British-born Nickie left behind an exciting career in tourism in London to pursue her lifelong dream of living in Australia.
“My family and I came for a holiday to Australia for my brother’s wedding in 2003. We fell in love with Queensland and applied for citizenship within a month of returning to the UK. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else now – it was the biggest and best decision I’ve ever made.”
After two years in Murgon, Nickie and her family moved to Gympie, where she tried her hand at several endeavours including working at a winery, a second-hand bookshop, owning a Cold Rock ice creamery and co-owning a gym. It was when Nickie’s friend suggested disability support work that the wheels of a new career started turning.
“I found that I really enjoyed disability support work. I will always remember the young man who I worked with for six years in Gympie. He has an intellectual and physical disability and I helped both him and his parents to trust and believe that he was capable of doing things for himself. It was a joy to be involved in his growth and transformation.”
While things were starting to fall into place with Nickie’s blossoming career in human services, another surprise was around the corner – which would lead to the next chapter in her life.
“In 2015, I met my now-wife Penny and moved to Brisbane to be with her a year later. I moved from front-line disability support work into rostering. I missed my clients very much but felt I had more to offer with this type of work. I then joined RFQ in rostering before moving across to the Client Information System team.”
Nickie’s is a vital behind-the-scenes role supporting our people to navigate the multi-layered system used to store client details, notes, billing information and staff rostering.
“I have always loved working with people, and this is a role where I can support those on the front line to do what they do best. There are proactive elements to my role, such as training and support, but I also man the email helpline where I never know what is coming. I love the problem solving involved in this role and the dynamic nature of the work I do.”
While Nickie had limited experience in the mental health sector prior to joining RFQ, she now can’t imagine herself anywhere else.
“I feel more strongly than ever that people should never judge, as they don’t know what someone is going through on any given day. I have experienced my fair share of discrimination as a lesbian and have had my own mental health difficulties. I think we could all benefit from treating one another with compassion, understanding and patience. Life can be tough and we need to look out for one another.”
