Nadine farewells Boyd

Two and a half years after being appointed community animator at the Boyd Community Hub, Nadine Ford has said farewell to Southbank.

Nadine leaves Southbank with many great memories and having made a lasting impact, with Boyd continuing to go from strength to strength as a cornerstone of our community.

While she enjoyed brief stints in other roles across the City of Melbourne during her time, it was here in Southbank where she spent most of her time activating our community through various events and initiatives.

She said that, from the time she was first appointed until now, the Southbank community had come along in leaps and bounds, which was something that she was proud to have helped oversee.

“I guess I’m proud of the impact I’ve made,” she said. “We’re actually fully booked out for events and activities now.”

“Before it was more about trying to get more activities into Boyd and get more opportunities and programs and now it’s more about thinking of what’s the best overall offer that we can provide people.”

“The activities have all been started by local residents that approached Boyd and said that they wanted to do something for their community and they all started and are mostly ongoing now.”

From the laughter club, Bollywood dance class and Saturday yoga to the sustainability group, trivia nights and night school history talks, Boyd continues to flourish as a vibrant community facility in Southbank.

While she has lots of happy memories at Boyd, she said one of her favourites was Boyd’s fifth birthday celebrations in July where some 150 people came and enjoyed a wine, cheese and jazz event.

She said that such events were a reflection of Southbank’s appetite for community events.

“I’ve been surprised at how hard it is to get people out of their buildings but then, once you do, it’s been surprising how many people I actually know by the time I’m leaving,” she said.

“I’ll definitely miss just coming through the foyer and recognising people’s faces and having conversations about what it’s like to live in Southbank.”

Southbank Local News thanks Nadine for her valuable contribution to the Southbank community and wishes her the best for her new role with the City of Moonee Valley.