Mike Scott: Streets That Just Grew

From a 1990s Glenferrie Road pilot project to his recent work with Charter 29, Mike Scott reflects on a career spent learning from Melbourne's strip centres. His conclusion is that the best main streets were never planned at all, and that the lesson applies just as much to the city's growth areas today.

Matthew Gould: 240 Projects, 600 Towns

As Manager of the Victorian Government's StreetLIFE program, Matthew Gould oversaw a ten-year statewide initiative that supported more than 240 community and economic development projects across over 600 towns, centres and precincts. He shares how the program survived changes of government, and how it became a catalyst for the first Mainstreet national conferences.

Peter McNabb: Hard Work, But Great Fun

As the first president of Community Business Centres Victoria, Peter McNabb has been part of Mainstreet Australia's story since before it officially began. He reflects on lobbying for the original StreetLIFE program, the transition to Mainstreet Australia, and leading the organisation through the COVID years, when he helped deliver close to $6 million in grants to business associations across Victoria.

Tania Treasure: What Might Have Seemed a Small Change

Economic Development and Tourism Lead at Nillumbik Shire Council, Tania Treasure was on the Committee when Community Business Centres Victoria became Mainstreet Australia - a rename that sparked a national movement.

Kerry Daly: Figuring It Out As I Went

Manager of the Camberwell Centre Traders Association, Kerry Daly reflects on the steep learning curve of retail strip management, and how Mainstreet Australia's community of managers helped her find her feet.

Steve Bentley: The Whole Is Greater Than the Sum of the Parts

An experienced place manager and activity centre leader, Steve Bentley reflects on decades of building alliances and partnerships for Mainstreet Australia - including the 2011 conference that led to the formation of MainstreetSA.

Kirsten Coster: The Art of a Good Strategy

A retired local government leader reflects on 28 years shaping Melbourne's main streets, including her role in developing one of the first tools guiding sustainable apartment development in the state's activity centres.

Stavros & Circe Zikou: 25 Years on the Ground

The team behind Marketa share 25 years of precinct management across Melbourne - walking the streets, building trust with traders, and watching main street marketing evolve from box-ticking into genuine community connection.

Simon McCuskey: Less is Best

Events and Marketing Coordinator for St Albans Town Centre, Simon McCuskey reflects on two decades in Melbourne's west - from winning best presentation at the 2011 Mainstreet Australia Conference to building a quarterly network of place managers from the ground up.

Peter Kenyon: Life After a Bypass

Founder & Director of Bank of I.D.E.A.S., Peter Kenyon reflects on three decades of initiatives that shaped Australia's main streets - from the Victorian Government's StreetLIFE program to the Fairfield Shopping Centre's long-term transformation. His account is a reminder of what's possible for regional communities, even in the case of "life after a bypass."

Libby Ozinga: Bringing Main Street to Australia

It started with a two-week Main Street Coordinator training course in Ottawa, Canada, in 1989. Libby Ozinga returned to Australia determined to bring the model home - convincing the NSW Planning Department to fund pilot programs, co-founding Main Street Partnership Pty Ltd, and helping shape the movement that would eventually become Mainstreet Australia.

Paul Buxton: From Dead Zones to Vibrant Places

Director of Plan2Place Consulting, Paul Buxton has spent 30 years watching Melbourne's inner-north evolve - from strip centres losing their traditional businesses to a renewed, state-first push for place management resourcing. He shares the story behind Victoria's first place management booklet, and the streets, like Rathdowne Street, that inspired his career.

Penelope Jamieson: From the Day of the Stapler

With 31 years across 20+ precincts, Penelope Jamieson has done it all - festivals, street closures, fundraising drives, and decades of advocacy for the centre managers and coordinators working behind the scenes. She reflects on how far the industry has come, from hand-stapled flyers to a career now built on real depth and expertise.

Steve Maras: Great Streets Don’t Happen by Accident

Group Managing Director & CEO of Maras Group, Steve Maras's introduction to Mainstreet Australia came at a 2009 conference in Fremantle that "lit the spark." From there, he helped found the MainstreetSA Committee, served as Vice Chair, and hosted Adelaide's first National Conference. He reflects on the leadership, partnership and shared commitment behind streets that thrive.

Rania Fayad: Stewardship, Not Just Strategy

CEO of Yellow Roundtable Consulting, Rania Fayad came to the main street movement from regulatory compliance, tourism and retail management - and quickly realised the work is about far more than marketing and events. In her profile, she reflects on why governance isn't red tape but protection, and why the next 30 years demand leaders who are not just skilled, but principled.

Nicole Maslin: A Hard Slog Worth Fighting For

From hat-in-hand funding pitches to navigating the 2012 Local Government Act reforms, Nicole reflects on decades of advocacy, collaboration, and the people who made Mainstreet Australia what it is today.

Kim Gibb: Where It All Started

It began with a Queensland conference and 20 people gathered "under the tree." Kim Gibb looks back on the meeting that sparked Mainstreet Australia and changed strip shopping centres across Victoria forever.

Gilbert Rochecouste: People, Place and the Power of Main Streets

Villagewell founder Gilbert takes us from a 100-fridge-strewn High Street to the world's coolest streets — Smith Street and Flinders Lane — and the placemaking movement he helped spark along the way.

David West: Governance, Funding and Vision

From Rundle Mall to building MainstreetSA from the ground up, David shares three decades of lessons on governance, funding, and why getting the model right matters more than ever.

Daniel Vincent-Smith: The Spirit of Box Hill

Place Manager Daniel reflects on 15 years with Mainstreet Australia, the "genius loci" of great places, and why our main streets are ultimately about people, exchanges and relationships — not just bricks and footpaths.

Claire Perry: 20 Years on Sydney Road

After 20 years coordinating Sydney Road Brunswick, Claire reflects on Special Charge Schemes, clearway battles, and what really makes a main street thrive: the right mix of business, retail and community spirit.

30 Years of Mainstreet Australia Heroes

Celebrating the People Behind the Places