Melanie grew up on her family property south of Yunta in the state’s North East.
Along with her two younger sisters, she attended the Yunta Rural School, then onto Jamestown High School and Adelaide for tertiary education. After completing a Diploma in Arts - Interior Design, she commenced her career as an Interior Designer and Construction Manager in Adelaide. During this time, she met her partner Chris, a builder, and subsequently had three daughters.
Melanie and the girls moved back to the family station in 2016, while Chris continues to run his building company in Adelaide during the week and commuting to the station on weekends. Melanie has learned to adapt to the ‘FIFO’ style arrangement, but it is certainly challenging raising three young girls on a remote station on her own.
Her eldest two daughters, Ava (6) and Ruby (5), attend the local school in Yunta and her youngest, Stella (3) will attend kindy in Peterborough in 2022. Melanie and her family joined forces with the school parents and Yunta community members to fight to save the Yunta School from closure in 2014. She is passionate about maintaining and improving all services within rural and remote communities.
Melanie officially joined the North East Branch in 2021.
