The Beginning of a Dream.....

BUSH DIETITIAN·FRIDAY, 28 DECEMBER 2018·

After having grown up in Cairns and being close to my grandparents all the time, going bush was a big change and one that made me a bit unsure and nervous....but I soon realised there was no need to be worried, as I was actually a country kid at heart! I spent many years, from the age of 12, travelling central and western Queensland with my family due to my parents work as nurses in small hospitals and clinics. Town sizes varied from a couple of thousand to a hundred people. I learned and experienced a lot in our time travelling, from the history of towns in Queensland to extremes in temperatures and weather (extreme drought followed by flooding and getting cut off for days), from lack of health care services outside of the cities to how resilient and relaxed our country folk are in emergencies...and this is where my dreams began to develop.

Jundah QLD 2008
Jundah QLD 2008, Italy.
Melbourne Cup Day 2013
Melbourne Cup Day 2013

After a number of years of travelling and being on temporary work contracts, my father got a permanent job working in Charters Towers, west of Townsville, so we moved there and my family has been there ever since. I knew I wanted to work in healthcare, but also thought nursing wasn’t my area, when I was 17 I started working at the local nursing home as an Assistant in Nursing (AIN) and while I enjoyed what I was doing this confirmed nursing wasn’t an area I wanted to stay in, but my interest in allied health kept growing the more I worked alongside the dietitians, physiotherapists, speech pathologists etc.

Charters Towers QLD 2010

I loved all things food, cooking, sharing with friends, understanding how it can impact our health and more, so becoming a dietitian seemed the logical way forward as I would be able to do this and help others. There was also a great need for allied health services in the country areas so I could eventually work in these areas too (and leave the cities to others). Now I am well on my way to achieving the first part of my goal! I started my dietetics degree in 2015 and am loving it!