PENNY Bingham was born in Fremantle, Western Australia (WA) and moved to Rutherglen nine years ago.
What's your job?
I am a retired teacher. My "job" now is community service.
Why did you become a teacher?
I finished school in 1963.
Latest Stories
There weren't many options for girls in those days.
As a kid, I had always wanted to be a physiotherapist.
I was accepted into the physio school but, to this day, I really don't know why I didn't follow that path.
What do did you love about teaching?
The kids. The variety. Every day was different.
There were opportunities for the creative me to flourish and to nurture creativity in the students.
I spent several years as a music specialist, directed the school choir and an instrumental group, taught dance and co–produced school productions.
I am a passionate advocate for learning through the arts.
Sadly, however, due to the short–sightedness of policymakers, arts education is the first casualty whenever there is a funding cut.
What do you do in the community?
I am an advocate for people living with dementia and their carers.
I co–convene the dementia carers support group in Beechworth and volunteer at the aged care facility in Rutherglen.
I played an active role in revitalising the leisure and lifestyle program at the care facility.
I am also involved in several committees focusing on dementia awareness and aged care.
What's the most important current community issue for you?
I would like to see a decent community library.
The current facility is small and cramped.
We need something more open with sitting areas that invite people to linger; corners for children to immerse themselves in books before making their selection to take home and study corrals for students.
I would like to offer to run reading circles for primary school students but our current building doesn't provide sufficient space for such a program.
The range of books is also restricted by the limited space.
What would you do to solve, change or improve that situation?
Conducting a community survey would be a good starting point and perhaps monitoring numbers of visitors to the library, then using the data from those sources to lobby council. I would also get schools involved to give kids an authentic opportunity to engage in community consultation and understand the processes of democracy.
What's the most important current world issue for you?
It has to be climate change.
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?
Sir David Attenborough.
I would introduce him to platypus in the creek at Pfeiffer's winery and brolgas in the wetlands near Gooramadda Road.
We would then retreat to the banks of the Murray River.
Why would you show him that?
The reclusive nature of platypus and brolgas makes the opportunity to view them first–hand, a truly humbling experience, while the banks of the Murray would be an ideal space to discuss, over a glass of local wine, the imperative of global action on climate change.
What book are you reading?
'Whole Notes: Life Lessons Through Music' by Ed Ayres.
Ed is the presenter of ABC Classic's Weekend Breakfast.
Written with simplicity and humour, the book explores music as a metaphor for life.
