Feedback from local high school students, tell us that many within the Murraylands and Riverland believe there’s little chance for them to score a job in their dream career, without having to relocate outside of the region.
This simply isn’t true. The opportunities are here, and in fact, they’re expanding.
So this year, we’re sharing the stories of some of our most successful uni alumni, who are kicking big goals in their chosen career (RIGHT HERE!). We’re starting out with accounting firm director Shaun Williams, who after an initial disappointment with his uni score, made a quick change of plans and found a way to make his dream come true.
- January: Shaun Williams – Director and Partner, We All Count
- February: Cassie Bye – Office Manager, Tim Whetstone MP
- March: Stacey Kempe – Occupational Therapist, Novita
- May: Tim Jackson – Sales and Marketing Manager, Almondco Australia
- June: Charise Bristow – Event Operations Manager, The Bend Motorsport Park
Charise Bristow, Event Operations Manager at The Bend Motorsport Park
Charise Bristow may be small in stature, but she’s a giant in terms of capability.
Now the Event Operations Manager at The Bend Motorsport Park (titled the World’s Best Motorsport Facility for 2019), Charise is a powerhouse in a male-dominated industry. She commands respect from her peers no matter where she travels across the world and has the experience and confidence to back herself each step of the way.
A pretty incredible effort for a talented young woman, who funnily enough, grew up in Tailem Bend with her family (including a motorsport-mad father).
But it hasn’t come easy for Charise – she’s had her fair share of ups and downs in her career (including once being so stressed her hair started falling out!).
Now with a Bachelor Degree in Sport and Recreation Management, Charise admits to initially wondering in year 12, whether she was really that interested in university at all.
“I had no idea what to do,” Charise says.
“I spoke to someone from the university a few weeks before we had to put our preferences in, and felt like this course just suited me. So I moved to Adelaide with two other country kids and started.”
While there, Charise began a placement at the Port Adelaide Football Club – working as a casual on game day. She also picked up work with Woodville West Torrens Football Club. Little did she know, this is where her story was about to get even more crazy.
Charise was lucky enough to win a six-month scholarship with the Northern Arizona University in the United States. Here, she was fortunate to be able to combine her study while sneaking in some sightseeing and discovering what life is like on the other side of the pond.
When she returned to Australia to graduate, she made the move over to CAMS (now known as Motorsport Australia).
From here, Charise made it her mission to take every opportunity presented to her, and looking back now, this might have been one of the most important decisions in her career.
She was leading teams of beginner race-day officials at the Adelaide 500, and soon enough, was recruited to help with other events – both interstate and overseas. Her approach to ensuring continuous improvement amongst the operations of paid and volunteer marshals for motorsport events, (including overhauling old systems and creating completely new digital registration systems still used across Australia) has ensured she’s at the top of her game.
In her limited free time, she even managed to create a hillclimb series, which has now expanded nationally, and provides a platform of motorsport clubs to compete for cash prizes that go toward the development of their clubs.
She’s been in leadership roles at events like the Clipsal 500 and the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix – but is now able to flex her muscles at the new facility closer to home and nearby family.
“I still think of myself as little ol’ Chezza from Tailem Bend,” Charise says.
“Sometimes I catch myself talking, and wonder how I even understand all of these things I’m talking about. It’s a really weird moment when you step back and realise you actually know what you’re doing.
“I’ve had experiences I would’ve never thought possible in my career, and I feel I have a lot of respect within the industry.
“I think looking back at my career and choices, having a uni degree really gave me an edge over others in my industry in that early stage of my career. Certainly Sam looks favourably upon people with a uni degree.”
And when she refers to “Sam” – she’s referring to her boss, Dr Sam Shahin – owner and Director of The Bend Motorsport Park, who hired Charise almost immediately, after having a two-hour meeting with her where had been impressed by her country background, young career, ambition and incredible talent for events.
“I was one of the first three people working at the track,” she says.
“Honestly, the whole of 2018 (opening year) was really just a blur. The Supercars events that year was huge. We’d planned for about 30,000 people and ended up with 45,000.”
It was an enormous task, and she made it work with the event a phenomenal success.
On a day-to-day basis as the Event Operations Manager, Charise looks after all venue hire and promoted events at the facility, coordinates external staff coming on to site and all else that comes her way.
She’s always kept busy but it’s all worth it because she loves the job, the industry, the team at The Bend and has never looked back. The added bonus is she gets some pretty great perks, like hot laps with some of Australia’s best drivers – *cough* Jamie Whincup *cough*.
While she’s welcomed a brief break from the craziness of event management, Charise is now looking forward to getting The Bend’s events back up and running, when it’s safe to do so. And of course, always looking to take those career opportunities when they arise.
If Sport and Recreation Management is a field you’re interested in pursuing, have a chat to our student advisors to find the perfect online course you can study from right here, via the Murray River Study Hub.
Tim Jackson, Sales and Marketing Manager at Almondco Australia
“What are you doing studying uni at your age?”
This was a pretty common question for Riverland man Tim Jackson when, at the mature age of 53, he decided it was time for him try his hand at an online uni degree and eventually go on to earn himself an MBA (Masters in Business Administration).
But Tim was already a successful career, community and family man. So why was he going back to study?
He’d spent 14 years at the helm of the Riverland’s leading newspaper – the Murray Pioneer – as its editor. Following this he took a calculated risk to branch out into his own successful advertising and communications business, before being head-hunted for a role at Almondco, where he now leads the marketing and sales department.
It’s been a busy time for Tim (oh and did we mention he manages to fit some community volunteering into his spare time too?!).
But, as Tim says: “Don’t make me out to be a big deal though, I was just in the right place at the right time.”
Sorry Tim, but we beg to differ.
It seems that there are a few elements to Tim’s incredible success – and many of these have come from the combination of hard work, a commitment to life-long learning, the exceptional relationships he had across the Riverland community and the fact that even during his MBA studies he could stay living, working, raising a family and enjoying his beloved Riverland region.
We think that the Almondco leadership team knew exactly what they were doing when they recruited this bloke, and it’s paid off for them in spades. Since Tim began with the grower owned and run cooperative back in 2009, it’s grown from a 5000-tonne per year production level, to a whopping 28,000t in 2019, and is now worth an estimated $250 million.
“The almond industry is pretty amazing actually. It’s a bulletproof product and demand has just continued to grow, even our domestic market has more than doubled in sales in the past 10 years.”
Of course Tim can’t take all the credit for this (and he would insist that the success is largely due to the people around him, and that as his kids say, he simply “sells nuts”). He gives credit to the phenomenal group of leaders, workers and businesses involved in the Almondco cooperative, which now represents about 80% of almond producers across Australia and exports to nearly 40 countries around the world.
So back to our first question – why exactly did Tim decide to study?
Well there were a few reasons. But mostly, it has been a lifelong dream.
After Tim completed his HSC in Wangaratta, he found his way into a journalism cadetship with the local newspaper. There was no such thing as a degree in journalism in 1982. A cadetship was the only way into the industry and opportunities were scarce. He had been accepted into university to do PE and had also been offered two bank jobs when the cadetship offer came up. In the end, he opted for a career in the media, learning on the job and earning money at the Wangaratta Chronicle. “There was always a belief in the back of my mind that I would one day go to university, but it just took a lot longer than I thought.”
Fast-forward 35 years to 2017, and Tim had been at Almondco, in a growing leadership role for more than 7 years. He loved the work, but he still wanted to extend his knowledge.
Moving to the city for study wasn’t an option – his family’s life and his career was in the Riverland. So he did a bit of research, came across an online MBA course and has never looked back.
“I was incredibly lucky. My boss Brenton Woolston and the board of directors at Almondco could see the value to the business by supporting me to take on the extra study, and they were backing me each step of the way,” Tim says.
“I did all of my exams in our board room.”
Even better, was that Tim was able to complete his degree quicker than if he had come straight out of school, because with his significant experience and various skills, he managed to get enough RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) to complete the course in 15 months.
“When I got into, I was in over my head with uni writing styles and referencing and reading volumes and volumes material. It was a fast-tracked course and it took a lot of time. At first it was a whole new world, but my background in researching a story and information gathering helped a lot,” he says.
“I was travelling all over the world for work at that point, so I was lodging assignments from places like India, New Zealand and Germany and calling in to make sure I had it in on time!
“I remember it being pretty full-on. I was working full-time, had a young family, coaching the Renmark Rovers under 18s and trying to get this study done. But I got there in the end and completed the 12 modules in 15 months.
“By the end I knew I probably should’ve done it years ago, but this is just the way it worked out.
“And the beauty of studying the MBA when I was in this position at Almondco was that I could apply everything I was studying almost immediately to my work, so I was adding value to the business along the journey.
“The things I’ve learned from the MBA bring a new perspective to many parts of work, the roles others play whether it be operations, finance or even at board level.
“I was able to be more effective and productive by applying the study theory directly to work-related issues – and at that time, things were moving so quickly at Almondco that I was learning new skills, through my degree, that could be applied to issues at work.
“I’m far more resourced now, and have a greater appreciation of so many different aspects of what other people bring to the table and how they do their jobs, from board directors right through to the wonderful staff on the factory floor.
“The study also allowed me to be an example for others around me.”
Tim also mentions the support of his family was critical to these career changes, with his wife Sheryn and his kids being by his side throughout the busy times.
And the Jacksons must be suckers for punishment, because Sheryn, incredibly, had already studied both an online nursing and online teaching degree in the years prior to Tim’s MBA.
“Like a lot of nurses and teachers, Sheryn is a quiet achiever. She has worked on Royal Adelaide’s cardiology ward and Emergency Department. More recently, she is back in the classroom following in the footsteps of her mum and nanna, who were both teachers.
“These days she has two jobs most weeks – using her nursing qualification to work with kindy kids in preventative health, and also works as a relief primary school teacher. She was the one that kept saying I should do some study.”
Now that’s a busy (and incredibly qualified) household.
Unsurprisingly, Tim explains that he owes much of his career good fortune to the local Riverland community – and he has urged those keen to go to university, to consider studying online via the new Murray River Study Hub so they can continue to live locally and leverage the opportunities of close-knit communities.
“A lot of my opportunities have come from getting to know people in the community. You develop networks through association. People often don’t even advertise for jobs in the country – they just approach people they know and like and then train them into positions,” Tim says.
“As soon as you move to the city, you can get lost in the masses and not get those opportunities.
“We should never underestimate the value of education, but the same goes for being in a well-connected regional community.”
If you’re considering studying mid-career, but want to stay living and working locally in the Riverland or Murraylands, explore your uni options on the MRSH website. You too might be able to fast-track an MBA through RPL, or finally dig your teeth into your dream career that slipped by a few decades ago.
Whatever your uni dreams are, the MRSH wants to help you make them a reality.
Get in touch by filling out an EOI here, and one of our local career advisors will get in touch to help you get started.
Stacey Kempe –
Occupational Therapist (Masters), Bachelor of Health Science
About two years into her double degree, Murray Bridge woman (and ex Unity College student) Stacey Kempe failed her first ever uni exam and had almost decided to quit university and go travelling.
But thanks to some advice from a few career mentors and supportive university counsellors, she persisted – and after five years of studying, she’s now reaping the benefits of her hard work with a Masters of Occupational Therapy (OT) and Bachelor of Health Science.
Now, at only 27 years of age, Stacey is an A-Grade netball player, junior coach, community volunteer, home owner, pet owner, Pilates instructor and on top of that, is driving an exciting career in her dream career of Occupational Therapy, thanks to her two university degrees.
Originally, Stacey had planned to be a teacher, chasing her passion of working with and helping children live happy, healthy lives. But halfway through Year 12, she was fortunate to have a chat with someone from Flinders uni about her career interests, and it was then that she changed her mind (and her uni preferences).
Stacey is now an accomplished OT, living and working back in her home town of Murray Bridge for Novita and supporting people of all ages to develop, recover, improve and maintain the skills they need for daily living and working. And of course, she loves it.
“I didn’t think I had much chance of getting into OT after school. The ATAR score was really high, so I added in the Health Science second preference just in case,” Stacey says.
But she worked exceptionally hard in Year 12 and got the scores she needed. So then came the big questions – like how to survive financially while studying in Adelaide and could she afford to move out of home?
Stacey said Centrelink was one of her biggest challenges of uni, and for most of her five-year study period, didn’t get any financial support. Because of this, she had to balance casual work with uni and the daily travel to Adelaide, while she stayed living at home with her parents.
“Something like the [Murray River] Study Hub would’ve been amazing for me!” she says.
“It would’ve saved me so much time and travel, even if I could’ve studied for one to two days from there, or dialled in to some teleconferences from the local campus, it would’ve made a huge difference to my life during uni.”
Once Stacey finished her degree, she started applying for jobs, and after a few knock-backs, was offered a contract with SA Health at the Hampstead Rehabilitation Clinic. Here she had an incredible supervisor who gave her great opportunities, allowing her to use her new skills to help people progressively regain their physical independence.
But it wasn’t long before the distance from her family, friends, and the Murray River lifestyle called her back to the region – and after three years of living and working in Adelaide, she was relieved to be back living and working as an OT in Murray Bridge.
As Stacey describes, in OT there’s no ‘typical’ day of work, but every day is incredibly rewarding. One day she can be helping people with new disabilities re-learn how to cut up their dinner, and the next working with parents to create a play-based plan which helps their children build physical strength or coordination.
It’s working with kids, though, that she’s extra passionate about.
“Just seeing the small changes in kids are the biggest reward from this work, and I’m so grateful I landed here. When you hear feedback from families about their children being able to do things for the first time, it’s quite incredible.”
Stacey admits that going through uni was hard, but 100% worthwhile.
“I used to get pretty frustrated that my friends were earning money when I was a struggling uni student. But now, I’m so glad I stuck it out, because I’m earning a really good wage, getting ongoing career development opportunities and working in a job I love where I feel I’m making a genuine difference to peoples’ lives – all while I build a future with my partner here in Murray Bridge.”
If you’re keen to find out more about studying a degree in allied health, check out some of the courses here (or if you can’t find what you’re looking for, just get in touch with one of our student advisors who can help set you up in the right degree through the Murray River Study Hub, or fill out an expression of interest form and we’ll get in touch).
Cassie Bye – Office Manager for Tim Whetstone MP
Following a gap year, Riverland local Cassie Bye, was lucky enough to begin university after graduating from Year 12 at Glossop High School with her first preference in a journalism degree at UniSA. Little did she know, after a few twists and turns through her uni journey, she would eventually land an incredible role working for one of the State’s leading politicians.
However, it wasn’t until a year after starting uni she had a change of heart and discovered her true passion laid in media and public relations. At the time, she wasn’t exactly sure which direction she wanted to head in, so this decision to swap to a Bachelor of Arts (Communication and Media Management) would offer her a wider range of options to explore post-grad.
Not long after graduating in 2012, she maintained a barista role in Adelaide before a friend informed her about a position vacant in the Riverland. Without hesitation she applied, sat for the interview and before she knew it, she was making plans to return to her home region for a promising role as the Tourism and Communications Coordinator for Destination Riverland.
Today, Cassie is still living and working in the region, and not long after the 2018 state election she took up the opportunity to excel her career and using her degree landed the role of Office Manager for Tim Whetstone, Liberal MP and newly appointed Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development.
The timing meant she was rushed into what was already a fast-paced and strong people-focused workplace, and she had to adapt quickly to the busy environment. She says, “there’s no ‘typical day’ in my role – it’s very diverse”.
“While I have to manage the overall function of the office – HR, budgeting and being the main point of contact for any parliamentary concerns, my other main priorities are liaising with the local media, assisting constituents with any issues they may have, editorial writing, research and working with local stakeholders in the electorate.”
Cassie believes her current role wouldn’t have been possible without her degree, which gave her the set of skills and wealth of knowledge used day-in, day-out working in politics.
From her employer’s perspective, they’ve each been confident in their decision knowing Cassie demonstrated leadership qualities, time management abilities and a range of other skills from previous employment and her university degree – and most importantly, she was a local who knew the area like the back of her hand.
Although her transition of relocating to the city turned her world upside down, this built up her determination and responsibility.
Some of the greatest challenges for her were being away from family, along with the struggles of finding (and maintaining) housing in the city and getting used to living on a tight budget (hello microwavable meals!).
If she had the opportunity to pursue tertiary education through an institution like the Murray River Study Hub back when she had finished high school, she’d be all for staying in the region.
And after some reflecting, she admits it’d definitely be the beneficial option to maintain her preferred lifestyle and advises others who have the opportunity [to enrol] to give it a go.
“There’s no pressure to continue if you don’t enjoy the course you start off with. The best thing to do is have a chat with your course advisor to discuss your other options before throwing in the towel.”
Cassie’s advice for local Riverland high school students who are keen to study at university, is to check out all of the help that’s available – “there’s a lot of great services available for prospective students”.
“Have a chat with someone who’s been through the ins and outs of university life, or even better, pick the brain of someone who’s had experience in the course you’re interested in.”
“It may seem like it’s out of your reach, but the end result is definitely worth it. Plus, uni life can be lots of fun with its own unique set of experiences only other uni students can relate to – it’s a path I would definitely recommend.”
Keen to go down a similar pathway in communications and media, like Cassie? Fill out an expression of interest form here.
Shaun Williams – We All Count Director, Partner
At 16 years old, Shaun Williams had no clue what he wanted to do with his life. Now, thanks to the support of some teachers, a stroke of luck and a whole lot of hard work, he is a Partner/Director at Murray Bridge accounting firm We All Count.
Shaun is the perfect example of how a local lad, committed to his future, can make an incredible career in his beloved home-town.
Shaun graduated from UniSA before starting his first job with the firm back in 2005 (then known as Appleyard and Associates). He always hoped he’d land an accounting career back in Murray Bridge, so when his (then) girlfriend tipped off the directors of the firm that she knew someone who was about to graduate as a qualified accountant, he jumped at the opportunity.
Initially missing out on his original dream to study Commerce at Adelaide Uni (by a devastating 3 points), Shaun took a quick career pivot – and resolved to study at UniSA. During his uni years, he would stay with his grandma in Adelaide – but would’ve loved the opportunity to study online via the model now being offered through the Murray River Study Hub.
Fast forward 15 years, and Shaun is now raising his family and forging an incredibly successful career in the region.
“No matter the economy, people always need accountants, so there’s great job security and always development pathways. Even after you graduate, there’s always more opportunities to study – and in fact, we’ve been recommending that local students in our industry consider studying at the local hub to save the travel to the city.”
“There are some people who come into this field without a uni degree, but there are limitations to that. When you have a degree, you can demand a certain pay level, and your potential earnings are far higher.”
Shaun believes that the need for qualified accountants, and in fact all university-qualified roles in the region, will only grow in the future.
“There’s a lot of growth happening here. Farms are getting bigger, small businesses are growing and with Thomas Foods back next year there will be thousands of extra people to help continue growing the economy.
“The launch of the new study hub is a great initiative to support this growth, and I would certainly support people to enrol through it to save the hassles of the city. The current technology available to us, means that just because we’re working or studying here, we can still stay in touch with the world, and find success in almost whatever career we want.”
If the accounting industry is something that interests you, why not enrol in a course through the Murray River Study Hub and get started today!
Careers right here campaign – the background:
Feedback from local high school students, tell us that many within the Murraylands and Riverland believe there’s little chance for them to score a job in their dream career, without having to relocate outside of the region.
This simply isn’t true. The opportunities are here, and in fact, they’re expanding.
So this year, we’re sharing the stories of some of our most successful uni alumni, who are kicking big goals in their chosen career (RIGHT HERE!).
Don’t let this misconception keep you from putting off higher education. It’s time to adjust your expectations, and enrol for your future.
This year, we’re going to share with you some of the many local alumni (from various universities) who have successfully found a job and grown a career in the field they’ve been dreaming of – right here in the Murraylands and Riverland regions of South Australia!
Each month we will be featuring inspiring stories from people who have put in the hard yards at uni and were able to grow a thriving career within the region after graduation. Not only are they proving that it’s possible to achieve success without the hassle of moving to the city (or better yet, interstate), but it shows there are opportunities to find careers right here.
