Becoming a Dog
Hi, my name is Joe and recently my life has been turned upside down, in a good way. First let me tell you a little about myself. I’m a 32 year old male from Braybrook. Growing up I lived with my mum. We moved around a lot so I went to a few different primary schools. I went to Brighton Bay secondary school where I completed year 12. After I finished school I tried Landscaping and that lasted a few years. I then started work experience at McDonalds and K-Mart but I only lasted about two weeks at each. I then moved onto Garden Biz. Through Garden Biz I got a place at WestNet; an organization for people with disabilities. That was eight years ago and I’m still with them, but they are part of Mambourin now. During this time I have made some really good friends, and have tried a lot of different programs. Over the years staff have always encouraged me to go out and try new things. However, I never really knew what I wanted to do and I don’t think I had the confidence to go out on my own. The staff always saw potential in me, so I guess that’s why they gave me the position of Handyman. I love having this responsibility and for the last four years I have been in charge of maintaining the Braybrook campus grounds and gardens by myself.
That’s a little about my past, so let me tell you about what’s been happening in my life lately. On the 25th of March 2010 I began my career with the AFL team the Western Bulldogs. I am currently employed with them part time but I am also studying my Certificate III in Asset Maintenance and Cleaning Operations through the Club. This opportunity came about with the help of friends and staff that saw my potential from the beginning. WestNet was approached by Kevin, a former employee of WestNet and current Trainer at the Western Bulldogs. In 2009 Kevin was awarded Life Membership at the Western Bulldogs and has been there for 15 years. Kevin spoke to David about an idea he had on getting someone from WestNet to work at the club. He told David to contact Mark, Team and Logistics Manager of the Western Bulldogs. Before David rang Mark he wanted to speak to me because he thought I would be the right person for this opportunity. I said “Yeah, it sounds OK”, but little did I know that it was going to be fantastic. David called Mark and spoke to him about Kevin’s suggestion. Mark liked the idea and told David to call Greg, Sales and Training Manager and set up a meeting. At this meeting Georgina, who is a Program Manager at Mambourin, David and Greg talked about what sort of duties I would be doing. They also came up with the suggestion of doing some formal training. This will give me some options in my future.
Greg was really eager and supportive of employing someone from WestNet. When David mentioned that he felt I would be a perfect candidate Greg wanted to meet me as soon as possible. So two weeks later I attended a meeting with David, Georgina and Greg at the club where we discussed what they had come up with at their last meeting. After they explained it to me I began to feel really happy and even excited. I had to do some workplace assessments which I found easy and then Greg told us that he would need some time to put the job together.
From this point the story gets a little boring and at times frustrating because it seemed like not much was happening. However Greg was working hard with David at developing a program that was going to work for all of us. During these few months we had some more meetings and Laura, a Mambourin staff member came on board as my support worker. Laura and I attended another meeting, but this time I was given a job description and the Certificate III in Asset Maintenance and Cleaning Operations handbook. I then knew that I would soon be starting a new chapter of my life.
Finally on the 25th of March I started my new job. It was so exciting walking into the Whitten Oval on my first day. I was happy and relieved that Laura was there with me, it helped me feel more confident. First we met with Greg to finish signing some paperwork. Greg then took us down to meet up with Mark. Mark did an induction and showed us around. He told me what sort of jobs he wanted me to be doing in the future. I was then given a Western Bulldogs staff uniform that I had to wear every shift. Putting on the uniform for the first time felt great. After Mark showed me around he asked me to go outside where the players were training and to help with the water bottles. I went out onto the field alone, even though Laura was on the side lines watching this was the first job that I had to do by myself. This was very exciting and made me think, “Hey I can do this!” While on the field Brad Johnson, Barry Hall, Jason Akermanis, Robert Murphy and a few others came up to me and said hello, that was incredible and made me think that they were really nice guys and that I would be able to call them my mates some day soon. After the players had finished training I helped empty the bottles. I went out onto the field alone, even though Laura was on the sidelines watching this was the first job that I had to do by myself. This was very exciting and made me think, “Hey I can do this!” While on the field Brad Johnson, Barry Hall, Jason Akermanis, Robert Murphy and a few others came up to me said hello, that was incredible and made me think that they were really nice guys and that I would be able to call them my mates someday soon. After the players had finished training I helped empty the bottles then went back and saw Mark. Mark said that I was done for the day but when I got used to the place I would be given more to do. After work I felt that I did a good job and that I was going to enjoy working there. That was a fantastic feeling. I was given two more shifts that week and Laura was still there for me but she got me to do more duties on my own. That week I was introduced to some more staff that I would be working with and was shown around the property room. This is where I was shown how to pack uniforms, how to do the laundry and how to load the van before a game. I was told that these were very important duties because if I got
them wrong the players wouldn’t have the right uniforms for their game. That was scary but it felt good to have such an important responsibility
The next week my support staff Laura was away so WestNet sent Ben Gooden, another staff member with me. I felt that I was ready to be independent and that I wanted to try working on my own. So I told Ben that he could go and that I wanted to catch the bus by myself the next day. Ben called Lachlan, Assistant Program Manager at WestNet to let them know I was going to be working on my own. That was the last day that I had a support worker from WestNet come to work with me.
The next day I caught the bus and went into work alone. I went into the property room and started my duties straight away. I wanted Mark to see that I was taking the job seriously and that I really liked working for the club. I have some more duties that I am responsible for now like, filling the drink tubs, checking the spa filters and PH balance, it is important that I follow the OH&S guidelines while doing this. I am also making sure there are lollies for the players during training wash and hand out players jumpers and check all the footballs before and after their training sessions.
Today I have been at the Western Bulldogs club for about 2 months and Laura has just done a work review with Mark and myself. Mark said that I am exceeding his expectations and that I do a fantastic job completing my tasks. I told them I am ready for some more jobs as sometimes I get a little bored because I have already done everything. I am just about to start my Certificate III and I think it will keep me busy. I have started to make some friends at work too and sometimes we go out for lunch, people look at us when we are in our uniforms and it feels good, because I am proud to be a part of the Western Bulldogs. I am also still attending WestNet on the days I am not at the club. I still enjoy going to WestNet and keeping in touch with everyone. They are also continuing to support me at the Western Bulldogs and Laura sometimes pops in to talk to me and Mark about how I’m going.
So that’s my story. I have been doing things that I never in a million years thought possible, all because of a little idea from a mate turning into an amazing opportunity for me. The encouragement and support from my family, friends and WestNet have also made this a success. I have not worked at a game yet but that will be in the next chapter of my story, where I hope to be out on the field during an actual AFL match.
Man I love my job!
By Joe Ferguson
