Background Experience
My degree in Botany led me to a job at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, correcting the Index Kewensis database. This work, therefore, developed my meticulous eye for detail. I then moved on to Authors of Plant Names – another database – which RBG Kew published in 1992 (R.K. Brummitt and C.E. Powell). Working with both databases gave me experience in the processes involved in a publication.
Then came a major shift as I moved to Australia where I took up freelance work with CSIRO Publishing in Melbourne. I worked in-house for a couple of years on their botanical journals (Australian Journal of Botany, Australian Systematic Botany and Australian Journal of Plant Physiology).
My final move, to the Northern Territory with a young family, meant that I became adept at juggling family life and freelance copy-editing for various government departments and publishers.
I developed a primary school library. Gradually I took on admin work, and then organised annual fundraising dinners, tearooms and the annual ‘Christmas Cake Bake’.
For a change, in 2011, I took to teaching horticulture to long-term unemployed youth up to 25 years of age. Finally, when the programme finished, I took a job in a very busy secondary school providing a variety of PA services to senior academic staff. In addition, in my spare time, I returned to botany again and in 2013 I published A Primer of Botanical Latin with Vocabulary with a colleague and friend Alex George AM, reprinted in 2015.
In December 2017, I took on the job of editor of the bi-monthly The Top Ender Tri-services Magazine until October 2020, organising a complete redesign with new branding. I was responsible for its timely production, writing between 7,000 and 10,000 words per issue, and sourcing articles of interest to the ADF in the Northern Territory. I am good at juggling tasks and keeping deadlines, and I enjoy meeting people, and solving problems. If you need a hand – contact me and we can fix something up for you. For more information, check my LinkedIn profile and read my testimonials.
In addition, I volunteered for the Council of International Schools, helping Visiting Teams support schools seeking accreditation. I visited schools in South Korea, China, Japan and Thailand, in addition to one in Australia. I sorted out the admin for the VT and liaised with the school and the hotel on the members’ behalf, and edited and formatted the documents that were generated during the visit.
Most Recent Experience
Working for Core Lithium at their Grants mine site in Cox Peninsular as Administration Specialist from early 2023 until mid-2026. I was responsible for the management of the Admin building, setting up processes and designing forms, producing an instruction manual for reference and continuity, procurement and processing invoices, and taking on any job required.
