“Although I have seen many changes over my 20 years such as relocations of offices, management and team structures, the things that haven’t changed have been the calibre of people employed at ACSO.
“I think we are a passionate, integrity driven group of people with a strong desire for social impact. That has always remained consistent. That’s why I have been working with ACSO for so long; I love working alongside like-minded people.”
“I came to ACSO in 2005 after having worked at Turning Point for 6 years and prior to that at Box Hill Hospital Access Drug and Alcohol unit. I started at ASCO when we were in the in West Melbourne Office and joined the “prison team”. I would travel to all prisons in Victoria and conduct AOD assessments.
“After that, I moved to country VIC and worked in the Northeast team covering Seymour, Shepperton and Wangaratta areas. I moved back Melbourne, in the Southeast and Worked in the Warragal Office, then ‘Hubs’ were formed and I joined the Gippsland Hub for many years. I now work in the Southeast Hub in Dandenong.”
“After I completed secondary school, I moved to Queensland and began my nursing career. I loved nursing: looking after people, helping them to deal with their ailments and to heal and get back to their lives as best they could. I returned to Melbourne and a good friend who was working as a nurse in the AOD sector encouraged me to come and work with her.
“It was certainly very different to working in a hospital setting, and after a few months I was really loving it. I completed a Grad Dip in Addiction studies and from there I have worked in Resi Rehab, as a forensic counsellor and then as a forensic assessor. I had a good understanding of how substance dependence can impact so many lives as my dear old dad had struggled with alcohol dependence nearly all his life.”
“It has always been the people that work in COATS that make it such a great place to work; I have made lifelong friends, and I would not be able to work in this field without the support of such caring and professional colleagues.
“At times the work can be intense and demanding, however our team leader Rochelle Vaughan and our APW Lee Hadden are always available to debrief with. They are amazing leaders of our team, and their wealth of knowledge is so appreciated. My co-workers are just as amazing, and we share life stories and have a laugh every day. I find laughter is the best therapy.”
“I mostly enjoy connecting with clients. Being able to listen and build a rapport quickly is a skill I have honed over many years. I find it a total privilege to hear a client’s story and provide a brief counselling intervention. For 50-60 mins I can enter their world without judgement and guide them to the next steps that need to happen for them to get through their correctional/parole order and begin or continue to address their substance use challenges.”
“I believe that giving people a second chance means choosing hope over cynicism. With the right environment and support anyone can find a new path in life. It’s an acknowledgement that a person’s past mistakes or circumstances shouldn’t permanently define their future.
“Over the years of my working life in COATS, countless numbers of people during the assessment process have shared with me that they had given up hope, that they haven’t been heard or that no one has cared. If I can pass on even a glimmer of hope and possibility for change to occur, then my job is done.”
“In the Black Saturday bushfires of 2009, we lost our home in Taggerty and the proudest moment for me was when ACSO generously and compassionately gave a financial donation as we had lost everything. To be able to say my workplace helped me in a most traumatic time made me feel proud to say, “That’s my workplace.” That’s the calibre of people I work with: kind, compassionate, understating and generous.
“I have said it before, but I’ll say it again, thank you ACSO. You have always been and continue to be an amazing place to work. I wouldn’t have stayed so long if it wasn’t. Wow where did 20 years go!”
“My life outside of work is busy to say the least. I have 3 married children and 7 grandchildren aged between 10 and 15 years. My 87-year-old mother lives with us and our 2 dogs, and we have 2 horses. There are always family social events, and I spend weekends watching my grandchildren’s basketball and football games, looking after our horses. Currently my husband and I are taking riding lessons. I love gardening and always have a home project to do in my spare time, and to be honest I don’t have a lot of spare time. Life is busy.”