Know Thy Neighbour Residency: Cara Teusner-Gartland with Vessel and Fremantle Buffalo Club #2

Sep 7

For her Know Thy Neighbour #4residency, Cara Teusner-Gartland recalls her interviews with Fremantle Buffalo Club members and reflects on what is ‘the Buffalo way’. Working together with Vessel Contemporary and Buffalo Community Kitchen, Cara held a successful lunch and Q&A event at the Buff in thanks to the community who have shared their stories.

“You wanna lean over more, if you’re right handed - right eye over the cue. Easier to see the angle.”

“Rightio.”

I know someone’s given me this tip before, but I’ve gotten slack over time. I forgot how much the gap disappears when you’re chin-to-the-table. It’s like pub yoga: I’m grounded, centred, locked in. I can feel where the ball will land.

And I’m ok with being reminded to practice my technique.

I interviewed Mumbles at the start of July. He told me about one of the blokes in the portraits on the wall - Uncle George his name was, or Uncs. He’d end every sentence with “Roight?!”
I found out later that Uncs paid for the restoration of the snooker table. Punters would pay for a game until he earned his money back, and then snooker was free.

And such is ‘the Buffalo way’. The tables are still treasured, Rory comes in every morning to iron them, like Russ did when he was alive. And Uncle George, with his lazy eye, still smiles down from the wall.

Billy describes the club as “a big open house that’s got a bar in the middle”. A place where people have come for years to find work, make friends, organise, play pool, darts, sing, dance, drink and occasionally brawl.

And it’s true, it feels like collectively owning a house; we can’t call the landlord to fix the plumbing, but if Nugget’s in town then he’ll drop by. Bruce fixes the electrics, Kev painted the walls, Mick ran two-up, Whiskas is the cellarman, Fati on the cleaning, Mumbles helps with the weekend draw, everyone books gigs, Vicki and Chloe manage the bar, Delf on the newsletters, Zane and co. on the maintenance, Kayla handles sound, Dan, Oli and Sam on the archives, and many more. Money goes into fixing this joint up and paying bills, but there’s no landlord to double the rent.

The club would mean nothing without these people, and their stories.

This project we’re doing, I’d like to think, is an acknowledgement of that. It’s as much about the building as the people, because the building is a reflection of everyone’s labour of love.

Over the last few months Anna Farrant and I have interviewed at least twelve members; some young, some old, all folks I’m grateful to have met.

We ended each interview with the same question: What would you like this club to look like in 50 years?

“I’d like to see the club carry on as it is - that it is a true community social club […] giving back to the community that helps [it] to survive.”

“I hope it doesn’t turn out a yuppie joint, y’know?”

“I’d like to be sitting at the bar, where Kevin Elliott and Micky Sheehy are now, and have a yarn with whoever else is running this place.”

“I hope the members’ve still got this, and they're still having fun, they’ve got new members and the place is going strong. More beautiful people!”

“I remember Leo saying to me, Vicki, whether we’re here, or we’re not here, there will always be a Buffalo Club.”

In thanks to all the folks who’ve shared their stories thus far, we held a lunch event on the 25th of July. It was also a fundraising event for the Buffalo Community Kitchen.

We got Kev Elliott up on stage before lunch for a Q&A. We talked about his time spent on committee, how the Buff helped him through hard times, and his experience being voted a Life Member, among other things. The event was a success, everyone had a good yarn over lunch, Kevin was chuffed, Micky put his hand up for the next Q&A, Mumbles gave me a hug and a KitKat, and I had a damn good night’s sleep.

I’d like to give thanks to all the crew who helped this event happen: Alex, Anna F., Anna C., Bailey, Bec R.B., Bec S., Em B., Em H., Em M., Glenys, Harry, Hugh, Jack, Kev, Lenny, Mog and Ruby. Another thanks to the folks who’ve shared their stories with us over the last couple of months: Anna, Ben, Billy, Daniel, Dave, Kevin, Micky S, Micky J, Mo, Mumbles, Neil, Skipper, Vicki and Whiskers. Also, huge thanks to Hugh Thomson and Ben Mulvey for all your tech support and filming advice.

I’ll close with a quote from Billy, which I think summarises the process of community led practice in the context of this club pretty well:

“You don’t just go up to someone and say “tell me your story”, y’know? It’s trust. Time spent with each other - every time, you hear a new story… Some of them are larger than life - you don’t hear that stuff sitting at home watching telly.” (Bowen, 2026).

Images 1,2,3,4 by Murray Donaldson.
Image 5 by Hugh Thomson.
Image 6 by Anna Farrant.

More about Cara’s project.

More about the Know Thy Neighbour #4: Gestures project.

More about Vessel Contemporary and Fremantle Buffalo Club.

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This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.