SORAYA MATTHEWS

Soraya has lived in the Florida Park area since 1998. “Florida Park is a little quieter than Florida itself,” she says, “which is one of the things that appeals to us”.

As a working mother with three young children, Soraya says both she and her husband love being in an area where they are close to their families. “My support structure lives close by, and I need that.

“There’s also an extension of the Muslim community in the area now, so there are mosques close by and that’s important for me,” she says, particularly with children who need to do Islamic studies.

Also useful for parents is the proximity of facilities like the Flora Clinic, which has paediatricians and a paediatric unit.

Matthews has noticed that certain parts of greater Florida have “decayed, in a sense” over the last decade. “Some time ago one of the ward councillors was very outspoken about renewing Florida Lake, making it a community area again, and I haven’t really seen that happening. The CBD is pretty run down too, which is sad for me.”