By Esther Lauaki
What’s your connection to Melton?
A very active resident attending most monthly council meetings.
How long have you lived in the area?
Lived in Melton since 2007, after living at Essendon for 35 years, when I retired from work at Tullamarine Airport.
What are you passionate about?
All types of aviation, model and full size, plus other interests in general.
Tell us about your involvement with Melton Model Aircraft Association.
My involvement with model aircraft goes back to 1954, in England and continued here when I emigrated in 1961 to work for the then TAA, then Australian airlines and finally Qantas.
I was in a club at Keilor and when I moved to Melton I joined the club here, flying at Mount Cottrell Reserve.
During my time here in Australia, I became involved with the administration side of the organisation. I became the president of the Victorian Model Aeronautical Association then moved on to be the president of the federal body the Model Aeronautical Association of Australia – a position which I held for 11 years.
I also was president of the Australian Sport Aviation Confederation for two years … and I am currently the president of the Melton club, which I have held for four years. This keeps me pretty busy.
What other hats do you wear in the community?
I am the secretary of the Melton Residents Association, looking after the residents interests in the township of Melton with the postcodes of 3337 and 3338.
What’s the quirkiest thing about you?
I have a penny farthing bike, which I ride in parades and usually go to Evandale in Tasmania, and now Geelong, to ride in the penny farthing races – not that I ever win. Although last November the organisers of the Geelong races surprised me by organising first place for me as the over 80s rider!
This year however, I am not attending Evandale as it clashes with the bi-yearly Avalon Airshow where I and others on our team work for the week, parking commuter aircraft at the Avalon East Airstrip which is at Avalon, separate from the main arena.
What do you love about Melton?
The city is pretty good in all aspects, but we must prepare for the enormous growth the city is experiencing.
What would you like to see improved?
I would like to see better roads, especially full diamond access ramps on the Melton Bypass Road and Bulmans Road, which the residents association has been pushing for since the road bridge was constructed. Also traffic lights at Norton Drive before someone gets killed there.
