Lorne Victoria Australia

Lorne people with family names starting with J.

• Jarratt Family
• Jeffries, Georgina (2016)
• Jenkins, Russell and Jenni (2017)
• Jennings, Cathie and Phil (2018)
• Joubert, Lindy (2017)
• Judson, Paula and Wayne (2017)

Jeffries, Georgina (2016)

Georgina Jeffries, 2016

Next door to the new look Riverbank Café, you will find Georgina Jeffries has set up her Interior Architecture and Design business.  From the moment you walk in you know there is a professional in the background here; the four years she spent qualifying (with honours) at RMIT sticks out a mile.

However when she graduated from school she was at odds about what career path to follow.  She took a year off to decide.  In the end it was her family, among them artists and designers, and taking into consideration the number of times she had moved her bedroom furniture around, suggested a choice related to interior design.

Her first job after qualifying was in the hotel industry (including Hilton and Park Hyatt).  Next she accepted a job with a boutique design office in Melbourne .  In 2009 she opened her own business in Fitzroy, called WONDER.

Four years ago she met her partner, a photographer who she calls a coastal man – a total devotee to the Surf Coast.   Sharing a passion for camping and hiking they decided to spend six months exploring Australia.   Georgina sold her business and off they went. They had such a wonderful experience living close to Nature that Melbourne had lost its appeal by the time they returned.

An urge to be by the water was flavouring their ‘what next’.  Searching for their ideal, they tried  Anglesea before they found their eureka moment in Lorne, just eight months ago.  They bought a house and then ‘ everything seemed to fall into place rather fast.’

In no time Georgina had set up a new business – Pico (retail) at the front and her studio at the rear. She already has new coastal clients as well as many from Melbourne days.  She is busy even after eight months but intends to stay small .  ‘In my industry I believe clients prefer a personal experience and that’s what I want to be able to offer.

We are loving Lorne from all perspectives and we are finding so much to do here.  In the winter if it gets quieter I would like to be a volunteer at the Hospital. ‘

Georgina says her mission is to be surrounded by beautiful things.  Go and visit her and you will see she had achieved that already – in spades.

CW

Jenkins, Russell and Jenni (2017)

Russell and Jenni Jenkins, 2017

In 2002, while Jenni was attending a medical conference in Lorne, Russell organised a cab to take them to Erskine Falls. Waiting in the cab, he casually quizzed the driver about local house prices. Before he knew it, he was being driven to the street where the driver lived and shown a property with a magnificent view, recently passed in at auction. To cut a long story short, they fell in love with that view and bought the house or as Jenni says ‘a deck with facilities attached’.

Russell, born and bred in Ballarat, won a music scholarship to Ballarat College and dreamed of being a professional musician. However, events led to university where he graduated with a chemical engineering degree. As often happens, engineering was also not the direction he took, rather spending 25 years of his career with the Bendigo Community Bank. He retired recently from an executive position and now lives mostly in Lorne.

Jenni, originally from country Victoria, has been one of five doctors in a medical practice in Eaglehawk for 20 years. She comes to Lorne whenever she can. She met Russell at Melbourne University when they were both at Queens College, marrying him after she graduated.  Then it was off to London for two years where they worked, had their first child and travelled extensively in Europe. Their second child was born in Bendigo after they returned from UK.

‘We’re pretty active’, was an understatement by Russell. Jenni was a serious swimmer before she took up cycling 17 years ago and that was a case of  ‘if you can’t beat them join them.’  She is also a runner. Russell is a keen cyclist but says he is more a runner than a cyclist, competing in events regularly. They have ridden extensively on holidays in Europe.

They share a love of music and are supporters of Orchestra Victoria and for many years the Australian Pops Orchestra, they enjoy reading, keep an eye on the art at Qdos and in between all of this Russell is an active member of 3 golf courses – including Lorne Country Club!

CW

Jennings, Cathie and Phil (2018)

Cathie and Phil Jennings, 2018

Cathie, being a member of the Stirling family in Lorne, has a long association with the town. In 1929 the family moved a timber mill house down to Clissold Street. It began as one bedroom holiday home for Cathie’s father and his brother. Cathie remembers attending the local primary school whilst her father added on a living area in 1956.  A major renovation took place in 1978 at was now known as the “Shack”, enabling Cathie and Phil and their three children to have regular holidays in Lorne. Cathie is proud of the fact that their grandchildren are fourth generation inhabitants of the “Shack”.

Cathie and Phil were born and educated in Melbourne. After qualifying as a physiotherapist Cathie worked in Horsham for two years before embarking on a working holiday overseas. She spent most of that time in London. A career in Melbourne followed, as they raised and educated their children.

For over 30 years Cathie has devoted many hours as a volunteer, facilitating English conversation with newly arrived immigrants, as part of the Home Tutor Scheme.

Phil had always wanted to be an accountant in a public practice. For 40 years he worked in various Melbourne firms until retirement in 2012. As often happens with accountants, their skills are sought after for committees and organizations. Phil is honorary treasurer of the Victorian Jazz Club and involved with his local church in Melbourne as well as with St. Cuthbert’s in Lorne.

The Jennings escape the cold in winter and travel north to either Darwin or north Queensland. During the summer months Cathie volunteers at the Lorne Visitors’ Information Centre. They enjoy the variety of walks that Lorne offers and also exploring central and western districts of Victoria in their car. Grandparent child-minding duties take them regularly to Colac and Sydney “.

CW

Joubert, Lindy (2017)

Lindy Joubert, 2017

New President of Lorne Sculpture Biennale, Lindy Joubert, recalls with fondness the halcyon student days of working as a waitress at the Arab in the 60s. Although she stayed in Mrs. Kelly’s Guest House with the other waitresses, she spent some time with the Smith family who owned the restaurant .  Steve Politis, the coffee maker, asked Lindy and Jane (also a waitress on staff) to be bridesmaids at his wedding although they had never met his bride, Irene. Steve eventually bought the business and friendships continued as with her connection to The Arab. Another Arab staff member, George Vassilopoulos, moved to the Abominable Snowman  Restaurant at Mt Buller, which he also ended up  owning. His wife Elena became Lindy’s bridesmaid when she married.

Sydney born but brought up and educated in Melbourne, Lindy studied painting, graphic design at RMIT and in the US and gained a teaching qualification at Melbourne University. Her first job was a book designer, the second as a senior lecturer in design, a position which she holds today but in the architecture faculty at Melbourne University.

Lindy is also a practicing artist having had 37 exhibitions including an impressive six in New York. She is a founding director of the UNESCO Observatory (multi-disciplinary research in the arts) and  travels extensively in that position, leaving the country six times in 2016. Most destinations are remote countries, including Africa, Iran, Tiwi Islands, PNG and Lapland, all of which she loves and couldn’t choose a favourite.

She is Vice- President of The World Craft Council (Asia/Pacific region- South Pacific) and says, her interest in the arts is now used instrumentally for community health and development .

Lindy’s vast experience in the arts, and as a facilitator, including organising a number of international conferences for UNESCO in the Asia Pacific, stands her in good stead to lead the committee for the 2018 Lorne Sculpture Biennale.

She has two adult children, four grandchildren and a dog called Daisy, who is clearly a close friend. Admitting that exercise is critical, her main exercise is making sure Daisy gets her daily walk.

CW

Judson, Paula and Wayne, 2017

Paula and Wayne Judson, 2017

Paula’s mother’s grandfather was artist, Frederick Straw. He regularly stayed with the Mountjoys at Erskine House and painted the area around Lorne.  A little further down than Erskine Falls, are some smaller falls named after him – Straw Falls.

When Paula was 18 her parents bought a house in Lorne. She and her three sisters spent memorable holidays there together with their friends. As they married and had children, the tradition continued until things began to get somewhat crowded. 25 years ago Wayne and Paula bought their own house. It became a place of peace and rest, disassociated with work and where they can talk, make plans and walk on the beach. They renovated the house so there’s plenty of room for their family to come and stay.

Both are Melbourne born and actually went to school together. Paula studied graphic art at RMIT and taught for five years before having children. With a passion for plants, she once stood in front of a bull dozer, baby in arms, to stop natural vegetation being removed at Mt Martha. She won a compromise.

Wayne began studying architecture then switched to a building degree. His career has been building major commercial projects. When he sold his business he bought a vineyard on the Mornington Peninsula. He says ‘retirement’ then became a non-event.

An award winning footballer in his day, Wayne now gets exercise building granite structures at his home and the winery. Apparently he cooks a mean paella too!

The Judson family has travelled widely. When the building industry closed for Christmas, Wayne said they used to take off somewhere with the children – Italy being a favourite.  Along with family their interests are hiking, camping, sailing, gardening and travel.

I can see why they come to Lorne to rest.

CW

Sources

• Lorne Historical Society Collections
• Surf Coast Times, Committee for Lorne Page, Community Profile by Cynthia Wynhoven.