People You Should Know: Maeve
04.03.2024 Kate Middeleer
“I’ve never been someone where my job dictates my life”
Have you met my friend Maeve? No? Well you should, seriously. Here’s how I first formally met her: in an eighteenth century ballgown at three in the morning, violin in hand, waiting to get her hair and makeup done for a French period romance film, shot in Alstonville, New South Wales. Run-of-the mill stuff for a savant in tackling the unknown. Next time I would be seeing her would be in the kitchen at a restaurant in Bangalow, where she works as a chef. Violinist, chef, actress of sorts. Baker for a cafe in Federal. Part-time pretzel maker when you need it (seriously, shoot her an email).
How did she get into baking? That’s a good story. Raised here in the Northern Rivers, she left for a stint at a restaurant in London. Intrigued by the pastry department, she nudged her way in, “Do you reckon I can just come in and like work for free? And learn stuff from you?” She was hungry for it. Not for sugar, though. Ironically she’s allergic.
“I’m not really a career’s person, I just love different things. I think that I just love learning and growing skills. And then I’m like, ‘Well I’ve learnt that, what else can I learn?' You know how some people get into things and then they become a genius at it? That’s not me.”
But do you ever get nervous, trying so many new things?
“Oh yeah, god yeah. Yes always. A deer in headlights.” Doesn’t seem to stop her.
Maeve teaches private violin lessons to children at the Shearwater School in Mullumbimby. Fitting, as music has been the one constant since she was a kid herself. Which challenges her habitual hunger for everything new. “It’s the love of my life, but it’s a tortured relationship.”
She’s at a turning point in her life now. The next thing is coming. She’s not sure what it is, “but it feels visceral.” Living by the ocean. Writing children’s books. Twenty cups of tea a day. “You have a silly thought and you write it down.”
Photos by Anrielle Hunt
Keep an eye out, you can catch her next in the Amatori Orchestra in Bangalow in May. Or maybe peep into the kitchen next time you’re in You Beauty. You might spot her in the lineup on a mat, or on the local soccer team. If you’ve somehow gotten your hands on a soft Germanic pretzel, it’s probably been made by Maeve.
She speaks of her role as a music teacher, on the days the kids would rather be outside playing soccer. “Well, maybe so would I!” She goes on to say, “but my role is also to display what being an adult is. And to help you become that.”
Maeve recently turned thirty. With a laundry list (she also loves doing the washing) of passions and career adventures under her belt, and a mirage of many more to come, it’s possible that she could show us all a bit about adulthood.