Never one to shy away from the tough stuff, Aberglasslyn's Isabella Crebert is putting her interest in crime to good use, studying criminology at the University of Newcastle and being active in campaigns against sexual assault.
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Ms Crebert is president of the UoN Criminology and Criminal Justice Society, and said studying crime felt natural as her mother, Rebecca Berry, educated her on the reality of crime throughout her childhood, as she was a crime reporter for The Mercury.
Community awareness of injustice and crime is important to Ms Crebert, in particular people understanding why crimes are committed, and why crimes are committed by young people.
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"I think a lot of people tend to overlook the reasons why people tend to do what they do, especially young children," she said.
"It's a lot easier for community members to say 'they're just bad kids', but it's really important to look into why they are acting that way."
Ms Crebert is currently involved in two community projects about sexual assault, called We Got You Girl which is through the University of Newcastle, and What Were You Wearing?.
"What Were You Wearing? is an art exhibition being held in Newcastle, but we're hoping to bring it to Maitland, especially considering the cases of sexual assault in Maitland," she said.
"We would like to adapt the exhibition to reflect what took place in Maitland and raise awareness for the survivors."
Ms Crebert, who works at Coquun on The Levee, said she is a fan of the recent reforms to the Maitland area to modernise the city, while still keeping in touch with the traditional heritage of the Wonnarua people.
"I think we see that particularly with what Daniel [O'Leary] has done at Coquun, making a fresh and interesting restaurant but still basing it around the Wonnarua traditions," she said.
As for her favourite Maitland spots, Ms Crebert said it's all the little things that make Maitland special, like sitting and reading at Walka Water Works or visiting Icky Sticky at Lorn and then looking at the heritage houses.
"I think Maitland's really unique and quaint, and no matter how far I go, I'll always come back to Maitland," she said.
"I've been on exchange in America, and all I wanted to do was come home and have an acai bowl at The Whistler."
Ms Crebert, being a bit of a true crime fan, said there is so much culture here, as well as interesting crime spots she likes to show her friends when they come to town.
The number one spot Ms Crebert would recommend for visitors or new residents of Maitland to go see is the Maitland Regional Art Gallery.
"I just think that MRAG is such a fantastic addition to Maitland and it always has been," she said.
"Also going to the Repertory Theatre and seeing what they do there is always fantastic, we have a lot of unique features like having access to the Maitland Gaol and that history which is fantastic," Ms Crebert said.
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