What is the true, authentic Canberra?
Two local creatives were tasked by the ACT government to find out and the end result is something that doesn't have a politician or roundabout in sight
Instead, they found what goes on at the grassroots - the energy of a mountain biker, the community of the Viking Clap, the ingenuity of a homegrown business, the vibrancy of a gig at the local cafe, the peace and uniqueness of the Bush Capital.
And that was just scratching the surface of the story they heard from many different voices.
The Canberra Story is a $175,000 "research and content development project" that was commissioned by the ACT government to help it attract workers and tourists from interstate.
The research is being used by areas of government which are tasked with "promoting Canberra in a globally competitive market".
And online materials are being made available to help convince students, investors, potential workers and residents that Canberra is the place they should be.
Matt Fenwick, founder and strategic director of communications consultancy True North Content, and Bree Element, senior strategist at True North, took on the job of trying to relay the truth of being a Canberran.
"We've always looked to people outside Canberra to tell us who we are. We needed to find this out for ourselves," the pair wrote in The Canberra Story.
The way they found out, for a start, was by interviewing 65 Canberrans from all walks of life and then trying to create "a united way to talk about what it means to be Canberran".
"We got 65 different versions of what it means to live in Canberra and what their Canberra story was and Matt and I had to distill that down into the common themes - what was consistent with everyone?" Ms Element said.
"And there were really two types of Canberrans: those who were born and bred here like me and then some who came later in life like Matt. Often they came reluctantly and then find themselves wanting to stay."
Mr Fenwick said there was no use trying to promote what Canberra had to offer without understanding the essence of the real city.
"We had a lot of things we thought we were supposed to say but they were things you could say about any place. So it was what makes us distinctly 'us'," he said.
The things Canberrans were proud about - how we were "when we are at our best" included being:
- a nurturing place that fostered creativity and supported new ideas;
- a curious city were the big questions of life could be answered;
- a purposeful community where work is meaningful and "societal change begins";
- a balanced city where "we have time and space to decide the tempo of our lives";
- a city that had the space to "move, breathe and create" but also a closeness and connection.
Among the 65 people interviewed was Raiders coach Ricky Stuart.
"I was told a long time ago that Canberra people look after their own. I really believe that," he said, in The Canberra Story.
Olympia Yarger, whose business Goterra uses insects to manage food waste, said in The Canberra Story proximity to decision makers was key to the city's attraction for her.
"They get eyes on what you're doing, so you're front and centre when opportunities arise," she said.
Brand Canberra director Brodie Fleming said she hoped The Canberra Story helped to "unite people".
"We hope it inspires pride and that Canberrans see themselves in the story. It might even inspire action for some - big or small," she said.
"For Canberrans who help others make sense of our city and create materials that promote or help people settle here, we hope the story is inspiring. If it's sparked ideas, or people are curious about how it might be useful, we'd love them to get in touch.
"Reach us at canberra@act.gov.au or read more at https://canberra.com.au/other/being-canberran/"
And the two people who got The Canberra Story off the ground, are undeniably proud of the city.
An ex-Brit, Mr Fenwick came to Canberra in 2007 for work.
"Initially I was like, 'It's okay' and then I did a six-month trip around the world, pre-kids, and came back [to Canberra] and was just like, 'Holy heck, this place is beautiful'," he said.
"Just how high the sky is. The way you can be riding your bike for 20 minutes and just be out in the open space. And so it was actually having been all over the world and coming back here and realising this place is actually really special."
He now lives with his family in Narrabundah which he's re-named "Narrabundance", so enamoured is he of the community.
Ms Element, is proudly a Queanbeyan resident - her brother is the mayor - but she was born in Canberra and works in the national capital, promoting it at every turn.
"I deeply love Canberra. My second love after Queanbeyan. And Matt does, too. And it was so good to talk to people who also love it about why. What do you love? For everyone it was kind of like, 'same, same but different'," she said.
