Where are you from, and how did you find your way to Shepparton?
Born and raised in Shepparton with my three sisters and two brothers, and I had a short stint living in Melbourne but moved back 6 years ago.
My dad’s family has been in the Shepparton area since before the 1850’s, and my Mum, along with her parents and siblings moved to Shepparton from England in 1968.
What do you do here?
I work at ConnectGV, a local not-for-profit disability support provider. I started with ConnectGV when I was 18 years old on the reception and have moved through a few different roles with them. When I was in Melbourne, I worked for another Disability Provider and felt very lucky to be able to come back to ConnectGV when I returned to Shepparton.
What’s the best part of your job?
I’ve just moved into the brand-new position of NDIS manager, and I’m very excited to be the first to hold the role and to move into the senior management team.
I really love what the organisation stands for in our Mission, Vision and Values and that I can make some impact and differences in the lives of the people we support.
The 10 years I’ve had in the disability sector have flown by and I love it more and more as I go.
How would you describe Shepparton in three words?
Home. Diverse. Possibilities.
What do you do outside of work?
I spend time with my partner Kade, and with our American Bulldog, Ruby.
I enjoy a bit of Netflix and love watching The Office, RuPaul’s Drag Race and true crime documentaries.
I’m studying a Diploma of Business and when I have time, I love spending time with friends and family, especially my nieces and nephew.
Kade and I are also in a six-week challenge at Origin Athletics which we are really loving and are excited about continuing our fitness goals there.
What’s your favourite thing about Shepparton?
I love the opportunities we have and the passionate people who live here who strive to make it a better and exciting place to live. I feel like the whole region has so much to offer, and we have some great people around who care about the community and the others living here.
What’s one thing you would change about Shepparton to improve it?
I would change the perception some hold of the region – I feel like we get a bad rap and that it can be easy to focus on the negatives, but I really do believe we have some great things going on here and that there’s exciting things to do if you look for them and are open to it.
