Marshall delves into the positives of Docklands

Marshall delves into the positives of Docklands

By Katie Wong Hoy

Marshall Delves’ face lights up when he talks about his beloved suburb. He overflows with praise for Docklands, his home for the past 12 years.

Originally living in Hoppers Crossing for 27 years, Marshall took the plunge and moved to Docklands in 2003.

“I had a friend who bought an apartment off the plan in Yarra’s Edge and I’d never heard of Docklands before that. We came into Crown one day and we walked along South Wharf and had a look,” Marshall said.

“He said ‘I bought an apartment there, just starting to build’, little did I know that I ended up buying an apartment there and moving in before he did!”

Marshall lived in his apartment at Yarra’s Edge until five years ago when he moved into his workplace, Watergate Apartments.

Six years ago, Marshall had just sold his business and stumbled into his new job when the strata manager at Yarra’s Edge approached him. Marshall was asked to fill in at Watergate for two weeks to cover someone who was going on holidays.

He was assistant building manager for 12 months and then became the building manager, a role he has enjoyed ever since.

“It’s a high reward job. You get a lot of interaction with people here and I have a great rapport with the committee here as well which makes my job a lot easier too,” he said.

Despite the controversy surrounding the apartment complex, Marshall loves his job and is proud of what Watergate has achieved.

“We are getting more owners moving in all the time. One time we had maybe 12, 13 per cent owner occupying now we’re up to about 40 per cent, which is a great indication of the building and what the building stands for,” he said.

There are many things Marshall loves about working and living in Docklands. He particularly likes the community atmosphere that comes with apartment living.

Having the building manager living onsite at Watergate provides the residents with added security and means he is always around if anyone needs help.

He also says the location is excellent with Etihad Stadium on your doorstep and the CBD being a short walk away. Avoiding the morning traffic is another bonus.

“I look out the window in the morning before I come to work and see all the traffic around and they’re just sitting there and it’s so great. I just love it,” he said.

“To have the opportunity to live and work in the one building is just an absolute dream.”

Marshall is keen to focus on the positive aspects of Docklands.  He certainly will not be moving any time soon.

“People should look at Docklands for what it is and not what they think it is. It’s a wonderful place to live. It’s a great place to work. It’s just a wonderful place to be …  I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.”

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