'Westies' no more : towards a more inclusive and authentic place identity

Suburban development in western Sydney boomed in the area during the 1960"²s and 1970"²s, and soon thereafter the label 'Westies' emerged" a derogatory term used to identify people from the west as Sydney's 'other'. Today, there is still a social and economic stigma associated with being from the western suburbs, even though in western Sydney you'll find thriving creative and professional communities, with the government describing the region's population as young, diverse, and dynamic. Cultural programs, local government place-making initiatives and the broad span of the University of Western Sydney's six local campuses characterise a place that is far from the 'Westie' stereotype. This begs the questions" how was the 'Westie' produced, and what have been its effects as a place identity? In exploring these questions, the aim of this paper is to work towards revealing new identity/ies for western Sydney.