ROGER Timewell is originally from Essex, England but has moved around quite a bit due to work and life changes. He moved to Stanley just over a year ago via Canberra and a short stay in Beechworth.
What’s your job?
Nowadays I am retired from the money work that was primarily in the IT industry. However, having a six-acre property and being involved in community stuff keeps me busy day to day.
What brought you to this role?
On leaving school I worked in civil engineering and as a building inspector but changed direction to IT via a government retraining program resulting in a job at Ford Motor Company’s headquarters. After a few years there I went contracting, working at companies all over Britain, Australia, and New Zealand.
What do you love about your job?
The work itself was interesting, but mainly as an IT contractor I could take chunks of time off to travel, rock climb and study.
Some of those times off also gave me the opportunity to try other forms of income, such as property development, gardening, retail, hospitality and working as a hospital porter.
What do you do in the community?
I am involved in a couple of community projects now, helping with some of the background stage stuff for the play “Trial and Error” that Beechworth Theatre Company is putting on and also working with a small community group to get the inaugural Winterwords Festival up and running this year.
What’s the most important current community issue for you?
Something that would directly help the Stanley community is the re-establishment of its township status to retain the centre of Stanley ‘town’ while keeping the overall farming aspect of the area. That and the associated infrastructure to support those that live here, such as management of water for local use, better mobile phone coverage, reliable power supply etc.
What would you do to solve, change or improve that situation?
Engage and support with those that are already acting on this.
What’s the most important current world issue for you?
Climate change. Unless we all make significant changes at both a personal and global level, the world we leave our children will be very badly damaged. We need to remember we are part of the natural system and the consequences of our behaviour impact on it and hence us.
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?
There’s no one in particular I would like to meet, but I would love to show my dad around the area, have him meet the people I have met and give him a chance to see my grown-up daughter and the person she is now.
Why would you show him that?
He would love the farmland and conservation areas, the vineyards and the orchards, the reclaimed nature areas and the open spaces. He would enjoy the ideas and banter of his granddaughter and people I have met while here, their community engagement and their wish to encourage cooperation and inclusivity given by all to all.
What book are you reading?
“The Peter Kropotkin Anthology” and Ursula K Le Guin’s book “Always Coming Home”.