Meet a SALT employee – Matilda Dillon
Your role and what you love about it?
I’m the new Operations Manager of SALT. I love organising things and making sure everything has a system. I also love connecting with different people and helping find the correct program for them.
What you love about SALT?
I love that we can make a difference within many communities, through sport. I also love that we can connect with people all across Victoria from different backgrounds and nationalities on a variety of important subject matters, from Mental Health and Wellbeing to Drugs and Alcohol and Positive Parenting.
Something interesting about you?
I love to travel and have spent over 2 years travelling to different places. I have undertaken an Italian speaking tour and played basketball in America. But one of my favourite destinations was the city of Bled, in Slovenia, where I almost got stuck in a small boat trying to row out and visit the little church on the island that sits in the middle of Lake Bled.
What’s your greatest sporting achievement (real or dream?)?
My greatest sporting achievement is probably completing a run-down tackle. I have played basketball all my life and football for the past 8 years. I have played in grand finals, have captained my team for a few years and played with and for some incredible people. But the feeling of running someone down who was streaming towards goal is amazing. I am not a quick person and just catching someone who was already 5 paces in front was a huge achievement.
Who is your sporting idol and why?
My sporting idol is my sister Rosie. She was always just an incredible sportsperson; she could pick up anything related to sport and play it well. When we were young, she played in the Victoria teams for both Cricket and Football whilst also playing Basketball. She won league and club best and fairest multiple times in both womens and mens programs. Over the past 5 years she was able to accomplish one of her dreams and play AFLW, she never gave up and she kept persevering. She is my sporting idol because she just keeps going no matter what happens, she is a great teammate who constantly supports those around her, and she is also a terrific competitor.
What legacy do you want to leave?
I want to be able to just change people’s perceptions a little. The world is a wondrous place but sometimes can also be dark, I want people to learn that its ok to feel down sometimes and its ok to lean on people when you do. Many of us have a stoic nature where we roll with punches but I want to be part of an organisation who is helping to open conversations between people about hard topics. I want my legacy to be around helping people.