In 2017, as Australia was debating marriage equality, Jason Om struck a chord with a very personal story. In a piece for the ABC, he wrote about his father’s 16-year struggle to accept his sexuality and how his dad eventually came to vote yes in the plebiscite.
That piece is part of the basis for Om’s memoir, All Mixed Up, which is out now through ABC Books. But there is more to Om’s story than just the strained relationship between father and son. All Mixed Up also explores the life-changing secrets held by other members of his family, including Om’s late mother, who died when he was just 12. The memoir dives into the truth about his family’s past, his experience of growing up in a multi-racial, multi-faith household, and Om’s acceptance of his own “mixed-up” identity.
Om – a Walkley-winning reporter with the ABC’s 7.30 – now lives in Sydney but once called Adelaide home. Back in the South Australian capital, he had an enviable collection of mid-century furniture. Only one piece, a Danish-designed armchair, made it with him in the move. Here, he tells us why he’d scramble to save that chair in a fire, as well as the story of two other important personal belongings.
What I’d save from my house in a fire
I’m really into design and vintage furniture, mainly mid-century modern. The market is very on-trend at the moment, and there’s no shortage of replicas and knock-offs. But there’s nothing like the stunning and simple elegance of the real deal.
At one point I had three couches, all bought on the cheap when I was living in South Australia while working for the ABC. A white vinyl click clack sofa cost me just 80 bucks.
When I moved house in Sydney, I decided to downsize, but one treasured item I kept was my original Z-chair by Danish designer Kai Kristiansen. It has dark polished wood and beige wool with diagonal stitching. The attention to detail is unsurpassed and the design is timeless. Now, it’s in need of a little love. The arse is falling out, so I’m looking to get it repaired soon. If I had the money, I’d turn my home into the set of A Single Man with all that sexy 1960s design.
My most useful object
When I go grocery shopping, I want to grab everything in one go and dump it in the car. So my big hessian shopping bag is indispensable. It’s actually a new bag I bought to replace an old one from the Adelaide central market. I’d forage at the market and hitch all my goodies on a bright red Vespa. That was long before the ban on single-use plastic bags, and before BYO became the norm.
That bag lasted me 15 years before it got holes in it. Surprisingly, this style of hessian bag – basically a big sack with straps – was hard to find in Sydney. So I went back to the central market website and ordered it online. I can’t live without it. It’s so strong, I could even lug a large bag of potting mix I bought recently. I reckon this bag will probably be with me another 15 years.
The item I most regret losing
Living in Sydney, I’ve developed a fixation on mould. I can’t stand it. A while back, when I was living in a damp and dark terrace, the humidity was so bad I was pulling out absolutely drenched t-shirts from the back of my wardrobe. I’m talking sopping wet, and having to wring out the water. My collection of graphic t-shirts, which I’d built up over the years, was ruined.
Mould hangs about, and recently I reluctantly threw out an old – but expensive – t-shirt from 2K by Gingham because it was a little mouldy. It had an artwork by Yoshitomo Nara on the front. A cute character stood by a huge speech bubble which said, “Nothing ever happened”. I miss it!
These days I’ve cut back on graphic t-shirts brutally. I figure I should dress more my age. But maybe when I’m in my 50s, I can pull it off again like Todd Sampson.
