to remove messages such as yours and mine for speaking the truth.”
by Kim Gandy, Rayleigh
Thursday, July 15 2010, 10:19PM
“This woman obviously has never lived next door to a traveller site. She has never felt the full and devastating effects of it and she has obviously never seen them the way the people of Crays Hill see them. I lived there for six years and in that time, as a school governor at Crays Hill school, saw them systematically destroy a community, whilst enjoying all the benefits of taxpayers' money and local services. Oh and where does this student (I notice yet another do gooder from the US) think these people get the money for their lavish weddings? Has she not noticed the new cars they drive? The expensive jewellery and designer handbags, the regular visits to tanning and hair salons and the frequent visits to local shops returning things they say they are not happy with but have clearly used? Does she not see them driving untaxed vehicles whilst drunk? Has she not seen them abusing local residents and wrecking what was once a happy community? Has she not looked into the way taxpayers'money is spent on privileges other locals are not party to and has she not read the various articles written in other local papers about their illegal trading, use of "slaves", dubious business selling "driveways" to hapless houseowners by force - or the sofa racket? Finally has she failed, as other do gooders singularly fail to do - to realise these people are living on an illegal plot, something the rest of us could not contemplate. Has she also not worked out the fact that these people do NOT travel - except when it suits. When they do, they have multiple identities on different sites around this country, Ireland and Europe. They are NOT the downtrodden hard done to victims they make themselves out to be and are in fact cash rich. How do I know this? Because I endured this nightmare for six years. It affected my life so badly it almost ruined my health and was instrumental in my losing my (devalued) home. I will take this experience to my grave and yes, I did try to build bridges by appearing on the Trevor McDonald show with their so called spokeswoman, Kathleen McCarthy who invited me to visit the site in front of the cameras - an event that never happened in the end. So what had she to hide? And what of the numerous threats made to the village of retribution if the bailiffs move them out? This woman hasn't heard the half - and I certainly haven't the space here to go into it chapter and verse, suffice it to say these people have had a devastating effect on hundreds of lives.”