Jodie Williams is an avid member of the Friends of Kororoit Creek. She spoke to Ewen McRae
What is your connection to Brimbank?
I first moved to Sunshine about 10 years ago – friends had a room in their share house and I haven’t left the area since! I was surprised how quiet it seemed. I now live, work and run a business in Sunshine as a Naturopath and Massage Therapist.
What do you like best about the area?
I love the community in Brimbank. I love the diversity. I love that we have great neighbours and that we’ll always run into someone we know now if we go for a walk nearby. It’s great to have such tasty, fresh eateries nearby too. And the creek, the Kororoit Creek is a highlight, of course!
What could make the area better?
Less rubbish and graffiti. Environmentally, there is a lot we can do by reducing the amount of rubbish that enters our streets as the street drains are direct rubbish collectors and they flow directly into the Kororoit Creek but it’s also about the perception of safety and the sort of place we live in. Cared for spaces and city streets make us feel safe and proud of our surroundings. It’s important for our wellbeing to feel safe, and green, clean spaces promote healthy communities.
There are so many things that could improve our Brimbank. However community minded and connected we might like to think we are, making steps to participate and stepping it up to get to know your neighbours is a good way to help.
Volunteering might be a good place to start, perhaps in the local environment? But if that’s not your thing, there are many other places to volunteer locally. It’s healthy for you, the community and the environment.
Where is your favourite place to go for a feed in Brimbank?
There are a few local Sunshine faves – Lazat for a decadent Laksa, Ghion for Ethiopian and ever since the Sunshine Food Festival, I haven’t been able to get enough of the green papaya salad with crispy tofu at Xuân Bánh Cuốn.
How did you become involved with FOKC, and what is your favourite thing about the group?
Jessica Gerger and I joined the FOKC about 2.5 years ago to help us with a Litter Hotspots grant we applied for from the Victorian State Government. This was the start of a beautiful friendship and now our Beautiful Brimbank urban litter project is part of our regular FOKC calendar of events.
This was the grant that helped us create the beautiful mural on the wall behind Westpac’s Sunshine branch, with local artists Kim Fleming and Liz Dalgleish.
It shows the path of litter from our streets, through our stormwater drains to the Kororoit Creek.
Our waterways are connected to the ocean via Port Phillip Bay, so taking responsibility for our environment is our way of playing our part in cleaning up our world.
Tell me about the Beautiful Brimbank project you have coming up?
Our next event is the October 29 ‘Love Your Station Day’ at Sunshine Station. We have been running these events monthly since our first one in September 2016.
We have a beautiful little planting down there now on the City Place side of the station and add a few plants, do a little weeding, watering and a clean-up for an hour there every month.
If the weather’s bad, we have plan B to go for coffee and cake instead.
It’s a social clean-up and we always have a bit of fun while we work.
What would people be surprised to know about you?
Mmmm, well I was the 1989, term 4 lawn bowls champion for Coomealla High School, NSW … I even have a trophy!
