Articles in this issue:
International Women's Day - WinA and VACC Celebrate
International Women's Day has been observed since the early 1900's, which was a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies.
Today, although the automotive industry is predominantly male, women are becoming an increasingly important part of the industry. We see growing numbers of women choosing careers in the automotive industry, owning and operating automotive businesses, become apprentices, and becoming more heavily involved in the sales and administrative roles relating to the automotive sector. There are many women employed at VACC in various roles, including senior management and administration.
In order to mark the 2011 International Women’s Day, a special morning tea was held at VACC House on 8 March. The event included a number of informative and entertaining talks by VACC Industrial Relations Workplace Lawyer, Gabriella Marton on the subject of women’s rights, responsibilities and changing roles in society.
The event was well attended and supported by both the women and men of VACC and presented an opportunity for all to come together as a sign of respect towards women in our community. To officially mark the event, a magnificent cake was cut and shared.
WinA and VACC chose to hold a collection on the day for the charity Kiva (http://www.kiva.org/) Kiva helps to assist people from disadvantaged backgrounds who wish to become self sufficient and set up a small business in their own right. We chose to stick with the female theme by supporting 2 women involved in the program. Each of these women will share the $200 sum that we raised on the day.
We wish to extend a big thank you to all of those who donated! If you would like to support this charity or find out more, please see the above website.
Due to the success of the morning tea, VACC intends to hold future events to mark International Women’s Day.
Meet VACC Staff Member…. Lorraine D’Silva
So Lorraine, how long have you worked at VACC?
I started on the 14th of August 1974 so around 36.5 years ago now.
I remember the date as I arrived in Melbourne from Sri Lanka, where I’m originally from, on the Monday 12th, went for the interview on Tuesday 13th and began working on Wednesday 14th.
What was your role when you started here?
I’ve moved around a little bit since starting in the organisation, but I began as a Personal Assistant to the then Director of IR and Training, Hugh Bishop. I was in that role for 9 years, looking after everything from his banking, note and minute taking, organising his diary and so on until he retired in
Then, in 1983, I was PA to Kevin Redfern and helped out from time to time in the Industrial Relations Department. I was with Kevin for 4 years and then felt like a change, so moved on to being an IR Officer. I also enjoyed the work in the IR department and the interaction with the members.
I’ve been in that role ever since, so for 26 years now!
A lovely lady, and still a good friend of mine, Audrey Denelt was my predecessor in the IR department and had been in that role for 26 years herself before retiring.
Tell us a bit about your role as IR Officer at VACC
Well, I guess I serve as the main port of call for members calling the VACC to ask for assistance and guidance on Industrial Related matters such as annual and sick Leave loading and calculating, employers rights, and so on.
I also help out with giving information to our members on entitlements, award conditions, dismissals, long service, equal opportunities.
I also coordinate VACC Divisional elections, as well as elections for the Board of Management, Executive Board.
I’m busy busy busy in other words!
What main changes at VACC have you seen over the years?
Well the building itself has changed dramatically. When I started it only had 5 floors, now it has 7.
I’ve seen 5 Executive Directors come and go, numerous technological advancements as well.
At the beginning of my working career at VACC we only had typewriters to use, then we scaled up and had 2 computers, 1 on level 6 and one on level 7. The office administration girls were allocated a time slot of 1 hour per day, each, on the computer and we were always busy.
We used to have a telex machine which we used to print circulars and memo’s etc.
We also used to use stencils to make copies from which was very time consuming I can tell you.
What do you think has been the primary factor influencing your decision to stay at VACC for so long?
Well I would have to say that it is down to the people. Both the staff I work with and amongst and also the members who I have grown very fond of over the years I’ve been dealing with them.
I also know my role inside out and so I find the work enjoyable.
I love Melbourne and VACC has all of my memories from the past 36.5 years wrapped up in it. It’s home.
I’ve never been a rolling stone.
What are your fondest memories of working at VACC?
That’s a hard one as there are so many!
I would say that working alongside Hugh Bishop was a great time in my life. He was more like a father than an employer.
Kevin too was very funny and caring as well. And then there’s the team I work with at the moment, Bill has me laughing every day, Liz, David, Mark and Gabriella are a great support and good friends and then there’s Leyla as well who is very lovely and very genuine.
I wouldn’t change a thing!
WinA Survey
Wina is currently undertaking a re-vamp of its practices and we want to hear from...YOU!
We're looking for your views on what you want from WinA. From what type of topics you'd like to have discussed to what type of events you'd like us to run.
There's a lot of scope for change and we believe this is best achieved through knowing what our members wants and needs are.
So please take 5 minutes to complete the survey at the bottom of the page and then either fax or email back to us using the contact details given on the form.
Your help is most appreciated!
Interview with Jessica Lee
So Jess, tell us a bit more about yourself. Your background, where you’re from etc.
I’m from Eltham in Melbourne. I went to Eltham high school and finished year 12 in 2006.
I’m the eldest of 5 and have 3 sisters and 1 brother.
I am a total sports fanatic. I captained my hockey team to a premiership two years ago and have also captained my cricket team. During high school I played as much sport as I could, including football and soccer.
In my spare time I also build model aircraft, which is a challenge of patience and perfection.
Growing up I had a few tough times but the one thing I learnt was that family always stick together, that's where my grandparents come in. They’ve been the biggest support to me and have always encouraged me in everything I’ve done. I owe them so much. They have had a huge impact on my life and have always given me the confidence to follow my dreams.
When did you first realise that you wanted to be a mechanic and how did you go about making it happen?
I actually applied for work experience in a friend’s workshop in Eltham when I was in year 11.
That only lasted for one week and then the boss went on holiday for 3 months so I helped out in the time he was away.
I loved working there so much that I wanted to leave school but was encouraged to stay by my employer.
After that, I kind of lost touch with mechanics and was in a real whirlwind as what I wanted to do with my life. So I went to university and completed a 12 month course working with disabled children during this time, I also worked as a teacher's aide in a special school. After my traineeship, I managed to get casual work in various schools but with the unreliability of work and dire wages, I found that I was barely able to sustain any sort of standard of living. So I decided to go back to something I had once fallen in love with. Mechanics. Through Box Hill Institute I started a certificate 2 in Automotive, and half way through gaining that qualification, I met someone affiliated with the VACC. Chris (Deich, a Field Officer at VACC) explained the VACC’s Auto Apprenticeship scheme to me and got me interested straight from the start. I was then lucky enough to gain a full time apprenticeship at an independent BMW company through VACC.
Can you tell us about your average working day, your duties and responsibilities?
Well I am a 2nd year BMW technician apprentice and even though there is another apprentice under me I still start work around 7am each morning. I’m always the first person in the workshop so I do most of the general duties that need to be done, like cleaning and tidying and setting up the workshop so the qualified mechanics can come in and start work straight away.
A typical day can start anywhere from cleaning the cars, to doing a full service.
There are usually a lot of cars to work on so I split my time between them. This way I get to work on lots of different models during the course of the day.
It can get very busy. There can sometimes be anywhere from 7-8 apprentices and mechanics in the workshop each day and generally 1-2 mechanics work closely together to get a car out on time and in the best condition possible.
What aspects do you find most difficult about your job?
Well it’s a very fast paced environment and I’m expected to remember a large amount of information in a short space of time which I sometimes find hard.
None of my family are interested in cars or the automotive world so I’ve learnt everything I know from scratch.
I’ve also sometimes struggled to understand the Automotive jargon that’s used, so I’ve had to go away and do some background research.
We also learn on very different cars at TAFE to the ones I see coming into the workshop. This is difficult because you can’t use the same techniques on a BMW as you can on the older TAFE cars. It requires a lot of further reading and learning and I’m always asking questions, but then I also get to learn about a whole range of models, rather than just specialising in BMW's.
What do you find most enjoyable or rewarding about your job?
It might sound strange, but working with cars has a calming influence on me.
I’ve got a routine and work well with that, I’ve also developed my own specific way of working and getting jobs done as thorough and fast as I can.
Customers also respond well to a female mechanic which is nice to see. I think that some female customers feel that they can trust me to give them the honest truth and because I speak to them in a way that they understand, they really appreciate it which puts a smile on my face and theirs too. The proof’s in the fact that we have a lot of returning customers who ask for me by name. That’s a big boost. I also love the great friendships I have formed with my fellow technicians.
Who are your greatest influences or role models?
The leading technician at my work is probably my greatest influence. He’s so knowledgeable, especially when it comes to BMW’s and all the tools of the trade as well.
I hope I can reach his standard although that may take a bit of time as he finished his apprenticeship 13 years ago now.
He started his apprenticeship in the same company and worked his way up to be the leading technician.
He’s also a great teacher and has a lot of patience with everyone in the workshop and always willing to lend you a hand, which is a great quality.
So, how did you hear about the overseas program and what enticed you to apply for it?
I heard about it through GEN, or the Global Education Network who are in partnership with my TAFE (Box Hill Institute).
They came to my campus and spoke about their 6 month, USA interchange programme.
I’ve never left Australia so moving to America for 6 months was a little daunting for me to think of! However, I looked further into their other schemes and found they also ran a few short exchange programmes.
The one that interested me most was the 2-3 week exchange they run in Singapore and Vietnam.
This interested me because it offers those who participate, a range of experiences such as learning about different cultures and teaching methods, but most of all it gives me the opportunity to help people who need it and hopefully change their life in some way.
In all honesty, I really didn’t have the best childhood. Being the eldest, a lot of responsibility landed on my shoulders, which at times was hard but I feel that it has given me so many life skills and has also made me more mature for my age. It gave my siblings and I, a chance to really bond and work together to make the best of the times we had.
I love the thought of being able to help disadvantaged children and this scheme gives me a chance to do this as one of the parts of the exchange involves volunteering at a children’s orphanage. I love the fact that I can help someone else who needs it, by either being a friend, tell a funny joke, put a smile on their face or even helping them look at the inside of a car if the opportunity arises!
What do you hope to achieve from the programme?
I want to gain a bit of personal perspective.
When you see other people going about their lives, sometimes under such sad circumstances, it makes you evaluate your own life and think; it’s not so bad after all.
I’d like to also take this opportunity for me and only me. It’s definitely time to be me and have my own dreams and experiences.
Everything seemed to fall into place once my VACC apprenticeship started and I feel this is again fate telling me it’s the right time for a life changing experience.
What are your goals for the future?
Well first off I want to finish my apprenticeship. That’s my immediate goal. Then I want to secure a full-time job in my trade.
In my personal life I want to build my own house at some point in the future, I’m thinking somewhere near Doreen maybe. I have just got engaged to the woman of my dreams so hopefully our wedding won't be too far away.
I’d also like to plan more trips overseas to places like Germany, Poland and the rest of Europe.
I love reading about World War II, especially with regards to the aviation side of things. I used to want to be a pilot and even took flying lessons when I was younger but you need a lot of funds to get up and going with that career path so it wasn’t really realistic. Maybe one day in the future I’ll revisit it as a hobby. That can be added to the list as well.
What advice do you have for someone starting out in the profession?
I think for female apprentice’s especially you have to have a thick skin. A lot of patience helps too!
You’ve got to be really careful not to overstep the boundaries of a working friendship as there’s a thin line between joking about and sexual harassment.
The boys at my TAFE and at the workshop are very good and I feel that they respect me because of the boundaries I have set and have stuck to.
Another great tip is; don't stop learning. Read and experiment after work, the more you put in, the more you get out. If your superiors see the effort that you make it will make a great impression and is sure to help you in the future.
Author’s comment:
The opportunity for Jess to travel abroad with the GEN Network short exchange program is an invaluable one, and we are happy to announce that she is one of the lucky few who have been accepted into the program for this year, departing for Singapore and Vietnam on 21 June!
However, this is where we need your help…
WinA has generously offered to sponsor Jess 50% ($1500) of the cost of the trip which is fabulous but just not enough.
Jess needs to raise another $1500 in order to pay for the various necessities associated with the trip, such as vaccination and equipment.
It would be amazing to see this champion of female apprentices, and all round inspirational woman have the experience of a lifetime, so if you are able, either personally or on behalf of your organisation, to sponsor Jess to get her on the way to reaching this target, please do so by sending in your donations:
Jessica Lee c/o VACC
WinA
Level 7, 464 St Kilda Road
Melbourne VIC 3004
We have asked Jess to keep a diary while she is away which we will publish in our August newsletter along with pictures of her experiences.
Jess has also kindly agreed to speak of her trip at our next WinA event that we hope you will all come along to (details will be given in July’s newsletter).
So come on Ladies (and Gentlemen), dig deep and help us send our girl on her way!
Link to WinA Survey:
www.vacc.com.au/LinkClick.aspx