PLAN NAVIGATORS - Key Persons
I have had a very diverse journey, both personally and professionally! I grew up in regional WA in Kalgoorlie and lived in various regional towns before settling in Albany with my family.
My over 20 years of experience in the Education Department, coupled with my personal experience with a family member with a disability, have equipped me with valuable insight and skills to navigate support systems. Joining Plan Navigators has allowed me to utilise my expertise and assist individuals and families with the skills I have learned along the way.
My first two most important roles are being a wife and a mum. This keeps me on my toes when I'm not at work. I love my family and friends. Dogs are the coolest domestic animals ever!
I am a bit of a greenie and conservationist especially with our bush lands, native birds and animals. I love our Red Tailed Black Cockatoo's and I am part of the conservation of the Black Cockatoo.
As far back as I can remember, I have always been involved in assisting people in some form or another. At High School I was part of our extended education program assisting disengaged students and students from our Education Support Unit to read and write. I also worked full time in an OP shop where we had a work experience pathway program with the local high school to assist students with disabilities to learn about retail. These roles lead me to working with young people with disabilities and from there I entered into work with the Disability Services Commission where I worked for 7 years. I then had the opportunity to join the Inclusion WA team in 2008.
I love bush walking, watching documentaries (especially on the history of where things began) and movies (Superhero genre) and playing Sony Play Station (Lego, Marvel and Batman 2 are my faves!).
"If you rest on your laurels, you are wearing them in the wrong place." - Mark Murrell
I'm the daughter of a farmer, and I was born and breed in the Wheatbelt of WA, which was the best fun as a child. Once I left school I headed to the big smoke to do some study but realised that I was still a country girl and headed back to work in the local hospital. After many years it was time to venture back to Perth and I went to work for Hollywood Private and then onto Pelican Manufacturing for many years. My last 2 roles were both in the health industry, but this new role combines that with caring for and helping those who most need it, so it's ideal for me. Plus, working from home is great!
We are Foodies! So, I love exploring new finds whether it be restaurants, food trucks of farmers markets and the best ways to enjoy these pastimes is to be able to do it with great friends that have the same interests. I also enjoy discovering cool bars as I'm a gin-convert.
Job Titles:
- Plan Management Service Manager
Growing up, I was Basketball mad and most of my free time was taken up with playing or training. At 20, I packed my backpack and took off to the UK planning to spend a year travelling around Europe and working. I ended up staying 7 years and bringing home my English Husband. I love experiencing different cultures and travel has really helped me appreciate what a great country Australia is and how lucky we are! I was lucky enough to travel to many amazing countries but I think a few of my favourites would have to be Tanzania, Peru and Italy. I am now a Mum to three boys aged 10,10 (yep I had twins!!) and 6 who keep me on my toes and teach me lots of crazy animal facts - Did you know an Ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain!
I was drawn to working for Plan Navigators as after working for a few large corporations, I felt I wanted to use my skills to help people and I understood from personal experience how daunting the NDIS could be. I feel privileged to be able to assist people have more control over their funding and use it to best support their needs.
I still have a big love of Basketball so we get to as many Wildcats games as we can and I love coaching my boys and helping develop their game. I still love travel but these days we spend more time getting away in our caravan and love heading down to Dwellingup for a weekend in Nature or further away when time permits. It is not the fanciest of vans but it still beats some of the dodgy hostels I stayed in during my backpacking days.
I am from South Africa and moved to Australia 11 years ago. I have worked in Corporate Finance for over 15 years. After some soul searching, I realised that I want to work in an organisiation where I can contribute to making a positive difference to people and our community. The not-for-profit sector does exactly this and so begins my journey with Plan Navigators and the team who are so passionate about their roles helping people take control to live their best lives. In my free time, I love to bake and create beautiful, tasty cakes.