Who are Paul & Shirley?

Paul: I moved to Docklands around 14 years ago. It was the amenities that first attracted me to the area, and the added security of apartment living. We’ve been in our current apartment for five years now, and it’s our fourth home in Docklands.

Shirley: I came to Docklands around 12 years ago after marrying Paul, from living in the eastern suburbs. I used to wonder what Paul liked about Docklands, but when we married and moved into an apartment on the 17th floor of one of the buildings here, I saw the water views and fell in love. Now I’m a convert. I don’t think I could ever go back to suburban living.

Shirley: All our neighbours are long-term residents, which really adds to the sense of security and community we have here. I love that everything is so close at hand, too. The luxury of being able to walk everywhere or hop on a tram to have lunch at Florentino’s and go shopping in the city is so special.

Paul: For me it’s the convenience. I was a consultant for a long time and worked for many different clients. It’s so easy to get anywhere from here, even in peak hour. I seriously think it takes longer for me to wait for the lift than it does to commute! I have all this extra time that would otherwise be spent driving an hour and a half or two hours to work every day. That’s allowed me to pick up other things like app development and music in my spare time.

Shirley: I began teaching Paul Mahjong soon after we married. He really loved it, to the extent that he built a mobile app so he could practice more. It certainly didn’t hurt that it was a good way for him to bond with my mother!

One day we mentioned Mahjong and Paul’s app to some friends. They thought it would be a great idea for us to teach others to play and urged us to talk with Fadi, the City of Melbourne Neighbourhood Partner for Docklands, about support for starting a regular group. That’s how it all started, and it’s been a great way for us to give back and contribute to building community in the precinct.

I love teaching. We’ve been so happy seeing people come and learn and make new friends because that’s what it’s all about. Playing Mahjong is almost an excuse to get together and to meet people, and that’s great.

Paul: We did it for fun and to get more people playing Mahjong, and it’s been really rewarding to see the community support and grow around the group.

It’s led to other opportunities for us to connect with people as well. I’ve recently joined with a few other locals to start a rock band. I first turned to music when I was young and spent about 10 years playing blues guitar, but stopped when I had children. It’s been great getting back to it. The band is only in its early days, but we plan on getting around 20 songs under our belt and then we’ll see about performing live locally.

I also volunteer with the Friends of the Alma Doepel and help with their fundraisers. I think I’ve cooked about 1000 sausages for them!

Paul: Docklands is beautiful, and we love living so close to the water. We’ve been out sailing on Victoria Harbour a few times. To be able to do something like that in your own backyard is really special.

Shirley has an electric scooter, and I have an electric skateboard. We enjoy getting out and using the local bike tracks whenever we can. They make it so easy to get everywhere, just head up along the Yarra through Melbourne or west along the Merri Creek trail. I can jump on my board, head to Port Melbourne for fish and chips, and come back all within my

lunch break, and I haven’t hit a single road all the way.

Shirley: It’s like a holiday living here, I really love it. Every day we get to come downstairs and walk by the water, and there is a surprising variety of nature. We have dolphins and seals visit the harbour regularly, and families of black swans that have become local celebrities. There are even Facebook groups dedicated to watching the cygnets grow up.

People come to our place and always remark on how great the view is, and I always show off the building facilities, like the gym, to our visitors. You’d have to pay so much extra in the suburbs for the things we have included here. On top of all that, we have amazing events like the Firelight Festival right on our doorstep, and the best view in the world of the New Years Eve fireworks.

We’re spoiled for choice with all the restaurants in Docklands, which is great because I love eating! Every day is different, whether you feel like Chinese cuisine or Japanese, Korean BBQ, European, whatever you like. There’s something here for everyone’s appetite.

Paul: I’d like to see the waterfront area of Harbour Esplanade rejuvenated with more trees and gardens. It would be a welcoming focal point as you enter Docklands and a great space for the community to use.

Shirley: I think a sports centre would be great, somewhere that people could come to play activities like badminton. A local market would be good, too. Somewhere like South Melbourne and Queen Victoria market, where you can pick up fresh food and seafood. I feel like these would be great for locals and would draw more people to Docklands.