My first job in local government was as a Mosquito Advisory Officer at Parramatta Council. It was just prior to the 2000 Olympics and there was significant concern about the mosquito-borne viruses and potential malaria outbreak. My role partnered with the Entomology Department at Westmead Hospital to trap and test mosquitoes for viruses that could affect humans. It was an interesting start to my career!
It’s been an amazing journey in local government over the last 25 years adding Law to my Science and Maths (Zoology) education portfolio, building a straw bale eco-shed for a community garden, writing, and implementing many waste collection and processing contracts. While I’ve enjoyed the challenge of various roles in Council, my passion definitely lies in waste. I love being able to introduce something new and watch it grow – like our new telematics system which is being installed in each waste truck. It’ll make it much easier for us to have visibility over the routes and bins, and it will streamline a lot of processes for us in the office.
One of the proudest achievements of my career was winning an international “Liveable Communities” award in the United Arab Emirates for Kogarah City Council – among some very slick competition from other nations. It was wonderful to receive that recognition – but more importantly reinforced that the work we do everyday matters to our community.