Graduate Stories
Kelly Fewster; Environmental Health Officer for Aboriginal Communities Shire of Wyndham East Kimberley
When I started the Environmental Health course at Curtin I wasn't really sure what I was getting myself into. What I found was a course that was hands-on and diverse. On any given week we could be learning about basic microbiology, noise pollution, law, waste management, event safety, food science and health promotion, just to name a few.
In the short time since graduation in 2004, I have been fortunate enough to have some fantastic job opportunities. As an Environmental Health Officer at the City of Mandurah I was involved in day to day inspections of food premises, sampling of drinking and swimming waters, and health promotion projects including the Men's Pen at the Mandurah Boat show.
I am now employed as the Environmental Health Officer for Aboriginal Communities at the Shire of Wyndham East Kimberley. The Shire is in the far north east of WA, only 40km from the Northern Territory Border; our slogan "The Last Frontier", is literally what it is. It's a far cry from inspections in Mandurah, but I enjoy the challenges and opportunities of working in a regional area, and servicing the public health needs of remote communities.
The main focus of my job is ensuring safe drinking water, adequate housing, emergency management, infectious disease prevention, and waste management. I am also more involved in health promotion, with remote schools and community leaders. The most important thing in my job is to remember that the community has to want something, before they will act, so education is the key to getting action.
If you had told me 5 years ago that I would now be living in Kununurra and working with remote indigenous communities I would have laughed and thought you were crazy, but I couldn't be happier. I spend a lot of my time on the road, including the full day trek to Kalumburu up the Gibb River Road (most people treat a trip up the Gibb River Road as major holiday, I do it 5 times a year). I have to camp out a bit, but am never by myself, and am fortunate enough to have experienced many of the local sights.
Call me crazy but I love working in local government, particularly in regional areas. Its grass roots level makes it possible to see real outcomes in the community. Although Environmental Health is often seen as predominantly legislative, I've also had opportunities to comment and be involved in major developments and projects affecting communities.
There are a lot of bonuses that come from living in regional areas, particularly the Kimberley, and I would encourage everyone to give it ago. Forget peak hour traffic and all the hustle and bustle, and look forward to perfect weather, beautiful waterfalls and big fish.
Kelly Fewster