I’ve lived for over thirty years in Bayside. My husband Mark was an artisan and I taught at a primary school in Keysborough. Six years ago, Mark sadly died of chronic kidney disease. He left me our business Don Sheil Australia which I ran for a time until I sold it in 2016. I was pleased that the business would be ongoing and a lasting legacy to my family albeit with a different captain. Now free, and my children settled, I rented out my house and started travelling In Earnest. The more remote the better and I had a ball for over three years travelling (usually solo) from South America, northern Canada, Antarctica to Murmansk in Russia – a challenge in the depth of winter.

Love, circumstance and a lust for life bought me to Port Phillip. After been forced to return home from my last travels to Myanmar last year I had to find a temporary home; first to quarantine then to live. Port Philip was a perfect fit. It had vibrancy, the lake, beach, restaurants, diverse inhabitants, spaces of natural beauty and a respect for historic buildings. Clearly, it also showcases the many challenges of displacement and the need which tends to keep you grounded. It also helped that I fell in love with a local and luckily he was okay with that! Win win.

My passion is for living fully, both for me, my children and my partner. I love all things artistic and find they challenge and feed my soul. Port Phillip has an energy about it that you can feel from the first. Everyone feels accepted and I find this stimulating and freeing. I’m hooked.