Looking back at 1977, I have to laugh at how my “HR career” at the Public Service Board began – by recommending the installation of microfiche systems into the Qld State Library! Not exactly the strategic HR role I’d imagined, but life has a funny way of taking unexpected turns.

I soon found myself on the Productivity Assessment Team, where things got considerably more interesting. Picture this: a fresh-faced HR professional wandering through the Homicide and Drug Squads, analysing clerical processes. Let’s just say it was a far cry from researching microfiche systems for filing documents at the library!

But the real game-changer was meeting Tom Tolhurst, my first mentor. Tom taught me an unforgettable lesson about power and influence – and not just because as a Public Service Inspector that I carried a Warrant from the Governor! He showed me that true influence comes from how you use authority, not just having it. Even today, I maintain a trusted panel of advisors, carrying forward Tom’s legacy of mentorship.

The Policy Research Unit brought another pivotal connection – Cliff Bunning, my former OD lecturer from QUT. Small world, isn’t it? My career was taking off rapidly, perhaps too rapidly for some. My final promotion there led to an unexpected plot twist: defending my appointment in District Court while I was already working at the Copper Refinery!

Here’s the kicker – that case actually led to changes in Queensland’s Public Service Act. Not bad for someone who started out researching microfiche, eh?

The lesson? Sometimes your career path looks less like a ladder and more like a game of Snakes and Ladders. But every experience, from the mundane to the dramatic, shapes who you become. And yes, I still chuckle when I pass by the Qld State Library, thinking about that eager young professional, blissfully unaware of the adventures ahead.