What’s your connection to the Macedon Ranges?
I live near Malmsbury.
How long have you lived in the region?
Nearly 25 years. We moved here from St Kilda.
I understand you used to be a journalist. What made you want to commit yourself to Sacred Heart Mission.
I came across Sacred Heart Mission when I was working on
The Australian.
I was impressed with the way Sacred Heart assisted the homeless, striving to empower people who often struggled with drug and alcohol addiction and mental health issues. A high number experienced trauma and abuse in childhood.
In February I moved to Foodbank Victoria. I am the volunteering manager with this amazing community service organisation which provides food relief to the one in 10 Victorians experiencing food insecurity.
It astounds me that in this affluent country that one in seven primary school children go to school without breakfast or that anybody – particularly young adults – should be homeless and without family to care for them.
What other community work do you do?
I have recently joined my local CFA as a volunteer. While I am not brave enough to fight fires, I volunteer as the support and fundraising manager. Our brigade needs to raise funds to purchase a much needed second fire truck. It never fails to move me to see how volunteer firefighters give up their time to rush to all sorts of emergencies like car accidents, chemical spills as well as bush and house fires.
What are your favourite spots in the Macedon Ranges?
Black Hill Reserve, the Campaspe River walk at Kyneton, Malmsbury Viaduct, Honour Avenue in autumn at Macedon, Birthday Villa Winery, Dhaba at the Mill restaurant in Kyneton.
What do you love about where you live?
Tranquility, winter frosts, amazing sunsets. Knowing where to find pine mushrooms, wild apples and plums. Living among galahs, cockatoos, wood ducks, cheeky crows, rosellas and fairy wrens. The occasional snake, blue-tongue, turtle, echidna or wombat in the backyard. I drove through Taradale one night last summer and the road was lined on each side with loads of kangaroos like they had just gotten off a tourist bus. Amazing.
What would you change if you could?
Provide more employment opportunities in the area for young people and 24-hour access to crisis intervention services, support, care and accommodation for people experiencing mental health trauma.
