We moved into an area that wasn’t great, but wasn’t a war zone either. Suburb had been an absolute melting pot of scum and trash decades before. but they had been slowly gentrifying the area and turning it around.

There was an older weatherboard house on stumps next door to our newer brick-and-tin home. A single dad and his two young daughters lived there. Good kids. Used to come around and ask for a cup of flour, or an egg. Would knock on our door an hour later with a couple of chocolate brownies they had baked using what we gave them. They were sweet kids so it was fine.

Then the eldest turned 17 years old…… and everything went to crap.

Scumbag boyfriend hurling abuse at her, her sister, and her dad. Place got trashed. Smoking drugs on the front porch during all hours of the day. Friends coming around and partying to all hours of the night and early morning, every night of the week.

We called the cops. They spray painted our garage.

We complained to state housing. They threw food and rubbish over the fence.

They got a dog. A big dog. Poor thing was left in the backyard and abandoned, and it barked. Holy crap did it bark. All day. All night.

We tried talking to the girls and their dad. Several times. We got nothing but abuse back. Guys jumping the fence and just walking through our property. Called the police again. Kept happening.

They started keeping their backyard clean by throwing the dog shit over the fence into our place.

Place got smashed by a raging boyfriend. We reported it. Nothing happened.

Eldest daughter got thrown out for stealing all her dads money. She was back a month later….with another dog.

Now we had two dogs barking all day. All night.

We called RSPCA because the animals were just dumped and left in the backyard. Poor animals were in terrible shape.

Nothing happened.

So I did something.

I went up to my folks place. Got a nice big piece of timber riddled with white ants (termites) and wrapped it in black plastic. I put it in the back of the car and brought it home. That night, I passed a bit of steak to those poor dogs. Then I climbed the fence, slid the old piece of timber under the house, climbed back over the fence, and went to bed.

And I waited……

3 months later the house was condemned. Structurally unsound due to infestation. They were moved to a newer house….far from us. State housing bulldozed the house.

This suburbs not a bad place to live….could be better…..could be worse. I sleep better at night. So do my wife and kids.