Sally Benning is stepping down as Mainstreet Manager for Greerton Village after an impressive stint in the role.

'I've had an amazing seven-and-a-half years working as Greerton Village's Mainstreet Manager and now it's time to sign off and go,” says Sally.

'When I think back to when I started, my predecessor had been here quite a short time – after the lovely Victoria Thomas – and had been gone for almost four months so there was a lot to do and a huge amount to learn.

'I worked very long hours for six months getting sorted and after about a year, I thought I pretty much had a good handle on it.”

Sally's role includes promoting the Greerton Village retailers, so on starting, she set to, building on Victoria's work and introducing some new promotions – the popular Christmas Hamper, Mid Winter Madness, Random Acts of Kindness, and Valentine Day's Latin Lover to name a few.

'I was delighted by ‘Illuminart' and have loved the Yarn Bombing, which started long before my arrival,” says Sally, who also brought Santa to town and later introduced the Vintage, Retro and Steampunk Fayre.

Highlights

Two highlights were booking the Topp Twins and Marian Burns the flying fiddler to perform at Christmas shows, attended by hundreds of people.

'The annual Cherry Blossom Festivals, Yarn Bombing, Christmas Shows and promotions will always be great memories for me. I've also made good friends here and worked with amazing volunteers from Greerton Lions and the Greerton Village boards over the years.”

A strong advocate for retailers, she has voiced their concerns and suggestions, liaising with council.

Sally is leaving Greerton Village in a good place with around 95 per cent shop occupancy and a real sense of community with fantastic retail and service providers.

Challenges

'When I started here I barely knew where Greerton was as I am not a local, however I soon became entrenched in the day-to-day business and got to know the business owners. I've been proud to be their voice through the highs and the lows – mainly highs but we had our moments a few years ago!”

In amongst this was the Greerton centre remodelling, which brought its challenges.

'Then we had a pretty sad time when the beggars and scammers moved in. I was thrown in the deep end with that one! However we rode the wave and came out the other side and I'm proud to have supported the businesses as much as I could.

'I've always been dedicated to advocating on their behalf whenever and wherever I can and it's been a privilege to work with them and make friends and acquaintances with many of them too.

'I leave wishing everyone all the very best for the future and I'm sure I will still be visiting Greerton Village.”

Greerton Village Association chair Tony Ryan says Sally has been an integral part of Main Street Greerton and will be missed.

'Sally has worked tirelessly to promote Greerton Village and advocate for business interests. On behalf of the Greerton Village Association board, we wish her well for the future.”