Leah Boulton

Although she never wanted to live on a main road, Leah Boulton fell in love with Ardoch: the safety it offered a single woman, the diversity of the community and its brilliant location. She could walk to work and it was easy to catch up with friends. Entering the complex off Dandenong Road at the end of a working day, Leah remembered the feeling of peace, relief and comfort that she was home.

From the time she bought a washing machine from an Ardoch resident in 1996, she knew that one day she would live there herself, which she did between 2001 and 2008. She had been looking to buy a solid property with character and an interesting history as well as community. These were important to her and she was delighted Ardoch met those criteria. Her building had once housed Ardoch’s restaurant (which had closed in 1938 and been converted into two additional apartments).

She felt proud to eventually live there and enjoyed entertaining friends at Ardoch. Despite housing 94 apartments, the estate never felt busy. She loved her apartment and the feeling of distance she got when looking outside the window spotting the trees, sky and other Ardoch dwellings. The village green provided a further source of enjoyment with the added convenience of no maintenance.  

Ardoch could be as social or as private as you wished it to be. She remembers some residents with a public profile (singer/songwriter Missy Higgins and husband and wife actors Reg Gorman and Judith Roberts) who seemed to gravitate towards Ardoch because a sense of respectful privacy was observed.

As with many communities, occasionally it could become divided into factions: something Leah did not like at all. Over her period of residence, while all the things she loved about Ardoch remained the same, she felt she could not dismiss the politics that existed and chose not to get involved. Leah is very grateful for all of the volunteer time the dedicated residents give, to ensure Ardoch’s upkeep is kept at its best.

While Leah no longer lives at Ardoch, she continues to own an apartment there.