Indigo Interview - A sense of purpose important for Jenny

JENNY Davidson was born in East Gippsland and her family later moved to Melbourne. Jenny and her partner Ian loved the Rutherglen district and after spending most of their working lives in Melbourne, bought a property near the Murray River and shifted to Rutherglen in 1997 to grow olives. What did you do workwise? I had been a nurse and continued to work as a community health nurse specialising in health promotion in Rutherglen. Meanwhile Ian and I planted an olive grove which became a small commercial operation producing high quality extra virgin olive oil. What brought you to your roles/career? I feel as if I had, and still have, many roles, from health educator to olive grower and now a native plant enthusiast and volunteer. After moving to the country my interests have become connected to the environment. What do you love about your work? I think a sense of purpose has always been important to me and I have been fortunate to find this, in nursing then later after moving to the Rutherglen district and becoming part of the community here. What do you do in the community? I have been involved with landcare for 25 years and am proud of our work helping to restore habitat for native wildlife. I am also a keen member of the Friends of Chiltern - Mt Pilot National Park. Along with our tasks we enjoy the natural environment of the park with its fascinating wildlife and spring flowers. Is there an important community issue that you think needs addressing? I firmly believe that the natural environment is our most precious asset. The natural environment of Indigo Shire is the envy of visitors to our region. However, the pressures of development do pose a threat to our local towns. If not managed carefully, there is a risk that these developments may affect the village atmosphere of towns such as Rutherglen. What would you do to solve, change, improve that situation? I think the community needs to be involved when new developments are planned. It means respecting the natural environment and ensuring that there is always a generous allowance of green space. Encouraging native trees and garden plants along with plenty of water for birds and other wildlife in our warming climate will help to keep them in our towns, adding to our own quality of life. What do you see as one of the most important current world issues? I firmly believe climate change is the biggest challenge the world faces now. Australia has seen catastrophic fire and flood in recent years, both connected to climate change and destined to become more common, as we can readily see. The need to work together to reduce greenhouse gases is really urgent. If the person you would most like to meet came to Indigo Shire (past or present) or was already here, who would that be, what would you show them, and why? I would love to meet Henry Handel Richardson (author of “The Getting of Wisdom”) who spent time in Chiltern as a child. I would take her to Lake Moodemere to see its exceptional peace and beauty, with possible sightings of platypus and Rakali and many beautiful birds. She might even enjoy the Rowing Regatta! What book are you reading? “Australian Magpie” - a study of one of Australia’s most loved birds written by award-winning author Gisela Kaplan who is an Emeritus Professor in Animal Behaviour in the School of Science and Technology at the University of New England, Armidale, NSW.

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