OLIVER Payne was born in the "bustling metropolis" of Wodonga. Living in Wooragee on and off since then, Wooragee and the broader North East is such an important place for him and one that he feels grateful to live in every day.
What's your job?
Co–managing all my other jobs.
I'm an Illustrator and also run a freelance design agency called AsetteStudio with my partner Megan.
We also run an indoor plant shop – The Beechworth Conservatory – and accommodation – Newtown House.
Latest Stories
What brought you to these roles?
Our inspiration to do things for ourselves comes from a long line of awful bosses and the knowledge that life is short.
We lost multiple jobs in Melbourne at the start of COVID, so The Beechworth Conservatory is a product of this experience.
What do you love about your jobs?
Our jobs are sometimes hard to separate from our life, but we love our life.
The two have become so intertwined that I can't answer for one without acknowledging the other.
What do you do in the community?
I am eager to get more involved with the community and am currently planning how to best use our space The Beechworth Conservatory to benefit the community as a whole.
We have a lot of room to grow a special place for the town, one that is rooted deeply in the community.
What's the most important current community issue for you?
I think some of the most important issues facing Beechworth are the lack of funding for the fire brigade and affordable housing options.
What would you do to solve, change or improve that situation?
I think raising awareness is an important first step.
What's the most important current world issue for you?
There's always infinite issues facing the world and I'm the least qualified person I know of to comment on them.
If I had to pick one cherry to place on top of the issue cake it'd have to be climate change, but then again it's hard to compare when talking about existential threats.
If the person you would most like to meet came to Indigo, or was already here, who would that be and what would you show them?
I would love to take Ned Kelly down to the 'Commy' (Tanswells Commercial Hotel) and ask him to comment on the recent changes to Beechworth.
I'd take him up Bridge Road and he'd take me down memory lane, then we'd go to the Burke Museum and he'd pretend to be an exhibit for a few hours.
Also interested to know his thoughts on an entire tourism industry and a nation's pride resting on the shoulders of his awful crimes.
Why would you show him that?
I'd take him to the Commy to settle once and for all if he used to drink there, or if he actually preferred The Nic.
No one can say but the man himself.
I can't even say why it matters to me but it does. It just does.
What book are you reading?
On my second read of The Wheel of Time series (the undisputed best series of all time); let's save my thoughts on that for the next one.
