16 December 2010

Kathy Lombo keeps beating the odds. She left school in year 8 and should be one of those awful statistics of Aboriginal unemployment. But through sheer determination to work and a new opportunity at Big W, she is setting an example for her 11 and 13 year old children. “I’m disappointed I didn’t finish school,” Kathy says. “I encourage my kids to not only finish school, but I have also worked to show them how important a job is to get ahead

Kathy Lombo BigW Inverell

”Despite a long work history in Sydney as a console operator, making coffee machines a leading hand at a factory, a stint as a sign writer and then work with Australia Post; when Kathy moved to rural Inverell in the New England region of NSW, work was hard to come by.

"There is not as much work at Inverell and I couldn’t get enough hours with Australia Post, so when I saw that the new Big W store was opening here,  I told my mum that I was going to get a job there’,” she says.

““I registered with Best Employment and asked them if I could try for a job at Big W. They told me about the course with Diversity Directions which worked really well for me.”

“I’m not good at forms.” Kathy confesses “but I can talk to people and show them what I can do so the new course was really good.”

“On the third day the Managers from Big W came and told us what the jobs were and what was expected. They said nine people from our course would get jobs, which was really positive because we knew we were training for a real job.’

“I got the call on 10^th of May to be part of the opening team and we had to be ready and open on 24 June. And in the first week I was made Employee of the month,” she says proudly.

Kathy has worked as night filler in Home and Hardware and Pets and she holds a permanent part-time position with 20 hours per week that suits her need to work and look after her kids.

“It’s unreal and I love it,” Kathy says. “It’s important my children see me work, because you can’t get what you want for nothing – you’ve got to earn it.

Kathy said that with work scarce in her region, Big W is an employer who is encouraging Indigenous people to try and work.

“It is important to mix everybody on your workforce.  If you want Indigenous people to buy your goods then they have to see Indigenous people working there.”

“It shows respect. I have twenty nieces and nephews and my own kids and I’d love them all to have jobs here when they’re ready. Employment is a source of pride and self-esteem and they see me working here and they tell me they want to work here.”

“In our community we often see people drinking and we came from Sydney to get away from all that and start fresh. This job is an important part of that for my family.”

When she speaks you can hear that Kathy has a strong sense of community and responsibility. And, she is handy as well as motivated. She makes wooden Christmas decorations as a hobby that earns her a bit of money on the side and she does volunteer work with the disabled at the local church.

“This volunteer work is a place where everybody mixes, black and white. I see people who can’t read or write and can’t get work and I know how much work can encourage people.”

“So this isn’t just about me.  I hope we can get more Indigenous people into jobs,” Kathy says.

 “In the future I’d like to get a few more hours and I can see myself working here for years because I love it.  Big W offers me a career and I know I have a job in one of the best places to work in Inverell,” Kathy says.

Kathy Lombo is an inspiration to her kids and a credit to Big W. More importantly, she is setting an example for our entire community.