Robyn Pfeiffer was born in Sydney and first arrived in Wahgunyah in 1974 when her husband, Chris began his career in the wine industry with Lindemans. Other moves followed with Chris working in all of Lindeman’s winery locations in Australia. The couple returned to buy Wahgunyah’s old Seppelt Distillery in 1984 – in a location and community they loved.

What did you do workwise?

I was an infants’ school teacher at Corowa Primary School in 1974 and 1975 and taught in Sydney in my early teaching career.

What brought you to your role/career?

When I was in Grade 4 my teacher took me under her wing to help me gain self-confidence and self-esteem, and I just wanted to be like her when I grew up. As a teacher, I made sure that no child ever left my class without being able to read, write and add up with confidence.

What did you love about teaching?

Watching children's ability for learning to read, to write and spell and do basic numerical calculations – all vital life skills. When we bought the winery, I did relief teaching until we were able to open our cellar door.

My first school appointment, straight out of Teachers College, was at an inner-city school in Sydney, which in those days was predominantly made up of Greek and Turkish communities where the adults did not speak English. It was so rewarding teaching their children, and my experience there has been one of the best experiences of my life.

What do you do in the community?

I volunteered on several tourism bodies including the Winemakers of Rutherglen and Destination Rutherglen until last year. I volunteer as an Elder at our Rutherglen Uniting Church and also contribute to the Rutherglen Wine Bottle and the Rutherglen Historical Society. Contributing to community by volunteering makes one feel connected and part of the local community. You get to know people you may otherwise never have known, who share similar interests and new friendships are created too.

Is there an important community issue that you think needs addressing?

The unnecessary potential development of a service station and truck stop at an unsuitable and dangerous location on the outskirts of Rutherglen. For the last 11 months, the decision has been with VCAT and we’re waiting to see what VCAT will decide. We are passionate about protecting our precious and fragile environment, particularly the area of the Lake Moodemere Reserve.

What would you do to solve, change, or improve that situation?

The Rutherglen Community will continue to strive to protect this natural asset for our community, for visitors to our area and for future generations in having access to this clean and pristine natural environment.

What do you see as one of the most important current world issues?

The world is in a sorry place with wars in so many countries. Man’s inhumanity to his fellow man is impossible to comprehend and is surely about greed.

If the person you would most like to meet or knew, came to Indigo Shire or was already here, who would that be, what would you show them, and why?

Barack Obama who as a leader overcame the challenges thrown at him with dignity, forgiveness and love. I would introduce him to everyone in our community and show him what an amazing multicultural community we are and will continue to be when we hold our beliefs and values close to our hearts. We show love to all peoples of the world and to those who have been so brave to make a new life in our community.

What book are you reading?

I have just finished reading a series of four romantic novels by Alissa Callen, the last one being 'The Boundary Fence.' Alissa’s books are set in rural Australia.