An extraordinary story of survival against the odds. The story of Sirius begins with the 1970s Battle for The Rocks and a Green Ban, which saved an historic precinct and a community. The Green Ban held for four years during which there was no building activity until everyone agreed to build Sirius. Tao Gofers, the architect of Sirius, explains how this agreement was reached and how he designed a vertical village perhaps the last, and arguably the most successful, tower built for public housing in this era. Here is what Clover Moore says about Sirius: “If you believe Sydney should be more than just an enclave for the rich, then this is a fight you should be part of. Whether you love the look of Sirius or not, the issues in play here are far deeper than aesthetics. “At the heart of it, the Berejiklian State Government don’t believe low income people should be living in the city (and certainly not with harbour views) and they’re pushing these them out to the city fringe, far from their communities, transport networks, employment and other support services. “But Sirius housed the tightknit community that fought to protect The Rocks in the ‘70s, local residents whose roots go back to the early colony. And this building was purpose-built to house them after those very important fights. “So a lot of people ask, what can I do about it? “Well this beautiful book is a good start. I joined Councillors Jess Scully and Philip Thalis last night to launch it with the authors John Dunn, Ben Peake and Amiera Piscopo, who have worked tirelessly to save the building. It’s not an expensive purchase, at $25, and it will help support this urgent campaign.”