Tell us about your connection to Brimbank.
I moved here in 1970 with my mum and dad. When I got here we stayed here. This is home. St Albans has always been home. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.
What do you love about the area?
When I moved in it was just like a big country town. It was the end of the train line. No boys wanted to bring you all the way home to
St Albans, but in its way, that’s what made it so great. It was just like a big country town, Everybody knew everybody.
What do you think could be done to improve the area?
I’d love to see better street lighting to improve safety for people. I used to walk all the way home from the train station and never felt unsafe. Now I don’t even sit in my own house with the door unlocked. Safety has become an issue, but that’s not just St Albans, that’s everywhere. I think better lighting would help with that.
Tell us about your involvement with Friends of Maribyrnong Valley.
I started out volunteering because I
lived opposite the 3LO transmission site.
When it was sold there was no maintenance done on it and we ended up with a serrated tussock seed head problem. I wanted to
learn about the problem, so I did. Then I joined the friends of the valley and started writing grants for them. I’ve continued to write
grants and for the past four years I’ve been president.
What have you done over the years with the group?
I’m particularly proud of the amount of grants we’ve received. Grants are hard to receive and we’ve had some real wins. I’m proud that when we do a grant, we’re able to complete projects successfully. Anyone can get money, but we continue to get money each year and that’s because we’re getting results and doing this right. Planting trees in drought isn’t an easy thing to do.
Has it been hard to find a work/life balance?
It’s time-consuming because I’m on lots
of committees representing the friends group. I don’t mind that though … to be able to physically see the difference
some of our programs have made is amazing. I can’t physically plant a tree because of
my disability, but I can do my bit through this role.
