Katrina grew up in the Shire and, as a student, was considered a gifted pianist. With her natural talent, many of her teachers thought she could carve out a career as a pianist. However, life milestones such as marriage, took Katrina out of the Shire and away from the piano as a career option.
Born and raised in the Shire, Katrina found moving to Sydney’s western suburbs and away from her family was difficult but the obstacles thrown at her and her family over the next few years, from bushfires to illness, made her connection to the Shire and her piano even more important as she tried to remain positive and keep a smile on her face.
Teacher’s Assistant
Katrina knew she had something special to offer other people via the piano, so she looked at different ways to network in her area and eke out a living while she thought about how she could start her own business as a piano teacher.
Her first step was to become a teacher’s classroom assistant. Seeing how teachers dealt with students gave Katrina a valuable insight into the role of a teacher and the necessary experience of dealing day-to-day with students.
Volunteering for WIRES
Not one to sit still, Katrina decided to also involve herself in one of her other passions, wildlife. Although she wouldn’t describe herself as a “wildlife warrior”, Katrina wanted to contribute to the welfare of animals by doing what she could, so she took on a role as a volunteer for WIRES.
With her husband Justin, whom she met through her wildlife passion, they went full steam ahead, setting up small parks at home to house local wildlife. They nurse and feed them back to good health so they can return them to their natural habitat. Some of the animals remain fulltime lodgers as they are either too sick or too tame to return to the wild. Unable to have children of their own they feel like they have their own extended family.
Moving to back to the Shire
Katrina and her husband had always planned on returning to the Shire. However, the tragedy of losing her father and becoming a fulltime carer for her mother, who is suffering from a debilitating respiratory illness, forced the decision to move a little earlier than originally planned.
Katrina’s mother had lost many of her possessions in a bushfire. So, with her two cats, some paintings and a photo album remaining, it was decided that a home in the Shire with a self-contained granny flat would be best solution all round – her mother could live relatively independently, with Katrina close at hand.
They found the perfect home in Sylvania, which has allowed them to live together, continue their work for WIRES and, importantly, bring Katrina closer to her students.
Katrina said that living in the Shire means she can now devote more time to teaching, which also means taking on more students as word spreads. Katrina currently teaches from home, or visits those students who have a piano at their own home. However, the possibility is there of starting a studio down the track.
Katrina said that their move back to the Shire felt like coming home; and the grounding she had when she grew up is something that has always stayed with her. With a loving husband, being able to care for her mother and pursuing her passion for music, life at the moment could not be better.
Katrina Hunter, Piano Teacher:
173 Sylvania Rd, Sylvania
Ph: 0417 696582 | 
