Tell us about your personal values

Honesty is one of the most important values in my life because it is the cornerstone of my relationships, whether they be personal or professional.

In my early twenties I had the Latin word for truth ‘Veritas’ tattooed on my wrist as a daily visual reminder for myself to be truthful and transparent in all my actions, words and decisions.

What does life look like at home?

I was born and lived in Perth for most of my life, in 2019 I did the sea change and moved to Dunsborough, a town with no traffic lights. 

Being an ocean lover, home life for my Fiancé and I is very much so centred around being out on the water and exploring the magnificent south-west coastline. Working in the Pilbara as a Fly-in Fly-out worker, it’s refreshing to come home for RnR and enjoy a dip at the pristine beaches such as Eagle Bay or launch the boat and whiz over to the Busselton Jetty for a snorkel – I’m very lucky to have Geographe Bay and Cape Naturalise on my doorstep!

Living in a popular holiday destination I thoroughly enjoy hosting family and friends who come to visit. We’ve been working our way through my south-west bucket list - it’s fun being a tourist in my new home town.

What lead you to work in this field?

I’m first generation Australian and the third child of immigrant parents (Croatian Dad and Serbian Mum) and so our family has had some challenges, starting with English not being mine and my parents’ first language. My sisters and I are the first members of our extended family to be tertiary educated, a very proud milestone for us all.  

Their career paths lead them to education and health, and I followed community – our childhood, cultural background and lived experiences very much so influenced our chosen field of work in that we wanted to make a positive social impact in the world. 

I completed my Bachelor of Arts in Community Development and Sociology, as well as a Diploma in Community Welfare Work. From here, I started my career in the not-for-profit space and local Government, then made the switch to mining in 2012 where I have been ever since specialising in Community and Corporate Affairs.

The mining industry has provided me incredible opportunities including expanding my geographical location beyond the Perth offices along St Georges Terrace and be based on mine sites, including pit to port operations in the Pilbara and Goldfields region.

What are you passionate about at work?

In high school I knew I wanted a career that would allow me to have exposure to both business and community outreach and that’s why mining is the perfect fit for me. I have access to incredible resources to support legacy projects that directly shift the social impact dial for the wider WA community, as well as the endless opportunities to learn about the inner workings of a mine site on a global scale.

Having been a FIFO worker since 2016 the nature of this type of work is two-fold, it’s taken a lot of grit and self-motivation to manage life on site as well as stay connected with loved ones at home, and then there is the work itself.

The drive to keep showing up every shift always come down to the incredible people/stakeholders and how my work can directly make a positive difference to their lives and community.

Looking ahead at the future of mining in terms of the talent pipeline, its networks such as SWWiMM that start conversations or ‘Community Cuppas’ as I like to call them, with future and existing employees about what they are looking for in an employer such as flexible work arrangements, regional flights, career progression and so on.

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