In this edition Campbell Spence interviews St Kilda resident Geoffrey Conaghan.

Tell me about your connection to the Port Phillip community.
I came to Melbourne in 1987 and moved to West St Kilda.  I bought my flat in 1990 in St Kilda so I haven’t moved far - about 500 metres.

I met Mathew, my partner of 20 years and my husband of 3 years, in a St Kilda coffee shop. He lived around the corner so it was a very local romance.

In the 1980s I discovered Linden gallery on Acland Street and I’ve learnt a lot about contemporary art by attending seminars, artists talks and events.  Around 2000 I joined the Linden Board for 6 years and was chairman for three years.  In 2018 I was made ambassador of Linden Contemporaries, the donor network. 

My Greek club (through my mother) is the Kastellorizian Association in South Melbourne.  Descendants of this tiny island arrived at Station Pier in the early 20th century and settled in Port Phillip’s suburbs and many of us live in the area.

In 2020 I stood for Council as an independent candidate.  My outstanding vision was not shared by the citizens as I secured only 8% of votes.

Why do you choose to live in Port Phillip?
There are many reasons - St Kilda’s great public transport (we don’t have a car), interesting architecture and great assets like Theatre Works, the Palais theatre, Red Stitch, the Jewish Museum - all in walking distance. Access to the city is easy and the foreshore and Albert Park are nearby.I also like the medium density environment and interesting neighbours with diverse backgrounds.

Tell us about yourself Geoffrey - what has your career looked like?
I'm 62 and retired from full time work.  I now advise one client in the specialised area of international airline business development.  So, I’m a single-client consultant!

I was with Melbourne Airport management company for 15 years in a variety of roles and previously to that the founding executive director of the Tourism and Hospitality Industry Training Board. 

My final two roles were with the public sector as Victoria’s Commissioner to India based in Bangalore and then Victoria’s Agent General in London. I’ve had interesting jobs across the private, public and not for profit sectors.

I was a board member of Tourism Victoria for over a decade, appointed by Labor and Liberal governments so I’d like to think I was a merit appointment. In the 1990s I chaired the Victorian Tourism Awards and was a judge on the Australian Tourism Awards for five years. Before I left for India in 2009 I received a Victorian tourism industry award for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual.

What are your interests?
Since the 1970s I’ve travelled extensively through Asia, the Middle East and Europe.  I’m a slow, independent traveller and enjoy ‘the deep dive’.  Our last overseas holiday was a trip to Rome for about 3 weeks - one city, one flat. Our ‘holiday project’ was to see as many Caravaggio paintings as possible, visit second tier museums, find the best pasta Carbonara in Rome and eat only Lazio cuisine. We returned via Bangkok and spent three weeks visiting the old capitals of Thailand. 

I’m a keen collector of contemporary art. Mathew remains amazed that the walls can accomodate new paintings, but I’ve always said ‘where there’s a wall, there’s a way’.  I’ve never called myself a collector as it suggests a sense of purpose and discipline.  I buy what I want to look at every day, there’s not much discipline to it.

What really matters to you?
Education is a door-opener and my own path changed dramatically in the 1970s due to education and I’ve never looked back.  I want to see the doors of opportunity open for others.

Closing the gap for Indigenous Australia matters to me and education, health and housing are three basic requirements to engage successfully and equally with the broader population.

Other things? I hear a lot about ‘Australian values’ but fear they are deteriorating.  Two pillars of Australian society have been meritocracy and home ownership.  We’ve lost ground in these areas.

I get anxious about housing unafordability.  When I brought my flat it was 3 times my annual income which ownership possible.  I think people are now looking at  8,9,10 times their household income.  For people who aren’t ever going to own their home we need secure, quality housing for low income Australians.

I hope environmental targets don’t forget waste management and litter. There are volunteer groups that clean the Port Phillip foreshore - endlessly - and I ask the question: why is the rubbish there in the first place? Dumped rubbish around Port Phillip, cigarette buts and litter around Fitzroy, Acland and Carlisle streets.  I don’t think ‘heightened environmental awareness’ is broadly embraced.

I’m a fan of promoting excellence.  Australians are increasingly anti-elite, unless it has ‘sport’ in front of it. We need to promote elite musicians and performers, writers and intellectuals, visual and performing artists, teachers, artisans and trades people.  There’s nothing wrong with elite.  I wish I was elite at something!

Are there any secret passions?
I have a passion for the hand crafted and hand made. Our home has many things that we’ve ‘commissioned’ or found and had restored. 

I’m a good cook.  Mathew and I both cook, which has been a big bonus during Covid lock downs as we’ve had a varied and good menu. My mother was a very good cook because she could create a great meal from whatever was at hand.  As a result my sister and I can do the same.

OK, tell us somethings people would be surprised to find out about you.
Where do I start! 

I didn’t drink alcohol until I was 40 years old. I was a good swimmer - I did my surf lifesaving bronze medal when I was a teenager in Sydney, and later did many distance swims of over 3km.  I was a competition ballroom dancer which was abandoned as I had to choose between study and dancing. There may be a pattern here - I’ve never been particularly worried about being ‘on trend’!

I pick and then preserve the olives from trees on the footpaths around Middle Park and Albert Park.  There are dozens of untended trees, I leave the ones that are being looked after by locals.  Last year we picked 10 kilos.

In the mid 1990s I was the founding co-convenor of the Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby, now The Victorian Pride Lobby. That group was formed in response to the notorious Tasty nightclub raid that proved to be pure harassment of its gay and lesbian clientele. The Pride Lobby remains a significant advocacy group.