Gamila MacRury was born in Melbourne but spent her teenage years travelling around South Eastern Australia, including a lot of time in North East Victoria.

“I first came to Beechworth in 1997 and bought my property in 2009. I spent 10 years travelling up and down the Hume for work as an engineer, becoming full time in 2019,” she said.

What do you do workwise?

I’m a qualified computer systems engineer. However, I am now a full-time farmer specialising in award-winning fermented table olives and saffron.

What led you to your role/career?

I bought 12 acres in 2009, which is a small land area, so I needed to find high value products that would work in the climate of Beechworth.

I came home with 100 saffron corms in December 2009 as a 24-year-old. In January just gone, we lifted and re-planted probably over half a million corms, though honestly, we didn’t bother to count them.

What do you love about your work?

Being self employed is hard, but also very satisfying. It’s a never-ending juggle of priorities and challenges. Having self gratitude is hard, because it can stop you pushing to be better. Luckily I have products that I can enter into awards where other people tell me I’m doing a good job. Working up in the olive grove on an autumn day really reminds me that I could be working in worse places.

What do you do in the community?

I have generally protected my time and energy very closely as a self-employed veteran both of these are very limited. However late last year I put my hand up to be the president of the newly reformed Beechworth Country Women’s Association. The CWA Beechworth branch existed for 83 years and it’s great to have it back, but the hard work starts now as we figure out how to be relevant to today’s women. We meet for friendship with purpose on the second Tuesday of the month.

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

A lot of teenage kids aren’t eating as well as they should, which really effects their ability to focus and learn in class, plus the current school system is suited to a particular type of kid.

It’s likely that country kids by nature are more outside people, cope less well with sitting inside four walls, and it’s how can we support these kids to have constructive learning outcomes that aren’t tied to the traditional schooling system.

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

Right now I tackle it one kid at a time. My second school-based trainee doing his Certificate 3 in agriculture has just started this year.

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

I try to focus locally on what I can affect.

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?

The Greek philosopher Plato – an important figure of the Ancient Greek world, and the history of Western thought. We would sit at the top of the escarpment at the Murmungee Lookout with some excellent bottles of Beechworth wine and have some philosophical discussions while enjoying the wonderful view.