The howls and screams. The rows on fire. The day-to-day struggle to survive.
When the Burns family opened the doors of their dilapidated home in Claymore, west of Sydney, to an ABC documentary crew 12 years ago, they never expected to become the face of urban poverty in Australia.
Married couple Brett and Caroline Burns, and their children Hayden, 14, Jessica, 12, and Hayley, 2, appeared in the memorable Four Corners episode ‘Growing Up Poor’ in 2012, which followed their chaotic lives in care. social in one of the cities of Sydney. more impoverished suburbs, where most residents live in state housing.
The episode ended with little prospect for a better future. Unfortunately, when I visited them more than a decade later, it became clear that the family They had not been able to escape the cycle of extreme poverty and abuse that continues to wreak havoc on their lives.
But there was at least one silver lining: the couple and two of their children had finally been rehoused by the New South Wales government, moving from their dilapidated home to the nearby suburb of Minto after years on the waiting list..
‘We are in a much better situation now. It’s a beautiful area (in Minto) and we have a beautiful house,’ Caroline told me proudly.
“We have been blessed.”
Perhaps not surprisingly, shortly after leaving Claymore, the Burns’ three-bedroom home was vandalized and vandalized by local thugs.
At the time of filming the documentary Four Corners, Hayden Burns was struggling with bullying at school, as well as her parents’ constant arguments.
Hayden now spends his days rummaging through neighborhood dumpsters for empty bottles and cans that he then trades for a 10-cent refund.
“It’s scary living next to an empty house, kids come in and start fires,” one Claymore resident said of the juvenile crime rife in the area.
Like many other families living on Sydney’s western fringes, the Burnses’ main source of income is Centrelink payments.
At the time of filming the Four Corners programme, the family had been living in their ramshackle house for 13 years. Ultimately they would spend 24 years there.
While their living situation has certainly improved, visiting them in Minto it was also evident to me that poverty and unemployment were still blighting the family, which includes the couple’s now adult daughters, Jessica, 24, and Haylie , 14, and son Hayden, 26, who still lives at home with his parents.
Hayden spends his days rummaging through neighborhood dumpsters for empty bottles and cans, which he then trades in for a 10-cent refund.
He returns to Claymore every week to collect cans and bottles from his old stomping grounds, a former neighbor told me.
At the time of filming the documentary, Hayden was 14 years old and struggled with bullying at school, as well as his parents’ constant arguments that caused him to withdraw from the family.
During the show, Brett moved into the garage due to his fights with Caroline. It was later revealed that Brett had physically abused her in front of the children.
Today, the couple continue their strained relationship and Brett now uses a cane, but an optimistic Caroline believes his overall circumstances have improved over the last decade.
“Everyone is fine,” he said.
The Burns family (pictured on Facebook in 2016) participated in a Four Corners documentary titled Growing Up Poor in 2012.
Police in New South Wales have sought a violence warrant for Brett Burns against his son Hayden (left, in Four Corners; right, in a recent Facebook photo) following an incident in March.
Caroline Burns said the family was doing “well” but it was clear to me that the specter of poverty still loomed over their lives.
Family patriarch Brett Burns now uses a cane to walk
However, a search of public records shows there is still discord between the family: New South Wales Police have requested a battery warrant for Brett Burns against his son Hayden following an incident in March.
When asked about the dispute, Caroline downplayed it.
‘He (Hayden) is fine. That was a while ago,’ he said. “That was just one time and it’s done.”
The Claymore housing estate was built by the New South Wales government in the 1970s and is home to more than 3,000 of the state’s poorest families.
The family has finally been rehoused by the New South Wales government, moving from their dilapidated home to the nearby suburb of Minto (pictured) after years on the waiting list.
The Burns lived in this house in Claymore for 25 years and were recently rehoused. The property, seen here, was vandalized shortly after it was vacated and is now condemned.
Forty years later, Claymore is still a depressing sight with many burned and abandoned houses and trash strewn around the community.
But Claymore, along with neighbors Bonnyrigg Heights and Airds, will undergo a transformation as part of the major social project.
Under the new project, the redevelopment will include a mix of new public and private housing.
Some of the private owners have already moved in and the difference between their spacious new-build homes and the NSW Housing properties was stark.
Kaisey, 29, a long-time resident, told me during a previous visit that the area was much safer as residents had been slowly rehoused.
“I lived in Ramsay Way, but they burned down our house,” said the mother of three.
‘Everything is changing now that they are tearing everything down: it seems difficult but it is safe. I love Claymore.’