In 2002, while Jenni was attending a medical conference in Lorne, Russell organised a cab to take them to Erskine Falls.
Waiting in the cab, he casually quizzed the driver about local house prices. Before he knew it, he was being driven to the street where the driver lived and shown a property with a magnificent view, recently passed in at auction. To cut a long story short, they fell in love with that view and bought the house or as Jenni says ‘a deck with facilities attached’.
Russell, born and bred in Ballarat, won a music scholarship to Ballarat College and dreamed of being a professional musician. However, events led to university where he graduated with a chemical engineering degree. As often happens, engineering was also not the direction he took, rather spending 25 years of his career with the Bendigo Community Bank. He retired recently from an executive position and now lives mostly in Lorne.
Jenni, originally from country Victoria, has been one of five doctors in a medical practice in Eaglehawk for 20 years. She comes to Lorne whenever she can. She met Russell at Melbourne University when they were both at Queens College, marrying him after she graduated. Then it was off to London for two years where they worked, had their first child and travelled extensively in Europe. Their second child was born in Bendigo after they returned from UK.
‘We’re pretty active’, was an understatement by Russell. Jenni was a serious swimmer before she took up cycling 17 years ago and that was a case of, ‘if you can’t beat them join them’. She is also a runner. Russell is a keen cyclist but says he is more a runner than a cyclist, competing in events regularly. They have ridden extensively on holidays in Europe.
They share a love of music and are supporters of Orchestra Victoria and for many years the Australian Pops Orchestra, they enjoy reading, keep an eye on the art at Qdos and in between all of this Russell is an active member of 3 golf courses – including Lorne Country Club!
