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Harry's blossoming new career
If you ask Harry now what he thinks about his job his face will light up and he’ll tell you how much he loves it. Yet the journey to this point hasn’t been without its battles.
For 20 years Harry worked in the army. When he retired in 1996, he left with an injury and concern over what was to come next. ‘I didn’t know which direction my life would head in after spending all of my life in the military,’ he said.
Harry – a husband and father of two – was determined to find a new career to help support his family. He was good with his hands and tried a number of trade jobs.
However, his injury affected his ability to communicate well in the workplace and he found stress and conflict difficult to manage. He shifted from one job to the next never finding one that made him happy.
Harry was eligible to seek the help of the Veterans’ Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VVRS). He was referred to CRS Australia in Queensland, where he began a vocational rehabilitation program with rehabilitation consultants, Kirsty Wiseman and Rebecca Black.
Kirsty said, ‘We worked closely with Harry to help him manage the challenges he faced in the workplace and build skills in job searching, targeted resume writing and interview techniques.’
‘With someone backing you and giving you the confidence that you need, you can land the job of your dreams!’Harry, groundsman
When exploring job options, Harry came across gardening and this interested him. To gain necessary skills, Harry began a course in horticulture.
‘I started on the course and absolutely loved it. I haven’t looked back since,’ he said.
A position was advertised for a groundsman at the local school and Harry knew it was a chance to get his dream job. Rebecca looked over his resume and gave him a few pointers for the interview. He got the job!
‘It’s absolutely marvelous. I get along well with the teachers, the kids are great and I love watching the garden grow; it’s just a wonderful thing. I couldn’t be happier,’ he said.
‘If you try and do this on your own, failure would be a horrible thing. But with someone backing you and giving you the confidence that you need, you can land the job of your dreams! I’ve hit the nail right on the head for what I want to do with a lot of help from Kirsty and Bec.’