News (Media Awareness Project) - Australia: Heroin Fails To Kill A Family's Dream |
| Title: | Australia: Heroin Fails To Kill A Family's Dream |
| Published On: | 2000-07-17 |
| Source: | Age, The (Australia) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-09-03 16:02:32 |
HEROIN FAILS TO KILL A FAMILY'S DREAM
It was Nido Tono's dream to see his family's name in lights in one of
Melbourne's busiest streets. Yet in the 10 years he has run Tono Cafe near
the corner of Bourke and Russell Streets, his "second home" has found
itself in one of Melbourne's worst affected areas for heroin dealing.
But the Tonos have a sense of pride that no amount of bad publicity can
shift and while other businesses are leaving the area, the Tonos - Nido,
his brother Steve and their brother-in-law, Albert - are expanding into the
heart of a drug district that has earned the nickname the Golden Elbow - in
reference to the opium-producing region, the Golden Triangle.
The Tonos recently lodged a planning permit application with Melbourne City
Council and hope to take over the store next door, soon to be vacated by
confectioners Darrell Lea.
Darrell Lea, pop-culture stores Minatour and Comics R Us, and menswear
store Stupendo are leaving the area, saying the impact of drugs is forcing
them to move.
"We want to give the area a new image. We are a two-brother family and it
is better to keep united and to stay than to walk away from a challenge,"
Nido Tono said.
The plans include seating for 100 people, Mediterranean-style cuisine and a
liquor licence.
The Tonos arrived from Syria 13 years ago when Nido Tono, the youngest, was
19 years old.
After working on a truck assembly line for Toyota for two years he bought
the cafe. His Australian education had been on Bourke Street, he said. "I
grew up in Bourke Street. I was here before the drugs. Why should they push
me out?" he said.
Melbourne City Council Planning Committee chairman Kevin Chamberlin said
the Tonos confidence in the area was a sign that Melbourne was a healthy
and vibrant city.
"Tenants come and go all the time in a city and that is not a test of the
success of the city," he said. "The real test is the length of time it
takes to rent a building."
Cr Chamberlin said the council could not deal with the drug problem alone
and called for the State Government to take the lead.
It was Nido Tono's dream to see his family's name in lights in one of
Melbourne's busiest streets. Yet in the 10 years he has run Tono Cafe near
the corner of Bourke and Russell Streets, his "second home" has found
itself in one of Melbourne's worst affected areas for heroin dealing.
But the Tonos have a sense of pride that no amount of bad publicity can
shift and while other businesses are leaving the area, the Tonos - Nido,
his brother Steve and their brother-in-law, Albert - are expanding into the
heart of a drug district that has earned the nickname the Golden Elbow - in
reference to the opium-producing region, the Golden Triangle.
The Tonos recently lodged a planning permit application with Melbourne City
Council and hope to take over the store next door, soon to be vacated by
confectioners Darrell Lea.
Darrell Lea, pop-culture stores Minatour and Comics R Us, and menswear
store Stupendo are leaving the area, saying the impact of drugs is forcing
them to move.
"We want to give the area a new image. We are a two-brother family and it
is better to keep united and to stay than to walk away from a challenge,"
Nido Tono said.
The plans include seating for 100 people, Mediterranean-style cuisine and a
liquor licence.
The Tonos arrived from Syria 13 years ago when Nido Tono, the youngest, was
19 years old.
After working on a truck assembly line for Toyota for two years he bought
the cafe. His Australian education had been on Bourke Street, he said. "I
grew up in Bourke Street. I was here before the drugs. Why should they push
me out?" he said.
Melbourne City Council Planning Committee chairman Kevin Chamberlin said
the Tonos confidence in the area was a sign that Melbourne was a healthy
and vibrant city.
"Tenants come and go all the time in a city and that is not a test of the
success of the city," he said. "The real test is the length of time it
takes to rent a building."
Cr Chamberlin said the council could not deal with the drug problem alone
and called for the State Government to take the lead.
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