LOCKED down in the heart of metropolitan Melbourne, former Mount Gambier resident Brittany Denton is remaining positive, despite new border restrictions which will prevent her from seeing family for the foreseeable future.
The young journalist left The Border Watch 18 months ago to pursue a dream job at the National Rugby League’s (NRL) Melbourne Storm.
It has been relatively smooth-sailing for Ms Denton who has relished the role of communications coordinator, a job which involves interviewing players on the field post-game.
But that all changed when the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, with Storm players and a handful of officials settling into a hub on the Sunshine Coast.
“It makes certain aspects of my job more challenging – I usually work closely with the players and coaches and have a big game day role so it’s kind of sad to be covering the game on social media and interviewing the boys from home,” she said.
“I feel really lucky that I’m still able to work full time, I have a few friends in similar roles at Australian Football League clubs who were stood down.”
Working from home since mid-March, Ms Denton said she worked from Mount Gambier for a month in the early days of the pandemic.
Now back living in the inner-city suburb of Richmond, she has no intention to return home before harsher restrictions are enforced on Wednesday.
“I’m especially glad I had that time with my family now,” Ms Denton said.
“I think closing the border makes sense given the number of cases in Victoria, but it also feels surreal that I’d be turned away if I tried to drive back to South Australia.
“The vibe here in Melbourne is the lockdown will likely be extended beyond six weeks, so I do worry about how long it will be before I see my family again but it helps knowing they are safe in South Australia with barely any cases.”
With Victoria recording another 532 new cases yesterday, Ms Denton admitted the scale of the outbreak was worrying.
However, she vowed to do all the right things to protect herself and other Melburnians.
“Wearing a mask every time I walk outside has been an adjustment, but it does not seem so strange now that everyone is wearing them,” she said.
“It has been eerily quiet considering this is normally a bustling inner-city suburb, but that’s a good thing.”
