Suzanne Orr, Labor Member for Yerrabi
I was born in Canberra, I grew up in Giralang playing cricket with my neighbours in our cul-de-sac and going to Brownies at the Giralang Primary School hall, and I now live in Franklin. My first job was at the Sizzler in Belconnen and it marked the start of a more than decade-long career in hospitality and tourism. After completing university, I worked as an urban planner in the public service. Growing up, my family fostered more than 200 children because we wanted to help kids who needed it most. I learned we can do a lot to help each other, but sometimes we can’t solve all the problems ourselves. Luckily, we had social services there to help and it showed me that government has a big role to play in helping when people need extra support. I do believe politics should be about members of our community working together to make a difference.
Crumpets at Puddle Cafe
Not too long ago, Franklin got a new café and our local gem quickly earned a reputation for its amazing homemade crumpets – peanut butter and jam are a favourite.
Native Grasslands in Gungahlin
Someone once told me no one cares about grasslands because they aren’t sexy, but with less than one per cent left and a large chunk of that in Gungahlin, they are too important not to care about. These are amazing ecosystems that add so much to our landscape.
National Library of Australia
My parents met when working in the ACT Library Service and, needless to say, I grew up surrounded by books. The National Library is my favourite with so many treasures and I am not sure I would have got through my uni degree without it.
Canberra sunsets
We all know how great a sunset here can be.
My cat Portia
Might be a bit indulgent but she is one of my favourite “things”. I adopted Portia six years ago from the RSPCA, she’d been there 118 days and no one had wanted this grumpy cat who wasn’t coping in the shelter. But this lifelong dog person gave her shot and I haven’t looked back #AdoptDontShop
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