Ceduna to Port Lincoln to Whyalla and everywhere in between

*Names have been removed from this post to ensure anonymity as this post was for internal purposes only.

As a [job position] for AWQC, proud Kaurna and Adnyamathanha woman [name removed] collects water samples right across the Eyre Peninsula from Ceduna to Port Lincoln to Whyalla and everywhere in between.

Her role sees her drive an average of 1200 km per week collecting samples from customers as diverse as the landscapes she traverses, like abattoirs, remote farmhouses, tanks, bores and a whole heap more.

[Name] and her offsider [Name] are a shining example of resilience in the work they do

every day, because when things don’t go to plan in the middle of nowhere, a level head and the ability to be agile and adapt to change is what keeps them moving.

“[Name] and I have to be people who can work by ourselves and as a team, we can go from working solo to having four people in the car the next day,” [Name] said.

“We have to solve problems fast, because more often than not we’re on our own so we don’t have time to get upset about things not working out.

“If I’ve got a flat tyre I change it myself, if the car breaks down or I hit a roo sometimes I just have to wait for a lift. If equipment fails and I can’t do my job, I move on to the next one and come back around to it when I can.

“You have to keep your wits about you and know you’ll be ok, and everything will work out eventually.”

Even COVID didn’t affect [Name] or [Name] much in the work they do.

“We adapt quickly to change and just get on with it, some of our face-to-face connections with customers changed, like not being able to visit councils or remote lands, avoiding contact with people.

“But [Name] and I have a really good working relationship with the community, so we keep in regular communication even during COVID restrictions.”

All that travelling in the car means [Name] is equally as agile keeping herself entertained while on the road.

“It can seem a bit boring at first, but you find ways to entertain yourself, I like listening to true crime and ghost story podcasts and of course listening to music and singing at the top of my lungs, because I can and I’m the only person in the car.”

Outside of work [Name] is a bit of a Dr Doolittle taking in a lot of animals just because no-one else would or she stumbled upon them in the scrub. Her home, on Barngarla land, is 15km outside of Port Lincoln in a town called Tulka and houses six black cats, a Red Heeler named Mate, a 2m long Brindle python, two Silk bantam chickens, a Budgie and a Cockateel - she has also been known to hand raise abandoned Joeys she’s found along her drives before releasing them back in the wild.

[Name] plays softball for [team] with other people from Lincoln, Tumby Bay and Cummins which she’s been doing for ten years.

“I also love to go bushwalking and camping, the Eyre Peninsula and the west coast has

some fantastic national parks,” [Name] said.

“I love camping at Whalers Way and on my parents land, I have great memories of me and my siblings all spending days playing in the sand hills and getting absolutely filthy out there together.”

It is that connection to nature which keeps [Name] enjoying the work she does every day.

“Being on the coast or in the scrub lands where there’s no-one or only a handful of people around is calming and relaxing,” [Name] said.

“My favourite place to collect samples is the Uley South Bore field, it’s my happy place, and on a nice spring day you get to watch Emus and Joeys out of their pouches running around – it’s magic.”

After 15 years working with SA Water in varying roles and locations [Name] is putting down roots and staying in one spot to enjoy the flexibility her role gives her to be out in nature taking in its calm and relaxing effects.

Stats: 19 likes | 3 comments | 225 views