Tursa Employment & Training in partnership with Many Rivers Regional Housing in Port Macquarie has recently helped Kathy secure employment as a finance officer. It’s a role she never expected to have, but she’s enjoying the challenge and feeling confident in her abilities. However, it wasn’t an easy journey for Kathy to get to this point. She had been unemployed since 2011, taking time off work to care for her son and then transitioning into community work for 10 years. When her husband’s health issues required her to return to the workforce, Kathy struggled to find employment in a culturally supportive environment.

Despite facing challenges, Kathy persevered and found support through Leslie Williams  who helped continue the work Kathy had started and, with TURSA. This was a major turning point for her, as she was able to work with a group that understood her cultural background and found an organisation as well that supported her efforts to revive the language and cultural practices of the Aboriginal community in the area.