We know you as a reporter for the Fleurieu App. What is your work history prior to the Fleurieu App – have you always been a journalist?

My first job was pumping petrol at my parents’ fuel station in Cleve on the Eyre Peninsula! I also worked in Aberystwyth, Wales, in a laundrette, cleaning people’s clothes and stinky football (soccer) uniforms! But mostly I’ve been a journalist/editor.

My first job out of uni was in Victor Harbor for The Times (weekly) and On the Coast (monthly) newspapers. I loved living in Port Elliot and working with a great team of journalists at the paper. I feel like country journalists get an excellent grounding in their craft – well they definitely did as I was coming up – as they get everything thrown at them: covering council and community stories; meeting all the passionate locals, volunteers and interesting and colourful characters in the district; learning how to take a decent photo and do a bit of design and layout too.

After a few years I left to try something new, getting a job in communications with the Education Department. Later, my partner and I did the two-year working Visa in the UK thing, where I sub-edited a Welsh newspaper (after my stint washing clothes) and edited a digital magazine for a business events company in Bristol.

I came back to Australia and the timing was perfect for me to walk into the role of editor at The Times and On the Coast back in Victor, which was a dream come true. After a couple of years, a restructure saw me promoted to Group Managing Editor for SA, looking after all of Fairfax/Australian Community Media’s regional papers in our state, as a sort of mentor for the editors.

In time, more changes saw me take a redundancy and move into freelancing. I love the freedom it gives me to take on contracts and roles that fit with my interests and the kind of people I want to work for and with.

Why the Fleurieu App?

When I met Fleurieu App owner Susie Williams and realised we had quite a lot in common with our roots in the Eyre Peninsula, our love of the Fleurieu Peninsula, and a passion for media and photography, I was pretty keen to get involved. She is such a warm and supportive person and she brings people on board with her enthusiasm. I think the idea is great and I hope we can entertain and inform our app users with the stories we produce.

Why is the Fleurieu such a special place for you?

I live with my family in the Onkaparinga region on the cusp of the Fleurieu. It’s a great place to live, work and play. We’ve had some special times on the Fleurieu including getting married in the Willunga Catholic Church, one of the oldest churches in the state. We love the proximity to the beach and the McLaren Vale and Langhorne Creek wine regions are so special, with Kangarilla Road Winery and Samuel’s Gorge both firm favourites. There are top quality restaurants like Pizzateca at our fingertips and we just had our boy’s 4^th birthday at the Myponga Reservoir and Smiling Samoyed Brewery which we love (don't judge me - there's a playground there!) Every year we have a family tradition of taking some photos with the almond blossoms in Willunga - it's so pretty there. The Fleurieu offers space and the feeling of freedom but it’s still quite close to the city.

On a more personal note, tell us a little about yourself and what you love to do in your spare time.

There’s not so much spare time between my work and chasing the kiddos (aged 4 and 8 months – well, that one doesn’t move that much, yet, fortunately!) But I do enjoy travel (when that was a thing), photography, and music. I also have a huge collection of books that I buy and don't read.

What is something that many people would not know about you?

I do a bit of singing and playing guitar sometimes. And my surname means ‘of the wood’ in French.

YOUR TOP TIPS

Best place to....

• Grab a quick bite…Home Grain Bakery, Aldinga
• Have a more serious feed…Pizzateca, McLaren Vale
• Get a cuppa…The Anchorage, Victor Harbor
• Have a beer (or cold drink)…Victory Hotel, Sellicks
• Taste some wine (or just enjoy the winery atmosphere)... Samuel’s Gorge, McLaren Vale.
• Go for a dip…Horseshoe Bay, Port Elliot
• Explore nature…Myponga Reservoir

When I’m on the Fleurieu and/or KI, I…

• feel…like I'm on holidays
• always make sure I visit…McLaren Vale
• stock up on…way too many bottles of wine and craft beer

Weirdest thing that’s happened to me on the Fleurieu or Kangaroo Island:

When the Olympic torch travelled through the Fleurieu in the mid 2000s our team of journalists from The Times followed the torch around with our cameras and got a photo of pretty much everyone who went anywhere near it. I went down to Goolwa and spent probably a couple of hours photographing all the torch bearers. Unfortunately when I got back to the office I realised none of the photos were on the camera card. We had people coming in for weeks asking why their photo wasn't in the paper and requesting to purchase the photo that the "new, curly haired journalist took".

Best memory of being here:

Having Christmas 2019 at a holiday house in Sellicks Beach with my beautiful family, including my brother and sister in law from Singapore – we were so lucky to be together in such an amazing place before everything changed and the world caught a virus.

Most colourful character I’ve run into:

Hal Hart, Michael Simmons, Graeme Stevens, Jeff Goodieson and Chook McCoy.

My best piece of advice for anyone heading to the region: 

Talk to the locals to find out their top haunts and let your pants know to expect a bit of stretchage with all the lovely things you’ll find to eat and drink.