Laura Ball was born in Canberra, then moved to London post studies, then back to Melbourne and finally Beechworth.

“My family and I have been here for seven months and loving it. A far cry from the traffic that is inner Melbourne,” she said.

What do you do workwise?

I am the accommodation manager at The Brewers House in Beechworth. The Brewers House is gorgeous boutique accommodation on Finch Street and was the original site of George Billsons Malthouse - connected to the Last St Brewery. We have four gorgeously renovated suites and beautiful gardens to enjoy.

What brought you to your role/career?

My husband and I both took on roles with Last St Brewery. The jobs came up at the perfect time for our family, so we packed up our home and moved north with our two little girls.

What do you love about your work?

I love having the ability to interact with people from all walks of life. You learn something from everyone you meet.

What do you do in the community?

Unfortunately, I haven’t yet had a chance to volunteer in the community, but now we’re settled and coming out of the depths of winter I’m looking forward to finding some opportunities to give back.

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

Being a working mum of two little ones, childcare is at the top of my priority list. We’ve enrolled one of our girls into the Beechworth Kinder program however the gorgeous childcare centre next door is at capacity and has a very long waitlist which means I’m having to travel to Myrtleford for our youngest’s care during the week.

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

Thankfully I believe there is a solution underway or waiting for council approval which will mean the Beechworth Childcare can expand their student placement offering and hopefully ease the waitlist congestion.

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

Having two young girls in today’s world we are highly acute to the effects that social media is having on both children’s development and their mental health. We try reducing screen time as much as possible and rather get our girls out interacting with people in the community via the library’s storytime sessions, the park or at the local coffee shop.

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

Without sounding too much like the millennial I am, the person I’d love to meet and show around the shire would have to be American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. She’s been in the media a lot lately, but I really admire her character, her craft and her dedication to it even with all the setbacks. I think she would love the shire and all the local stores and beautiful architecture and scenery. I’m sure she would also love to meet some of the amazing artists we have here.

What book are you reading?

Dr Suess’ complete series and the Star-Belly Sneetches is a current favourite in our home. When I find the time though, the Stephanie Hazeltine fiction series is on my list. The Melbourne-based author writes page-turning stories about complex and compelling women.