Christine Fyffe Biography Christine was born in Staffordshire England in a beautiful valley comprised of small family farms. A few years after arriving in Australia in 1967, Christine met and married David . Working together, they developed the award winning Yarra Burn Winery and Restaurant at Yarra Junction which established Christine’s credentials as a small business owner/operator. During her years at the winery, Christine became increasingly familiar with the local issues confronting the people of the Yarra Valley. The positions she held on various industry and community bodies inspired her to pursue a public role as an advocate for the community in which she raised her family.   Christine was appointed by the Government as a Commissioner for the Shire of Yarra Ranges overseeing the amalgamation of four smaller shires into one shire in 1994. Elected to State Parliament in 1999, Christine held office until 2002. Still determined and committed, Christine fought back to regain the seat of Evelyn  in 2006, and retained the seat at the 2010 election. Christine is now the Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. Christine’s previous Parliamentary work includes serving as a member of the all party Environment and Natural Resources Committee (ENRC) which is currently working on a report to be tabled in parliament next year titled Inquiry into Melbourne's Future Water Supply. Christine is a strong, experienced and energetic representative of Evelyn. Her commonsense approach to issues has enabled her to negotiate across all levels of government on behalf of all residents. She does not shy away from tackling any issue no matter how tough if it is in the interests of her community. Current Committees: Environment and Natural Resources Committtee since 2007.   Personal: Born Staffordshire, England. Married, 5 children.   Birthplace: United Kingdom   Education and Qualifications: Oldfield Hall Girls' School, UK.   Parliamentary Service: Elected MLA for Evelyn September 1999. Elected MLA for Evelyn November 2006.   Party Positions: Member of LP Policy Committees 1999-2002, Industry and Employment (incl. Ports), Tourism, Rural and Regional Development, Attorney-General. Female Vice President, Yarra Junction Branch 1982-83. Delegate, State Council. Branch Delegate, State and Federal Electorate Councils. Member, Executive Cttee McEwen Federal Electorate Council. Delegate, Central Women's Council. Vice-Chairman, City Women 1998-99.   Previous Occupation: Small businesswoman. MLA for Evelyn 1999-2002. Co-owner and operator of Yarra Burn Winery and Restaurant.   Previous Committee Service: Environment and Natural Resources Committee 2001-02.   Local Government Service: Commissioner, Shire of Yarra Ranges 1994-97.   Memberships: Tourism Victoria; Yarra Valley Winegrowers Association; Committee of Management Caladenia Day Care Centre; Committee of Management Life Education (Maroondah).   Interests: Walking, gardening, reading, time with family and friends, Essendon Football Club. About Evelyn Early history: The Victorian upper house seat of Evelyn goes back to the commencement of the Parliament of Victoria in 1851, when we just had the Legislative Council.  In 1856, when the Legislative Assembly was established, Evelyn became a lower house seat.  Evelyn County in Victoria got it's name from William J Evelyn, who served as MP for Surrey West, in the House of Commons, England, from 1849 -1857.  Evelyn County was in similar proximity to the current seat of Evelyn.  The original Evelyn railway station was 27.5 miles from Melbourne, and was part of the Lilydale to Warburton line. Population: The Evelyn electorate strikes a perfect balance between urban and rural communities. According to recent census figures, 52,532 people live in Evelyn and 37,452 are eligible to vote. Generally considered a younger electorate, the average age of Evelyn citizens is 33 years. Around 7.2% of the people living in Evelyn were born in the United Kingdom. Evelyn has a very small population of Asian, African and Eastern European migrants.  Area and suburbs: Covers 276.7 sq km on the outer north-eastern fringe of Melbourne. The suburbs of Evelyn are Chirnside Park, Coldstream, Gruyere, Lilydale, Mooroolbark, Mount Evelyn, Seville, Wandin, Wonga Park and Yering.  History/trivia: In 120 years, this seat has only been held by the Labor Party three times. It was won by Labor in 1952 when John Cain Sr led Labor to majority government for the first time in its history. It was again won by Labor in 1982 when John Cain Jr led Labor to its second majority government. The third victory was in 2002 as part of the landslide victory for Steve Bracks. Industries of area: wineries, orchards, nurseries, tourism, light manufacturing and retail.