With many voices together we are better heard
I wanted to share a little bit more about my journey.
12 years ago, when my first grandchild was born, I retired from actively working outside the home. I love being a grandparent, or ‘yiayia’, and thought my life would naturally continue to slow down in the ensuing years. How wrong was I?
6 years later my best friend told me about a platform called Airbnb, where she had listed her ‘ex-teen retreat’ apartment. It was a fantastic idea that we could also utilise our unused teen retreat to make extra income.
It took a little time to convince my husband, but he was used to us having guests in our home, and was eventually receptive to the idea. In the past we had often hosted ( for free) friends, family and strangers from all over Australia and the world. We are both of the opinion that ‘strangers are the friends we haven’t met yet’ and the ‘pay it forward’ movement is dear to us as well.
So we listed on Airbnb, and from day one we met lovely people from all parts of the world. The little island of Tasmania, where we live, was in the middle of a Tourism boom. However, almost as soon as we listed there were rumblings that the State Government wanted to regulate short term rentals. So, being a ‘get involved’ kind of person, I got involved!
Advocacy suited me, and the group of interested hosts grew. Together we wrote letters to government and media outlets, and spoke to whoever would listen, so much so, that we soon won some of the fairest home sharing regulations in Australia.
More than that though, my quiet retirement was gone. I was now setting up and running one of the first Host Clubs in Australia and the subsequent Facebook page. We are a busy group, offering mentoring, advocacy, small business expos, community projects and charity work.
I love the concept of Airbnb, but hosting can be a solitary job, so being part of the host community, helping hosts find answers to problems, share ideas and tips, or join together to be heard is an important role. I believe with many voices together we are better heard.
My proudest moment though, was being chosen to represent Australia and New Zealand on the 2021 Host Advisory Board. I take this position seriously and am working hard, alongside sixteen other amazing HAB members, to represent our host communities. We want to make hosting safer, fairer and more fun for all hosts.
Merrydith Callegari
Host Advisory Board Member