Will Messiha and Nikola Spadina

Will Messiha and Nikola Spadina

Or Mr Gadfly and Mr Enigmatic which is how each one described the other.

We will hear from Will (Mr Gadfly) another time but in the meantime we.get to learn a little bit about Nikola.

I’ve been in Bondi since 2018. I’d been living around Paddington, Surry Hills, Redfern for many years and my fiancé (now wife) really wanted to live by the beach. I was initially hesitant - I grew up on the northern beaches and so thought I’d had my fill of the beach lifestyle - but to appease my wife (and try something different) I thought ‘Why not!’ and made the move. But I stay for the active lifestyle, the outdoors, and the fact that - in a city known for its niches and cliques - there is a sense of community here that I haven’t found anywhere else. And that’s really magical: to know, and to be known.

As for what I do, for income I currently work in the field of Human-Centred Design as a Strategic Designer. In essence, HCD takes an anthropological/ethnographic approach to society and, utilising design methodologies, applies them to complex systems in order to make positive transformations. In my current contract I’m working with the Federal Government on simplifying importation processes and services, and making biosecurity protocols more efficient and effective by applying a human-centric perspective to things. It’s a very cerebral job (which is satisfying, to some extent), but it doesn’t make the heart sing (I’m a creative at-heart; hopefully in the near future I’ll be investing more in my creative outlets).

As for anything else the world should know about me… I’m fascinated by people. Deeply curious of their inner worlds! And always open to meeting people and having a chat, so if people see me they shouldn’t be shy - say hi! (Especially if they’re locals; we’re a community here in Bondi, and it pays to know the fellow members of your village.)

We like you Mr Enigmatic.