CHRIS Zerbst was born in Albury and after finishing high school she moved to Sydney. Retiring 12 years ago, Chris never thought she would be living in Yackandandah.
"In my youth it was a sleepy little town you only visited when you had a good reason but different today," she said.
What's your job?
I am retired, but I say that loosely as I have never been busier! I work one day a week at the Yackandandah Museum as well as volunteer extra days.
What brought you to this role?
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I missed certain parts of my previous job as an executive assistant – being organised, meeting people and having a 'role' to play. The museum advertised and I jumped in. It was a way to integrate myself into my new community and keep my office skills honed.
What do you love about your job?
Learning the history of Yackandandah and the surrounding district. The town is awash with stories of the pioneers who made it their home, established businesses, and built the shops. To walk down High Street is living history.
What do you do in the community?
I am having so much fun contributing to community groups, for their sake as well as my own! Besides the museum role, I am currently coordinator of the Yackandandah (Yack) Women's Shed, Secretary of Arts Yack, on the committee of the garden club, a volunteer at Yack Health, and an active member of Yack writers, Uke–n–Dandah, and the golf club.
What's the most important current community issue for you?
The one common denominator that stands out for me, is finding and securing volunteers. Community groups don't run on their own steam, it is the people within who put their hands up that keep them alive. To hear the response at a meeting," yes, I can do that job," is a joy, but to be honest it doesn't come easy for a lot of people and for various reasons. If more people could realise how good for the soul volunteering is, it would make a world of difference.
What would you do to solve, change or improve that situation?
Keep expectations high, the power of positive thinking can do wonders. Good management, putting the right person in the right role, and showing appreciation is the key to keeping volunteers happy. Essentially, a genuine "thank you" goes a long way.
What's the most important current world issue for you?
In one word, Ukraine.
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 meet a lady from the 1850s, who moved to Yackandandah with her husband, dreaming of finding their fortune. I would show her the legacy left by herself and those who struggled to put Yackandandah on the map.
Why would you show her that?
I would like to know if her aspirations would have been different to what we strive for ourselves today. What would she think of a robotic vacuum cleaner, or a train that drives itself? These inventions we marvel at, as much as she would have been in awe when she first experienced having hot running water. Are we so different?
What book are you reading?
'Searching for Charlotte' by Kate Forsyth and Belinda Murrell – sisters who have traced the life of their ancestor Charlotte Waring Atkinson, Australia's first children's book author.
