A love of the land leads Margaret to brighter future

 

Margaret Moore has a great respect for the land and takes great pride in her work as a member of the Parks and Open Spaces team at the City of Greater Bendigo.

Meet Margaret, a remarkable Indigenous woman who has shown incredible strength and spirit in her journey to overcome long-term unemployment.

Margaret hadn’t worked for 17 years when she came to MatchWorks. She was living with depression and a strong bond to her three children were big hurdles for the Bendigo job seeker to manage.

There were plenty of bumps along the way, yet Margaret, the team at MatchWorks, and her employer have all worked together to find Margaret a path to a brighter future.

“A strong affinity to the land and previous experience working at Victoria Parks and Gardens meant a career in Conservation and Land Management was a great fit for Margaret,” Employment Consultant Jane said.

“We encouraged Margaret to apply for a position at Bendigo TAFE to study her Certificate III in Conservation and Land Management. She was successful and then the local council offered Margaret a traineeship so she could put her previous experience and study to work.”

Margaret’s Indigenous heritage means she has a great respect for the land and takes great pride in her work. NAIDOC Week marks her 26-week milestone with the City of Greater Bendigo.

“It feels amazing to be working again and I love the land. The City of Greater Bendigo have given me a chance and I have plenty of support around me,’ Margaret said.

City of Greater Bendigo representative Greg Harris said Margaret is a well-regarded team member of the Parks and Open Spaces team.

“We really appreciate Margaret’s hard work and dedication to her job and qualification. She is passionate, and takes great pride in preserving the local land and environment,” he said.

This NAIDOC week, we celebrate the contributions of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community around Australia. VOICE. TREATY. TRUTH. Let’s work together for a shared future.