Inala's champion: A new resident confronts old stereotypes

Russ Maynard pens personal account of life in Brisbane's western suburbs

By LineZotpaper

Published19 October 2026

Read Time3 min

Sources3 outlets

For decades, Russ Maynard was told to avoid the Brisbane suburb of Inala, an impression formed during his early years as a taxi driver. Now a resident, he has written a first-person account published across Nine Entertainment mastheads detailing why the suburb has won him over, acknowledging its struggles while celebrating its rich diversity and strong community spirit.

Mr Maynard's piece opens with a sobering encounter at the local KFC. A young woman, distressed, spilled her meal. When he left his own unopened can of drink on her table, she met him with a look of confusion and suspicion.

"Did she not recognise kindness? I think this was the case," he writes, describing the interaction as a sobering moment in what has otherwise been a positive experience.

Growing up on a Central Queensland cattle farm and later working as a cab driver in Brisbane during the early 1990s, the author recalls the advice he received from older hands. "One message that stuck with me though was: avoid Inala at night," he writes. Early daytime visits to Inala Plaza reinforced his unease. "Unfamiliar languages, foreign faces, food I did not recognise: enough to send this country boy scurrying back to the relative safety of Taringa."

Life took a turn earlier this year, and Mr Maynard found himself facing the prospect of living in Inala. Fifteen minutes from work and comparatively well priced, it made practical sense. Decades-old warnings were pushed aside to embrace a new chapter.

The suburb's diversity is now its greatest asset in his eyes. He describes Inala Plaza as the hub of the community, home to fresh seafood, fruit and vegetable markets and a large contingent of elderly Asian gentlemen playing Chinese chess. "The variety of foods is a delight," he writes, noting the influence of the Vietnamese community. "You can practically smell the lemongrass."

The author does not shy away from the area's difficulties. "There are also the desperately unfortunate who are fighting an often losing battle with drugs. It is easy to go about your business without interacting with any of this, and most do. It takes some serious tunnel vision not to see, though."

Yet the picture he paints is overwhelmingly positive. He describes taking a friend's six-year-old child to a local park, where children from a range of ethnic backgrounds met as strangers and became firm friends in half an hour. "The parents, just as diverse as their offspring, also shared the fun, everyone enjoying the simple pleasures of community."

"Inala has so much to offer," Mr Maynard concludes. "It's a great place to live."

Analysis

Why This Matters

The column challenges long-held stigmas around suburbs like Inala, demonstrating how personal experience can reshape community perceptions.
It highlights the role of local journalism in giving voice to nuanced stories of multicultural Australia beyond crime statistics and political debate.
The piece reflects a wider trend of gentrification and demographic change in Brisbane's middle-ring suburbs, where affordability is drawing new residents to diverse areas.

Background

Inala is a suburb in Brisbane's western suburbs, developed as a Housing Commission estate in the post-war decades. The area is home to one of the largest Vietnamese communities in the state, which is heavily reflected in the local cuisine and commerce. The suburb has long carried a reputation in wider Brisbane as a place to avoid, a perception Mr Maynard admits he absorbed from fellow taxi drivers decades ago.

Key Perspectives

[Mr Russ Maynard, the author]: A former country boy and cab driver whose view of Inala shifted from fear and avoidance to deep affection after living there. He praises the community's generosity and the sensory richness of daily life, particularly the food and the social hub of Inala Plaza.

[The Inala community]: The residents are portrayed as a diverse, resilient group. Mr Maynard singles out the elderly men playing Chinese chess as fixtures of the square, the hard-working vendors and the families at the park who represent the suburb's multicultural fabric.

[Critics and skeptics]: Represented by the warnings the author carried for decades. The piece acknowledges that stereotypes about Inala have some basis in visible social problems like drug addiction, but argues they are an incomplete picture of a suburb full of pride and human warmth.

What to Watch

Whether media portrayals of suburban diversity influence where new residents choose to live.
How the balance between community character and development pressures evolves as Inala attracts more newcomers.
Community and government responses to the social challenges Mr Maynard observes, particularly around addiction and public health.

Sources

Friends used to tell me to avoid this suburb at night. Then I moved there · WA Today - Latest News
Friends used to tell me to avoid this suburb at night. Then I moved there · Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News
Friends used to tell me to avoid this suburb at night. Then I moved there · Brisbane Times - Latest News

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 6 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedA new Inala resident challenges old negative stereotypes about the suburb.WA Today - Latest News: “Friends used to tell me to avoid this suburb at night. Then I moved there.”
Not in the sourcesRuss Maynard wrote the first-person account.
Not in the sourcesThe account was published across multiple Nine Entertainment mastheads.
Partly supportedThe warning to avoid Inala was repeatedly given over decades.WA Today - Latest News: “One message that stuck with me though was: avoid Inala at night.”
Sources say otherwiseThe woman at KFC spilled her meal.WA Today - Latest News: “I saw her spill her drink, spoiling some of her meal.”
SupportedThe account says, “Did she not recognise kindness? I think this was the case.”WA Today - Latest News: “Did she not recognise kindness? I think this was the case.”
SupportedThe account says, “One message that stuck with me though was: avoid Inala at night.”WA Today - Latest News: “One message that stuck with me though was: avoid Inala at night.”
SupportedThe account says, “Unfamiliar languages, foreign faces, food I did not recognise: enough to send this country boy scurrying back to the relative safety of Taringa.”WA Today - Latest News: “Unfamiliar languages, foreign faces, food I did not recognise: enough to send this country boy scurrying back to the relative safety of Taringa.”
Partly supportedThe author regards Inala’s diversity as its greatest asset.WA Today - Latest News: “The diversity in the suburb has to be experienced to be fully appreciated.”
Partly supportedThe account says some residents are “fighting an often losing battle with drugs”.WA Today - Latest News: “There are also the desperately unfortunate who are fighting an often losing the battle with drugs.”
SupportedThe author took a friend’s six-year-old child to a park, where children became firm friends during the 30 minutes they were together.WA Today - Latest News: “I had the pleasure recently of taking the six-year-old child of a dear friend to the local park. Like any kind of park, the kids there meet as strangers and quickly become firm friends for the 30 minutes they are together.”
SupportedThe account concludes, “Inala has so much to offer. It’s a great place to live.”WA Today - Latest News: “Inala has so much to offer. It’s a great place to live.”