My name is Anita Larkin.
What is your link to the Goulburn Valley?
I used to work for MAV in Melbourne (Multicultural Arts Victoria is a non-profit community arts organisation) and started working with artists and community groups up here as an outreach role in 2008. I was here often and grew quite fond of Shepparton and moved over here in 2012.
What do you do with yourself?
I work full-time as Kaiela Arts manager, and I am a mother to two teenage sons who have very busy lives! I am also the co-founder of a new art collective called Topsoil along with Mimi Leung and Kristen Ritallick, and a volunteer board member with Shepparton Festival.
How do you like spending your free time?
I love cooking, I love yoga and I play piano in my spare time. I also love gardening and take care of my dog and my cat.
What is your favourite thing about the Goulburn Valley?
I love the diversity of the community, there are many different cultural groups and such a strong First Nations population. The opportunities provided by such diversity to learn about and experience different cultures are truly enriching.
I love how easy it is to live here, how everything is close. There are a lot of clubs and opportunities for kids, especially in sports. It’s wonderful to have a museum like SAM, and I’d love to see even more cultural opportunities and in the art sector in general.
I also love the lake and the river. River country is beautiful!
What piece of advice would you give your younger self?
Don’t be so hard on yourself and don’t waste so much time in meaningless pursuits!
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