Mel Of Bacchus

What jobs have you had?

My first unofficial job was peeling potatoes at a fish n chip shop on the Main Street of Koo Wee Rup, Victoria at 10yo!

At 14yo I worked at the Coffs Harbour Pet Porpoise Pool cleaning up after shows after school. I Recieved $20 cash in which I used to shout my friends Fish n Chips at the Jetty!

At 16yo, while attending Ferny Grove State High School I went for my first job at Woolworths in Mitchellton. I did my first interview, did an induction before becoming a Customer Service Worker.

At 18 years old I after I had my son I sold Avon for two years.

From the age of 20 until I was 31 I was a stay at home Mum to my two children as well as raising my sisters eldest 4 children in Kinship Care.

At 31 I worked for WestCare Foster Care as a Case Manager in Melton, Victoria and also did the Koori Kids in Care Culture Plans.

I also volunteered at Earth Village Cafe that year as admin organising rosters and working in the Charity Op Shop.

At age 33 I was employed as an Aboriginal Liaison Officer by KIRRIP Aboriginal Corporate in partnership with Western Health. I did this role for 12 months.

Upon completion of that role I was employed as the Aboriginal Social and emotional wellbeing and Aboriginal outreach worker in the chronic health community services sector at Djerriwarrah Heath Services now known as Western Health.

While in this role part time I also worked one day a week at Doherty’s Creek P-9 collage as an Aboriginal Inclusion Officer supporting koori kids and their families/carers and staff.

Through COVID I resigned from the school role as it was too risky for me to be in a school and then work with vulnerable elders with chronic diagnoses.

After 5 years and the funding no longer available for my role to continue in the Chronic Health Sector I applied for a job with the Babaneek Baboop Program.

But as I was transitioning between those two jobs I was approached by the Aboriginal Health Unit at Sunshine Hospital offering me a job as the Melton Aboriginal Liaison Officer.

Within three weeks I became an Aboriginal Liaison Officer for the Wilim Berrbang Aboriginal Health Unit this year.

Other projects I’ve been involved in include sitting on the Reconciliation and NAIDOC Week Committees through local council, creating an indigenous round with the local Bacchus Marsh Football Club using a community grant and running indigenous community programs and/or gatherings in the Bacchus Marsh & Melton areas.