Meet your new AJPA Treasurer, Elke Hansen! Elke has as strong finance background and has recently stepped up to help out. Thank you Elke!
Tell me about yourself and how you came to be a puzzler?
I always enjoyed doing puzzles when I was a kid, in doctor’s offices, at school, etc., but I really only remember owning one proper puzzle during my childhood – a Heye 1000 piece Paris Cartoon-scape. I reckon I did this puzzle about 100 times over the years. When I was 18 and working to save up for Uni, I discovered that my hometown has a puzzle LIBRARY (Springdale Neighbourhood Centre, check it out if you’re ever in Drysdale, VIC). I borrowed so many puzzles and did puzzles most nights while watching DVDs. Cut to ~ 16 years later and I hadn’t touched a puzzle in years. I was working for a tech start-up that had a puzzle on their coffee table to do as a brain break, and well, my brain didn’t get a break because I couldn’t stop thinking about the puzzle and actually do any work! Soon after this, I found out about the first VIC state championships and that was that, I was a speed puzzler!
How did you get involved with the AJPA?
I attended my first comp in 2022, the VIC states and loved it so much but it took a while for me to really get into the community. Last year, I went to maybe seven in-person events including two interstate ones, convincing my boyfriend to join me for the pairs, and now he loves it too (an official ‘Puzband’).
What do you enjoy most about the puzzle community?
I love the fact that everyone is so welcoming, willing to share tips with each other, and encouraging to new competitors. We all enjoy it for the love of puzzles, and are really only ever competing against ourselves.
Do you have a favourite brand, type, or style of puzzle?
I would say that I have the most Ravensburger puzzles (as most do) but my FAVOURITES have to be the Magnolias I have managed to pick up from competitions, I will not let anyone remove my Catryoshka puzzle from my house as it is my all-time favourite (PB and first time I EVER got under 1 hour). I really enjoy big block colours and gradient skies, not a huge fan of detail.
How often do you get to puzzle?
I try to do at least one puzzle every weekend. It’s my Sunday afternoon treat before I sit down to do some AJPA treasury work.
What do you do when you’re not volunteering for AJPA?
I work for KPMG as a data analyst/consultant in a specialised payroll compliance team. We recalculate award entitlements (overtime, penalties, allowances, etc) and reconcile against payslips to check if our clients’ employees have been paid correctly. I really enjoy the fact that I get to help everyday Australians get paid what they are entitled to. Aside from this, I spend a lot of time enjoying my local community of Richmond, I am a massive food and wine lover and try to go out for dinner a couple of nights a week. If you are ever in Melbourne or Richmond and want a dinner recommendation, I am always willing to help out!
What’s your best advice for someone who wants to improve their speed puzzling abilities?
Keep practising and thinking about different strategies for different types of puzzles. Also, try different sorting techniques and see what works for you.
