I was exposed to local government at an early age with two of my family members working at Council in environmental health and engineering, which left a lasting impression on me. I have fond memories of participating in many Clean Up Australia Day events with my aunt, who worked in local government at the time, and visiting the Council chambers with her when I was a little girl. I really feel as if I’m come full circle, and that I’m continuing a family tradition.
I began my career at Blacktown Council as a Trainee Building Surveyor, and moved to Sutherland Shire Council shortly after, where I’ve now spent over 16 years. I joined as a Planner in the Development Assessment team, and I’ve had so many roles since – from Building Regulations Officer to Development Compliance Team Leader, to Acting Manager Traffic and Public Domain, and Acting Manager Health and Building Regulation, to now Acting Manager of the Public Safety and Lifeguards team, which looks after our beaches, animal shelter, parking and public safety officers and more.
I love working with new people, the variety and everything I’ve been able to learn within those roles – because I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up! I love learning new things and facing new challenges. I especially love being a “fixer”, in finding solutions to problems, and I’m lucky to have a team around me who feel the same.
My proudest moment was graduating from my Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning. I commenced studying this degree whilst I was still completing my Diploma of Building Surveying as I realised Planning was going to give me greater options and knowledge in my chosen field – I completed the degree part-time while working full-time and raising two babies. It was a significant achievement for me and I learnt a lot about myself during that time. I’ve since earned another degree - a Bachelor of Sustainability (Environmental Resilience), and had another baby!
With three kids and a busy workload, having supportive managers and a great team of people to work with, in all of my roles, has been crucial to my success. Council has nurtured me and provided excellent opportunities for growth whilst understanding my family commitments. Council’s flexible culture has also been a great support in balancing my responsibilities which I am extremely grateful for.