Jen & Olley

Tell us a little bit about who lives here.

I am a public servant and I live here with my 14-year-old son, Olley.

How has living at Nightingale 2 impacted your ability to live more sustainably?

As a non car owner, living at Nightingale 2 has allowed us to easily access GoGet cars and public transport with both on our door step. The sustainability of NG2 is not limited to transport though! We have our compost collected, we have so many different things recycled in our waste room, and we have vegetables fresh from our roof and balcony. Living in a beautiful home with an 8.9 NatHERS rating, we don’t need air conditioning and our heating is much less necessary. We don’t use gas and our electricity bills are less than $65/month.

I love the north-south orientation and sitting in the window looking out on the train station.

Does living in a community positively affect your life?

I am so grateful to be a part of the wonderful NG2 community. We share meals, lemons, a particular wrench, advice, camping trips and more. It’s like having your own mini world wide web in-house. Need a book? Put it out there. Friendly smiles and hellos, new baby cuddles, always running into neighbours down the street, in the laundry or on the roof top. And there’s always someone up for a drink on the roof next to the fire.

You’re on the OC at Nightingale 2. Tell us a little bit about your role.

This is my second year on the owner’s committee, which is a great opportunity to get to know people in the community better. Everyone in the community contributes according to their skills. I am not such a great gardener or handy person so I enjoy being able to contribute by administering the needs of the community, organising maintenance and following up on things that need to be done.

Your top 3 favourite spots in Fairfield?

The Yarra river, of course. We are so lucky to be able to walk in nature, have the bats fly over and sit and ponder the world.

Gelato Papa — we didn’t know we would be having an ice cream shop in our building when we moved in! Israeli Yoghurt is my favourite flavour.

And lastly, the newest shop on the street, an amazing fresh seafood joint! Wow! Still working our way through the menu. Best, freshest marinara ever.

Published May 2022