International Women’s Day is held on 8 March worldwide. The theme for 2023 is “embrace equity” with a focus on inclusion and working together to forge an equal world.
Work Healthy Australia celebrates the women who make our organisation and the women who work in health and safety across Australia.
We spoke to some of our female clients – Lucy Trembearth from Zoos Victoria and Alida Kildey from Goulburn Valley Health – to find out who inspires them and how their careers are unfolding.
Lucy Trembearth – Health and Safety Advisor, Zoos Victoria
Have you drawn professional inspiration from other women? Tell us about someone who has inspired you.
I feel very fortunate to have an amazing role model in my granny and best friend Thelma, whom I share an incredible bond with. After braving the war and meeting the love of her life, my granny married my grandad and became a mother at the age of 21.
She was a great source of strength and courage for her family when they moved to Australia, in support of my grandad’s new job at Fords in Geelong and showed no hesitation in learning how to drive and entering the workforce, in a time where most women stayed home.
To her, knowledge truly is power, and places great importance in always being eager to self-educate and learn something new every day, which she continues to demonstrate at the age of 92, with her self-taught proficiency in using technology and electronic devices – I receive a text message from her every morning!
I confide in her without hesitation as I know her advice is based on only wanting the best for me without judgment. In times of self-doubt, she will say “Lucy, you are more than capable”, which is a message that I shall pass on to others and especially young women in the workforce.
What advice would you give to young women entering this profession?
Begin with getting to know those women who you work with through taking a genuine interest in who they are as a person, what their role is within the organisation and their field of expertise and listen to them if, and when, they confide in you.
Be kind to yourself and become your main source of strength in uncertain times, whilst further encouraging others to do the same. Embracing challenges and putting your hand up to do things that you may not know much about and that may be outside of your comfort zone builds resilience, coping abilities, and a true sense of self-believe.
Each one of us can actively support and embrace equity within our own sphere of influence. IWD2023
Alida Kildey – Early Intervention Consultant, Goulburn Valley Health, Victoria
What is your current role?Â
I am the Early Intervention Consultant at Goulburn Valley Health. My role encompasses early intervention of staff injuries and the management of Workers Compensation claims (WorkCover) and I collaborate with our Health, Safety and Wellbeing team.
How did you start your career in the Health and Safety sector?
My career started in a regional and rural health service in Western Victoria as a roving Senior Administration support and progressed to a Human Resource Officer role with exposure to Health and Safety. I thoroughly enjoyed working in the health industry and after a relocation to Shepparton, I managed to secure a position with Goulburn Valley Health with a dual role of HR/OHS Officer with the eventual move across to Injury Management/Early Intervention under the banner of Health Safety and Wellbeing.
What advice would you give to young women entering this profession?
The world of health is your oyster. There is so much scope to grow personally and professionally within the health industry whilst caring for the local community.
