He doesn’t wear a cape, but Alister Dias is intent on making a difference to community safety.
Before retiring from his role as Vice President of Google Cloud Australia/New Zealand Alister Dias admits, ‘I never noticed anything when it came to the community.’ But that changed in the space of two weeks last year.
With a little more time on his hands, he read alarming news reports on firebombings, acts of vandalism and the assault of a 92-year-old lady outside Coles in Williamstown. It was then that the father of three decided to roll up his sleeves to make a difference.
Born in India, Alister moved to Australia with his family at the age of nine and settled in Ascot Vale. Four years later, he was on the move again, this time to Altona North. It was the start of a love affair. As an Anglo-Indian, Alister was drawn to the suburb’s multiculturalism and diversity, to playing cricket or kicking the footy out in the street, and to the connectedness of families. ‘I loved growing up in Altona North.’
After posting his concerns about the rising incidents of crime on social media, Alister attracted a like-minded cohort, who, like him, were looking for practical ways to make a meaningful difference to the crime statistics across Hobsons Bay. But they needed a platform with a name recognisable by the community.
Alister is now President of Neighbourhood Watch Hobsons Bay. ‘I laugh,’ he tells me. ‘And everyone I tell laughs.’ If he’d been asked how he would spend his retirement, this would not have been on his radar. ‘Not in a million years.’
And yet, despite having spent decades as an executive in some of the world’s largest technology companies, the role has pushed him out of his comfort zone. ‘I’m actually an introvert,’ he says. ‘When you’re in senior roles, you have lots of resources and people listen to you. People get back to you quickly and your jokes are funnier … the first reaction from a lot of people, when you’re a volunteer and you ask for involvement, is generally a bit of pushback.’
But what his career and his upbringing in Altona North taught him was the value of partnerships and building connections within the community. In just 12 months, Alister and the organisation’s small volunteer committee, have sought out and collaborated with representatives from Council, Victoria Police, State Government, Trader Associations and community groups such as the SES and Men’s Shed.
They’ve attracted over 100 members and have a social media following approaching 2,000. And in pursuit of reducing crime across Hobsons Bay, have delivered targeted safety education to community groups; in partnership with Bunnings and the SES, secured the number plates of over 120 cars with anti-theft, one-way screws; and are regular attendees at events such as Coffee with a Cop.
In the same 12 months, Alister and his committee’s thoughts on crime prevention have deepened. ‘It’s gone beyond, lock your house, lock your car, and knowing what to do when a crime occurs, knowing what number to call, and so on. They’re the fundamentals,’ he says.
In the coming year, the organisation is looking to partner on initiatives that focus on motor vehicle protection, home invasions, retail theft, cybercrime and youth crime prevention education.
Alister fondly remembers the best crime deterrent from his time in Altona North. The Nonnas. ‘Nobody would dare do anything because they were our CCTV back in those days.’
‘A connected neighbourhood sends a huge message to criminals … they know, they can tell.’
When not fighting crime, Alister mentors tech startups, plays bass guitar for the 70s, 80s, 90s cover band Crazy Train and is a passionate, crazy Hawthorn supporter.
