EMMA Hamill was born in Guyana in South America. Her dad was working there as a metallurgist.

She has very vivid memories of living on the edge of a very wild jungle in an elevated house.

Emma with her family has lived in Beechworth for almost 12 years.

What do you do workwise?

I am a physiotherapist and also a certified Iyengar Yoga teacher.

What brought you to your career?

It was very clear to me from a young age that I wanted to work in a hands-on way with people.

I have always been fascinated by the human body and physiotherapy was an obvious pathway.

Combining this with yoga has allowed me to develop a very holistic way of working with clients where I can very much empower them with ways to manage and maintain good health at all levels.

What do you do in the community?

I feel very lucky that my work, particularly as a yoga teacher, has such a positive impact on the lives of my students.

I’ve been running classes for 10 years now in Beechworth and I often receive feedback about the meaningful impact being a part of the classes have had, and about the flow on effect into the wider community.

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

I would personally love to see better public transport servicing Beechworth and the surrounding areas.

As a mother of three teenage boys, it is very hard for them to catch up with their friends who live out of town.

The whole community would benefit from a more regular service with buses also running on weekends.

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

I am imagining this is an issue which would need to be lobbied for at a State Government level.

In the meantime, we live in a very car-dependent region which definitely would impact some families more than others.

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

Currently I feel devastated on a daily basis by the atrocities being committed in Gaza and the seeming hesitancy of the world to step in and advocate for the Palestinian people.

If the person you would most like to meet or knew, came to Indigo Shire (past or present) or was already here, who would that be, what would you show them and why?

I am always excited to show any family members my home and the town that I love and am fortunate enough to live in.

My Dad visited last Christmas and loved it so much that he actually moved here (from Perth)!

I love the surrounding bushland and always make sure to take visitors out into my favourite parts of the bush.

As a wine lover, I love to visit local wineries as well as wander around the gorgeous streets of the Beechworth township, making sure to explore Mayday Hills and the gorge precinct too.

We have so much wonderful art, culture, fine wine and great food on offer that it’s impossible to fit it all in, in one visit, and my family and friends usually have their second trip already planned before they leave.

What book are you reading?

I have just finished reading ‘The Magician’ by Colm Toibin.

I am still digesting this amazing book and think I will be for some time.