Jill Scanlon

Jill moved to Canberra in 2016. Her wife, Caitlin, was studying at ANU and there was no way they were going to be able to survive financially in separate states.

The move was a logistical feat - it involved a huge cull of material possessions, getting a lifetime's collecting in a three-bedroom house down to a tiny one-bedroom with no wardrobe space. There was also that Christmas dinner for 16 people held just days before the big move. Scheduling the furniture that had been sold to be taken away after everyone who was eating and staying had finished with it, and getting everything left into the two-tonne van that was the main transport up, required some artful negotiation.

Since the move to Canberra the organising has not stopped - life needs an administrator and that is what Jill does - administrates the bejeebus out of it. Having a remote rental property, a Canberra residence, other investments and bills and commitments requires that everything is monitored and kept on top of with plenty of lead time. Jill knows how to schedule herself and others to get the work done.

Jill and Cait's new home is on Ngunnawal Country. They pay respects to the first people's living culture and elders past and present. There have been many adventures exploring this new land, it's majestic mountainous ring around the lush valley that is the city.

After both the dog and the cat passed away within three weeks of each other, they vowed not to get more pets until they traveled a bit more. Hence, having really not traveled much at all they have two grey, tabby and fluffy kittens. It's a life that offers joys, laughter, challenges and sorrows, a rich and varied life surrounded by the familiar, the ordinary and the extraordinary.