How long have you lived in Myrtleford?
Fifty–nine years. I was on a working holiday in Australia, going back to Kenya, but I didn't get there.
Why did you decide to stay?
I married my husband – you make your home where your family is.
What are your hobbies and interests?
Latest Stories
Girl Guides, and Scouts to a certain extent. Choral singing – mostly classical choral works like Messiah and Vivaldi – and family and church.
What do you like about the area?
I like the mountains because I was brought up in Africa in a mountainous area, and the greenery, excepting for when there's droughts. I like the change of seasons because in Africa you don't get the change of seasons. You have a rainy season and a dry season, whereas here you have the four seasons.
Where would you take visitors to showcase the area?
Mount Buffalo for sure, and just around the nooks and crannies in this area that are interesting. Beechworth, Yackandandah, Bright, and probably the Lake Buffalo dam because I worked on its construction. I worked from the office.
How has Myrtleford changed since you moved here?
I find with all the newcomers it's a much friendlier society than it was when I first came here. Probably that was partly my fault. I was growing up in Africa and we were the only white people around, then I went to university in New Zealand. I was with family, university, and I went to boarding school from the age of seven. So I was always institutionalised. Then I came to a country town, and I'd never been in a country town. I married an Italian and I couldn't speak Italian, although they were very accommodating. I can understand, in ways, how the Italian women felt, because I felt the same way. When they came here they couldn't speak English and they couldn't drive, so they were isolated. I went into nursing and my tutor became the community health nurse in Myrtleford. She got Italian woman out driving and learning to speak English. That changed the whole atmosphere. So the community has definitely changed completely.
