by Alicia Nas, Senior Client Manager, Financial Management Resource Support Unit, at Matrix on Board in Cairns
If someone said to me 5 years ago where do you see yourself in 5 years? I would never have said Far North Queensland!
5 years ago I was huddled around my heater enduring another cold winter in Tasmania. I had been working for Westpac for around 3 years when an opportunity came up for me to do a secondment to Cape York. I was placed at Mossman Gorge and fell in love with the work, people, and lifestyle and of course the weather! 2 months later I was offered a job in the Money Management area in Napranum which is approximately 800kms from Cairns. I sold everything and packed up and moved north! I literally went from one end of Australia to the other and have not once looked back!
Living and working in an Aboriginal Community was both rewarding yet challenging and something I had never done before. I was very lucky to have a local elder working with me. He taught me so much, things that can’t be learnt at school or read in a book. He had local knowledge and wisdom and he so willingly gave some of that to me. He truly was an inspiration and he had so much vision for his people. He was 66 years old and had just re-entered the working world as he did not have enough savings or superannuation to live off and he wanted this taught to his people that they needed to really think of the future and he was out there doing it every day. This is when I realised when you live and work in a Community your day doesn’t finish at 5pm and your weekend is not always a weekend. You become a role model and a leader for others and there is no working hours placed on this.
He wanted so much more for his people, he wanted recognition of the work they do, and he wanted formal qualifications for what he and others were doing.
I believe that having worked alongside this genius of a man that I am a lot wiser. He gave me the motivation and inspiration to stay in this industry. Unfortunately this man has now passed away but in the 3 years I got to know him and work with him I will forever cherish this time and I will be always grateful for the knowledge he gave me.
I continued working on the ground in various Communities throughout Cape York where I realised that there was a real need for formal qualification or training for the skilled work that was being done. I realised that for most of the local workers in the industry that they are some of the most important people within their Communities and were not being recognised for this. This is where Matrix on Board came into the picture for me. I believe that Matrix can offer these workers so much expertise as well as the qualifications to make them feel valued.
It saddens me that I am unable to give this opportunity to my former colleague as this is what he was looking for, but I take pleasure in being able to give to all the staff that are the driving force in this industry in Far North Queensland.
So for now I am content living in FNQ and am not at all missing the Tassie winters!
