My Mum... a Melbourne icon

Ok, so maybe she's not my "real" mum, but I'm quite attached to her anyway. She's been a fixture on Brunswick St for as long as I've lived in Melbourne. My mate Beth once decided to call her my mum, on account of her being a wheely crip too, and it kind of stuck. So she's become a meeting place for my friends, whether I'm actually involved in the occasion or not. "Meet you at Stell's Mum," instead of "Meet you on the corner". It's just part of our vocabulary now.

Wandering past on Saturday I noticed that she's holding a CLOSING DOWN sign. My poor Mum is being made redundant. I didn't realise how attached I was to her until now. She's such a groovy chick, despite being made entirely of some sort of plastic or metal. Her outfits and hairstyles change regularly, despite the fact that she doesn't even belong to a clothing store (they sell sheet and towels and stuff). She makes a handy meeting spot. I reckon she even provides some subtle disability awareness hanging out on her corner.

I don't know what's going to happen to her when the shop closes. Becca suggested I might be able to buy her. But I fear it would never be the same. "Meeting at my Mum" would actually just be coming over to my place, not hanging out in cool cafes and shopping for slightly over-priced vintage clothing. And besides, where on earth would I put her?

Farewell Mum... thanks for the good times!