How long have you lived in the area?
Fifty-two years. My wife and I had six kids, we bought a block of land just down the road here on Elgin Street. I bought the taxis, and had the taxis for five years. The kids grew up at the side of the hill, playing on Reform Hill. We loved the area so much we stayed here.
What are your hobbies and interests?
I got involved with the kids with Scouts and pony club and whatever the kids were into. I like to play with engines, motorcars a bit, but those days are gone now. When I retired I got involved with the community health centre, doing exercise classes. I was involved with the showgrounds committee; I was on the hospital advisory board for a while. I was involved with a lot of things.
What do you like about the area?
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I like the ambience. When you come home, it's like coming home. It’s peaceful, no disasters happen much, people don’t get into a lot of trouble. I like the area. I worked at the school for 25 years as a cleaner. I had some mail contracts, we had them for 25 years too.
Where would you take visitors to showcase the area?
I’d take them up to the lake, and I’d take them up to Mount Buffalo. I'd go as far as Bright and take them to Mount Hotham.
Is there anything you would change about the area?
I wouldn’t change anything. It's not flying ahead, but it's going ahead slowly, which is good. There’s a few new houses being built all the time, and people are always looking for homes. It's evolving. The tourism has taken off a bit now, which we knew it would in the long run. When we came here, there wasn't much at all. The hop farms are doing good; they've taken over the tobacco shed now. I thought that might have been a white elephant, but it’s come good now.
How has the area changed since you first you moved here?
I don't think it's changed much at all. It's just got a bit bigger, there’s a few more strangers around. When I was in the taxis everyone used to know me. A lot of people still know me, but there's also a lot of people that don't know me. But that's alright. That's progress.
