The meanings, values and qualities of a community were at times expressed symbolically in language, physical infrastructure or actions. The symbols described in the data were part of the expression of boundary processes associated with the rural and constituent communities.
5: 2.1.1 Symbolic expression of rural community boundaries
Rural community boundaries were emphasised in their symbolic expression through physical structures and landmarks, discourse associated with the geography, and actions highlighting a community’s existence and identity.
The symbolic significance of geographic boundaries was well illustrated in one community that had created a physical structure to mark the “gateway” to the community, to symbolise leaving the outside world behind and entering the rural community.
“.. gateway to the [rural area] or whatever. That was originally the idea behind it .. So coming from, you know, where people live into the, [rural] area” (1c)
When it was built twenty years before, the structure and materials held meaning for the community, representing the community identity. With change over time, these symbolic aspects were
discussed as having less significance for present residents. As the current significance was discussed between two community members, there was never the option that symbolising the community boundary might no longer be relevant. Instead the focus was on how to physically symbolise the transition in a manner that held meaning within the current rural community and portrayed the essence of the community identity. This symbolic expression was seen as an important message for visitors to the community.
As described in 5:1.1, towns within the rural regions were each associated with various core values and/or activities and the place names had come to represent these values and activities. These symbols of community identity were also presented pictorially on signage at a town’s main entry roads to welcome people to the community. Although one participant had argued for using different floral emblems for different communities within the rural region, community members chose to use images that symbolised something about their community identity.
“.. We’ve got a flower on there .. which is only found in [this regions] forests .. the other towns have done their own logos. [Town 3]’s got a ship, [Town 4] has still got apples .. [Town 5]’s got a swan, [Town 1]’s got a scenery.” (1c)
Water crossings were particularly used as markers in boundary processes. For some it was seen to draw a line between rural town communities with such different values that it symbolised the space between high conflict:
“.. You’ve really got the West Bank, the East Bank and the Gaza Strip you see – that’s how it works (laughing). And the river’s in the middle.” (1b)
Language used to describe the rural communities was symbolic of the experience of and within these communities. Again this was part of defining the rural community identity and its boundaries. Distance and isolation were significant aspects and represented social and economic challenges which were highlighted in the discourse associated with the communities. There were frequent references to the lack of resources and the communities were described as being “on a road to nowhere” (1a), “at theend of the earth” and “down there”.
“The [region name] suffers badly from being at the end of the earth, it really does. .. One thing that I notice down there .. I have lived down there, I know what it’s like. I holiday down there. I go down there as often as I can. I know what it’s like to live down there and to experience the isolation and the frustration and the social issues that go on there ..” (3a) The discourse was used both by community members and non-members and such joint recognition indicates the discourse was an important aspect of community boundary processes.
The activity of meeting and mixing in a place which can be clearly defined as the town centre, was seen as significant in creating a sense of community and building a strong community identity; a space where there can be regular connection to other members of the rural community within their daily activities.
“One of the reasons, you know like, if people are shopping here it’s generating obviously profits for shops, but the other thing it does do is to give a sense of community. People meet when they shop, it’s about the only time they’ll talk you know, and see one another.” (1b) Members actively set about creating focal points to centralise township activities so that a common connection and sense of community could be fostered. The importance for a main street to
symbolise a meeting place was a consideration in each of the rural communities when planning community development.
Members of the rural community sought to symbolically express their community identity. These were found in physical structures such as sculptures or signage to indicate crossing a boundary into and out of the rural community, and were additionally designed to symbolically express something about the nature and experience of the community. At other times natural geographic boundaries such as water courses were attributed symbolic meaning in boundary processes between
communities with different lifestyles. Community members’ further used language to symbolise the experience of the communities, portraying the impact of isolation and distance in commonly shared phrases that were also recognised by non-members. Central meeting places both symbolised and foster a sense of community.
5: 2.1.2 Symbolic expression of constituent community boundaries
As with the expression of the rural community identity and boundaries, the boundary processes associated with the range of constituent communities were again manifest in language, action and physical symbols.
Language was frequently used in a manner which symbolised constituent community boundaries. Within these communities, the language used was associated with their core activities and values; jargon understood within their community. Non-members did not necessarily understand this terminology. Thus to ‘fit in’ amongst members of another constituent community, some used the language without understanding the meaning.
“We talk about AFL, about rugby – which I don’t know that much about sport, but pretend, because that’s the only common language here - besides beer.” (3d)
This participant, as an outsider to the community, was very aware of the common language within communities particularly because he was not conversant in the language nor the activities. In this manner jargon symbolised the community boundary.
Boundaries were also symbolised through language in metaphors such as ‘the chardonnay set’ or the ‘white shoe brigade’ as described in 5:1.2.1e. This use of language highlights the SES boundary
processes, connecting physical appearance and acts - what they wore and drank – to symbolise their values and attitudes. In contrast was a community symbolised in the phrase, ‘the wrong kind of people’.
“.. I think these kit homes are always the ones that are going to wreck it. .. the only ones that buy them are the ones that can’t afford to buy anything else. So they’re bringing the wrong sort of people. ..” (2a)
This embodied a set of values and actions neither supported by law nor more broadly accepted across the rural community, which was further indicated in references to there being drug problems associated with this community. This community was also represented by the term “low-lifes” (2d). In this manner, symbolic language was part of the process of identifying boundaries.
Other terminology differentiating constituent communities was found in language such as ‘new settlers’ or ‘mainlanders’, as described in 5:1.2.1a. In the context of these boundary processes the differing perspectives held by these communities was recognised in comparison to the existing or long-timer community:
“I just call them new settlers. .. They bring a whole new perspective, because by and large they’re very professional people .. So they’re thinking differently, a different level to where I’m at altogether.” (1b)
These terms were directly associated with the new perspective and lifestyles of the people they described.
Actions were also used to symbolically express boundaries between constituent communities. Two actions were particularly apparent in the data as having symbolic relevance for community
members: breaking bread and sharing the historic identity.
Sharing a meal was seen as symbolising connectedness both within and between constituent communities.
“And basically, I’ve found that with community development within the services themselves, if you invite people down and you put food on, they’ve broken bread at your table ..” (3b)
The term ‘broken bread’ had symbolic spiritual or religious connotations, and suggested trust and faith, expressing the significance, meaning and intimacy associated with these boundary processes in aligning two communities. It was anticipated that having broken bread, communities would help each other when called on.
Ancestry within the rural communities was significant and was recognised through using long-timers’ family names in the naming of streets in a township. The symbolic expression of the importance of historical memory (as described in 1.2.1a) acknowledges the significance of the long-timer
community within the rural community.
“And the chap that opened it, he was – he’s an old identity, he’s well in his eighties. And the street that the [RCD resource]’s in is named after his family - which was lovely for him to open it [the resource].” (2e)
Other boundary processes were found in sculpture and art as an expression of community identity. In one rural community, sculptures were created to represent the various constituent communities. The sculptures were important to the respective community memberships.
“.. we actually did community consultation for the different groups and they designed their own sculptures and then we as artists created them. But the energy and support that came from those people – when we were casting them .. people were standing around, you know, for a whole day waiting to see ..” (3a)
Another artistic symbolic expression was creating individualised star accordion fold-out books developed to represent a sense of belonging in the community. It was hoped such expression would foster and strong sense of identity:
“And it’s basically – because all of the young people have to leave their local communities for further education: all of them have to be moved on. So it’s actually making them identify what home is and bring in that strong sense of personal identity and sense of belonging, so that when they do leave they’ve got something to draw back on.” (3a)
Uniforms were also used to represent belonging to a particular constituent community. “.. the Green Jackets, this is another group of volunteers. ..” (1c)
The term Green Jackets was used when referring to this community. They were no longer described by their activities, but instead their uniform symbolised their role.
Members of constituent communities developed symbolic expressions of belonging and difference. Language was frequently used, through commonly recognised phrases, as symbols that created a pictorial representation of the meaning and identity associated with belonging to that community. Jargon within communities also symbolised boundaries. Actions and ritual were important and those found in the data related to building and acknowledging alignments between communities. Physical representations such as sculptures, art, uniforms and signage were present in boundary processes, portraying the essence, significance or identity in belonging to a constituent community.
Within the boundary processes in the data, many of the symbolic expressions occurred as a demonstration or acknowledgement of difference to another community. This was particularly so when people were connecting across boundaries and visiting another community. There was a sharing of the experience of one community with another. The various expressions offered a message to those not of the community, symbolically expressing the significance, identity and meaning in belonging to the community. Other symbolic expressions were aids to the boundary process of alignment, highlighting the significance of connecting one community with another, and acknowledging the identity provided by existing community memberships.