After over 40 years of employment, with most of those years working in what is traditionally male dominated roles, this project was a tremendous opportunity to remind myself of who I am and what I have accomplished in life.
I have worked very hard to be in the position I am now in. It was not an easy road, working some very long hours and often away from home and family for extended periods of time. As a background, I spent many years working for a major brewing company in Western Australia. This was at a time when there were very few women working in the industry. The time there definitely had its challenges. I was the first female Credit Manager then followed by the first female IT Manager in the company.
After eleven years working at the brewery, I followed my partner to Karratha as he had relocated there for a construction project. I managed to secure a technical administration role on that same project which led to a 20+ year career in that industry doing such things as Cost Control, Administration Management, Asset Management and Contract Management.
After the trials and tribulations of the past eighteen months I am now in a position where I can sit back and enjoy the benefits of those hard years. My partner and I have just gone through the classic “Tree Change” and have relocated to a beautiful country town which has enabled me to semi-retire and do the things that are most important. What are those things? Getting out in the garden, pulling out my camera so as to enjoy my passion of photography, spending quality time with my partner, appreciating the surrounding nature, travelling when and if we want to and perhaps the most important thing – spending time with our precious dog Eleanor during her senior years. Being able to spend most days with her by my side has been so special. We enjoy going for leisurely walks along the river together as well as sitting on the verandah and searching for rabbits (her favourite pass time although she is way to slow to ever be able to catch one!).