Hume Community Award nominee Colin Downing chats with Zoe Moffatt about living in Craigieburn and being recognised for outstanding community leadership.
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do?
I was born in Birmingham, England, and migrated to Australia in 1952 settling in Melbourne before moving to Elizabeth in South Australia where I went to primary and secondary school plus my electronics apprenticeship.
I then moved back to Melbourne working for a government department as a technical assistant grade two, and I started my tertiary studies in electronic/communications at RMIT. On graduating I obtained an electronic engineers position with the Reserve Bank note printing division and moved to Craigieburn in 1982 with my wife and four children.
What’s your connection to Hume?
After moving to Craigieburn and building our second house, my family and I started to gain many friends via the school the children attended – Our Lady’s Primary. I continued my association with basketball as a referee and started refereeing games at the Craigieburn Eagles Basketball Association.
What do you like about where you live?
We have moved to the Highlands Estate in recent years and have a block and single storey house that overlooks Mt. Ridley. I enjoy being able to have breakfast before starting my daily chores in the garden and tending to my bonsai plants. I have been retired for some 15 years and my volunteer work with Probus and the Craigieburn Eagles Basketball Association keeps me pretty busy.
What if anything would you change about where you live?
Nothing really as we are close to the airport for trips to Queensland as two of our children now reside in that state. Close to parks and playgrounds so we can see the grandchildren too when they visit.
What is your favourite local place to spend time?
Well my wife would say the Craigieburn Leisure Centre doing stuff in the world of basketball. As now a retired referee I have taken up duties running junior basketball clinics in outlying areas of Hume to start junior basketball clubs to play in the junior domestic basketball competition.
The team I am part of have been successful in forming junior basketball clubs in Merrifield (Panthers) and Kalkallo (Knights) and working on Donnybrook to form a junior club in that area. But I would say attending the probus monthly meetings and walking group at the Lakeside Café with coffee and a good chat with fellow members.
Tell us something people would be surprised to know about you?
That is easy as I have had some time spent as an amateur actor over the years as I found that helped with my shyness as a youngster.
