What is your connection to Moorabool?
We moved from Melbourne to Ballan after a visit to the Ballan Farmers Market one weekend. Ballan was buzzing and everyone was so welcoming! My partner and I loved the area, the people and the beautiful tree-lined streets. It reminded us of the small town we had left behind in England.
How long have you lived in the area?
We’ve lived in the area now for almost four years – we purchased our first home in Ballan and it will always have a special place in our hearts!
What do you love most about the area?
The community and it’s welcoming embrace. When we first moved to the area and started renovating our house, we had complete strangers offer to lend us the tools from their shed. If you ever need anything, there’s always someone who’s willing to help. A problem shared is a problem solved is so true in our area.
What are you passionate about?
From a young age, I’ve had a fascination with trains. My uncle was a train driver and growing up, all I wanted to do is drive trains. Mum and dad talked me out of it, but I had great pleasure in telling them that I had landed my dream job with the railways – driving the direction of our digital channels rather than the trains themselves!
Needless to say, one of my favourite past times is train spotting. And there’s now one less item on the bucket list – I recently was able to test drive V/Lines’ train simulator used for training drivers.
Tell me about your involvement in the community?
Getting involved really opens doors. It was just after we moved to the area that my partner and I saw an ad on Facebook about the upcoming Ballan Autumn Festival and thought we could lend a hand.
After attending our first festival, we were blown away by what a group of volunteers can achieve and wanted to get more involved. The next BAF meeting happened to be the AGM at which point, the association was short a secretary. I threw my hat into the ring, and have been the vice president and secretary of the Ballan Autumn Festival Association since then. Each year I’m amazed at what our dedicated group of volunteers achieve. Together we have successfully planned, managed and executed two large-scale festivals in addition to a number of smaller extra fundraising events in-between.
To achieve this feat, our volunteer committee collectively give over 10,000 hours of their own time and expertise. If I were to put a round figure of $25 per hour on this effort, our committee contributes over $250,000 into our community.
What would people be surprised to know about you?
Some might think I’m a creature of habit and love being at home, but I always have a burning desire for adventure! I love to travel and experience new things – live like the locals! If money was no object, I’d be off travelling the world and experiencing something new every day.
If you could change anything about the area, what would it be?
Being a foodie, I’d love a greater variety and diversity of dining options – I love to experience unique flavours from all over the world. While there are many great places to dine in our area, for something different when we’re feeling adventurous, we find ourselves heading into Melbourne for dumplings, Thai or our favourite – Asian fusion at ChinChin or Red Spice Road.
