April 2021 – Miss Rosanna

We shall remember them

While I’ve not yet visited the Shrine of Remembrance for ANZAC Day, Mr Rosanna did the year we met – a dawn service that involved tears in the rain as it was pouring but all the more poignant for the minute’s silence of so many gathered around. I hope to take my boys there when we can congregate once again as their great-grandfather and great-uncle both served. I enjoyed watching the New Zealand anthem at the Melbourne versus Richmond football match last night especially hearing the words first sung in Maori before English. Mr Rosanna and I hope the Dees continue their winning streak – the superstitious in us often think our fortune mirrors that of the club but time will tell.

I had a pretty tiring week still being relatively new in my job, Mr R having knee surgery and my kids returning to school and out of school activity. The return to a level of normalcy and the inevitable running around plus having COVID-brain to a lesser extent has taken its toll on my energy levels. I read Welcome to the YOLO Economy in the New York Times last week and I know a number of my friends who’ve quit their jobs to have a break or pursue their own dreams that don’t involve working for the wo(man) have related to the article as much as none of us are Millennials!

The global pandemic has shaken many of us to our absolute core so it’s been interesting to see what we’ve considered truly essential and important in our lives and all else that’s fallen by the wayside out on the periphery. I’m not sure if you’ve had similar realisations that have changed the life decisions you are now making given life is short and we do only live once.

This house (above and below) already under offer at 21 Darvall Street Rosanna has caught my eye – it’s been beautifully renovated and I can see why someone has already fallen in love with it prior to auction. I was pleased to read about Boroondara Council pushing to protect a Robin Boyd house on Tannock St in North Balwyn and have only recently realised that St George’s Anglican Church on Warncliffe Rd in Ivanhoe East was also designed by modernist architects Robin Boyd and Frederick Romberg.

From the heritage to ultra modern, my office will be moving into the state of the art Melbourne Connect building designed by Woods Bagot in July. We’ll be joined by some other interesting tenants including Clarke-Hopkins-Clarke, the Melbourne Entrepreneurial Centre and SANE Australia as well as house the Science Gallery Melbourne and Womin-djerring (an open air oculus garden that sits in the middle). I think it will be a really interesting physical environment in which to work and I’m really looking forward to it.

Life goes on

It sure does whether we feel ready for it or not. It’s been a while since I’ve posted. Besides starting a new job in a new organisation, I’ve been busy these past two weekends with extended family events making the most of things before the new school term starts, including a 6km fun run along the main Yarra trail yesterday with the Ivanhoe Harriers. I was the back marker for the handicap race so I’m not exactly setting the world on fire in terms of speed and I hadn’t run in two weeks so I’ve been feeling it today.

So how is the new job going? I’m lucky to have once again landed in a high performing team in marketing communications with a great boss, which makes all the difference as a newbie. I’d be lying if I said it’s been easy – it is always challenging starting work in a new organisation, whatever the role, adapting to a new environment with a different culture and people and one which has also gone through a lot of change since the global pandemic. At the moment, I’m just trying to roll with things, be kind to myself and give myself time to adjust to a new normal.

I’m a pretty outgoing person so have enjoyed meeting my new colleagues at the ANZSOG head office in Carlton but I expect to feel a level of discomfort for a while as I get my head around things. Digital technology aside, it’s a much more select and senior alumni cohort of leaders in the public sector (and those aspiring to be) who I will be liaising with including an established Alumni Advisory Council.

My first day involved finding a good cafe with great coffee and I wasn’t disappointed in discovering hole-in-the wall cafe Assembly (pictured above) in Pelham Street before I arrived at the office. No easing into it with one of my first tasks being asked to organise an event in Adelaide the following week and along with now looking after the ANZSOG alumni council as a priority, I will need to develop the alumni strategy with the help of my new manager in tandem with ongoing activities so ‘strategy on the run’.

I haven’t mentioned my Women of Colour Australia volunteer work but glad I developed the content strategy for them while I had the time before starting paid work. Similar to that organisation, the most important thing in my current role is understanding the audience – who they are, what they do, where they’re located etc. and while demographic data helps – it’s more hearts and minds stuff that interests me. At the end of the day, we are all individual human beings with different things that motivate and inspire us and that’s what I’m seeking to understand.

I’ve had a bit of deja vu starting my new job reminding me of when I moved from Marketing and Recruitment to the Alumni and Advancement Office at La Trobe, as we will shortly be moving from our existing site to a brand new building around the corner and I’ll post more about that once the launch is officially announced. It’s always exciting to move into a newly kitted out building and as I will now be working a minimum three days in the office, it’s something to look forward to as it has also been a shock leaving the comfort and convenience of working from home.

It’s been great to see jobs bouncing back across the country although I think younger people will continue to need support. Higher education and other industries like tourism, retail, hospitality and real estate will also need help as the return of international students to Melbourne is delayed. I know a family of allied health workers where one parent has received the Pfizer vaccine and the other Astra Zeneca and they’ve been comparing notes on side effects. For those under 50, it may be a while before vaccinations are rolled out and I hope time brings some greater insights and learnings.

Given the grim news about the global COVID-19 death toll reaching over 3 million people (more than Western Australia’s entire population), it’s felt slightly surreal to drive past our local footy ovals this past weekend seeing players and spectators out in force. We are incredibly lucky in Australia living in our protected little bubble with a recovering economy and roaring real estate market, as much as I don’t think it’s reflective of ‘normal’ times although I guess nothing is truly normal at the moment and won’t be for a while to come.

My solace continues to be my weekly yoga practice as well as pet therapy as a dog owner and I thought you might like this photo of me (above) doing ‘doga’ with Gypsy – she likes to take advantage of my inability to move while practising and my resting pose on my yoga mat last week was no exception – it was like having sandbags placed across my legs! Have a great week especially if you’re a parent with children returning to school for term 2.

Simply Being

It’s the name of the guided meditation app that I use but it’s also something I have enjoyed doing the past few months and indeed the whole Easter break. My sister Ange and I went away together for the first time as two families to Blairgowrie so that the cousins could enjoy spending some time together and the adults as well. The whole break ended up being family time as we caught up with Mr R’s brother who was staying down at the Mornington peninsula with his family as well as my cousin Di who is lucky enough to have a beach house there given her family sails and windsurfs.

This time we were walking distance to the back beach but a drive to the dog beach at Cameron’s Bight. The traffic wasn’t as bad as previous years travelling on Good Friday but it was pretty nuts at Cornell’s Fresh Seafood shop ordering fish and chips. There was also a comedy of errors with me picking up the wrong ‘Adam’s order’, discovering my mistake on returning to our beach house and subsequently returning to the shop to find the other Adam there. I think he was glad I’d been honest enough to return his dinner and collect ours (we ordered the 15 minute ‘fast packs’ of just battered fish and chips to avoid a 90 minute wait) – aargh!

The shops were very crowded and if you ever stay at Blairgowrie at Easter time, my tip is to do a grocery shop before you go or stop at the supermarkets in Rye as the Blairgowrie IGA stocks premium food with prices to match. You really do want to avoid having to go to the supermarket if you can and Mr R and I also like the Koonya general store for both standard takeaway, fresh produce and more (their take home lasagne and curry packs are delicious and good value).

We were very happy to just chill out and relax this Easter starting our stay with a twilight walk to the back beach on our first night, days spent at the beach or Point Nepean, cooking, eating, watching the footy and playing games at the house and one chilly night spent dining al fresco at Sisco Pizza in Rye where our table wasn’t close to the outdoor heaters. We had taken the earlier booking outside rather than an 8pm dinner inside but I will reconsider this next time! I am always a bit sad too when daylight savings ends as it gets dark very early now.

It was nice to just be rather than feel the need to do as so often happens when you holiday at home. Speaking of the simple life, I also wanted to do a shout out for my sister-in-law Liz’s online guided meditation business called Simply Meditation (above) where you can learn how to meditate in 3-days. I love her tagline – the magic is in the moment – and it’s this thought that I will try to hold onto as I start my new job and new career journey this week. Wish me luck!