Vale The Saints’ Chris Bailey

John Willsteed pays tribute to Chris Bailey, a 'gentleman with the mad soul of an Irish convict poet’ and acknowledges the blazing comet that was The Saints.

Inala in the early 70s was bleak. A Brisbane suburb of wide dusty streets, treeless and bland. A planned community, meant to grow over time. Austerity, accented by the cheap houses – weatherboard, red brick, concrete – stifled the suburb like a blanket on a hot February night.

It was boring. Beyond boring. The only concession to communal childhood joy was the pool, and the crazy concrete skate rink. But if you wanted a creative outlet, you needed to search elsewhere.

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