Personal interests

Learn more about me: my interests, hobbies, and areas of special interest and knowledge.

I am more than just content. After all, you should write what you know,
so here are some of the things that I know about.

Yoga

I have been practicing yoga for more than 11 years and have had the great pleasure of leading a group of colleagues in weekly yoga sessions for more than 5 years. Initially starting yoga to improve my core, I quickly noticed the significant benefits yoga brought to my emotional wellbeing. Now it is a staple part of my lifestyle.

Gym

Worthy enough to appear as a keen interest on my CV, I am an avid gym goer, utilising it as a way to maintain physical fitness, stamina, and strength, whilst also knowing the significant benefit regular exercise has on my emotional wellbeing.

Baking

A love of eating cake and baked goods sparked my interest in baking: why pay for something I can make myself? From there, experimentation and a desire to get to eat more cake took over and my recipe box is now full of treats from beautiful basics to complicated concoctions. My focus is on a cake tasting good rather than looking Instagram worthy: my baked goods may not win awards for presentation, but they will for taste.

Plants and gardening

I became obsessed with plants more than six years ago, utilising primarily cuttings to grow a collection of almost 100 different plants at its height. The collection has since shrunk, but the love remains, including venturing beyond houseplants to growing my own vegetables and herbs. It is so relaxing to lose oneself in gardening—potting plants, planting seeds, and watering and fertilising—and so satisfying to see them grow and flourish thanks to your care and attention.

Volunteering

I have been volunteering on and off since my teenage years, including local events, rural maintenance and clean-ups, community publications and magazines, and more recently with volunteer emergency services in Australia, specifically SES (State Emergency Services), Marine Rescue, and St John Ambulance.

I have lost count of the opportunities that have come my way thanks to volunteering, including free knowledge and courses, friends, adventures, and significant personal and professional growth.

st john ambulance

My time with St John has brought me so much, developing my first aid skills from nothing up to an Advanced Responder and Emergency Medical Technician. It has taken me to events such as festivals, concerts, major community events, sporting matches, and new year events, and has given me an enthusiasm to pass on potentially life-saving knowledge to others in the form of training.

First aid, event medical,
and training

I have a strong passion for first aid, knowing how important it is to have the knowledge to offer support and assistance in an unexpected and potentially emergency situation. I have been volunteering and working in pre-hospital and event medical settings for 7 years.
My first aid skills have progressed from the basic first aid courses to a Certificate II in Medical Service First Response, then a Certificate III in Basic Health, and I am currently working on my Certificate IV in Health Care.

This first aid passion has grown into delivering first aid training, something I have been doing for 5 years in volunteer and corporate settings. I love that I can facilitate the transfer of potentially life-saving knowledge from CPR and Provide First Aid to more advanced courses like Advanced First Aid and Remote Area First Aid.

First aid and clinical knowledge

As part of my volunteer and paid work at both events and in first aid training, it is required that I maintain currency in various qualifications and certifications. As such, I ensure that a number of qualifications (below course names abbreviated) are regularly refreshed and up to date, including:

CPR | Provide first aid | Advanced resuscitation | Advanced first aid | Pain management

Remote area first aid | Education and care first aid | Asthma and anaphylaxis

Mental health first aid | Mental health support for first responders

I am always developing this knowledge, attending regular training sessions through my volunteering; completing continuous professional development to maintain my training currency; practicing skills in real-life situations at events; and advancing my professional qualifications.

Mental health

As a topic that is continually increasing in importance and notoriety and something that I have both experienced and witnessed, mental health is forefront in my mind in many scenarios. I have been privileged to participate in the Mental Health First Aid course, regularly try to enhance my knowledge, and advocate where I can.

Horse riding

I learnt to ride as a child; honed my skills with a horse-riding camp at secondary school; and now take any opportunity I get (mostly thanks to friends with horses) to go for a relaxing hack through the countryside, bushland, or across the beach.

Rock climbing

Whilst I did some indoor climbing in the UK, it has been in Australia that I have advanced my ability with indoor climbing at various climbing gyms and venturing on multiple trips outdoors for sport climbing.

Canyoning

From climbing came the progression to canyoning, with adventures over the years including Empress canyon, Fortress, Macquarie Pass, Yileen, Lower Bowens Creek, Gobsmacker, Rocky Creek, and Twister.

Formula 1

After being introduced to Formula 1 in the late 2010s, I realised that the motorsport that monopolised television on a Sunday afternoon was only boring because I didn’t know anything about it. Once I understood the sport, the passion took hold and I have now been to the Melbourne, Monaco, Texas, Abu Dhabi, and Malaysian Gran Prix, with the intention to add more to the list.

I have also been lucky enough to make it into the pits at three different races. The photographs show me holding various F1 tyres, something that has become a requirement when exploring the pits.

Walking and hiking

Growing up in the English countryside instilled a great enjoyment of walking and hiking, only encouraged by active parents. Whilst the idea of overnight hikes isn’t my cup of tea, I have enjoyed various notable day hikes and take any excuse to stretch my legs and go for a walk.

4WD

I don’t own a four-wheel drive myself, but have and do know enough people with them to have been on an array of 4WD-ing adventures, acting as passenger, spotter, and often driver.

Fire photography

I’ve always enjoyed taking photographs, but when a friend said they needed me in front of the camera for fire photography, I was very happy to step forward. Since then, with various friends joining for the ride, we have done photoshoots all over from rivers to tunnels and warehouses to fields.

Scooter / motorcycle

Realising a car was not the answer to commuting in a big city, and getting fed up of relying on public transport, my parents suggested a scooter or motorcycle. Some heavy research, learning, courses, and investing in all the relevant safety gear, and I was ready for my own scooter: Sebastian.

Reading

Of course reading was going to be on the list! A good piece of fiction is my preference, but non-fiction is also a winner on occasion. Victorian Gothic literature was my favourite subject at university, but now I am happy to read most genres. The problems I face are an obsession with reading meaning once I start a book, I struggle greatly to put it down, and not enough time to read as much as I want.

Knitting and crochet

Do I know how to knit and crochet? Yes. Do I often need a YouTube video to start me off when I haven’t done it for a while? Yes. Have I knitted an absolutely spectacular mermaid blanket? Yes. Have I crocheted flowers and keepsakes and gloves? Yes.

Travelling

Whilst my travelling adventures have toned down in favour of more local volunteering, learning opportunities, and a mortgage to pay, I have fond memories of adventures to countries including Iceland, 3 months travelling around Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Abu Dhabi, America (New York, Washington, Texas, New Orleans, Miami), Ireland, Spain, Italy, France, Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.

Sailing

Learning to sail as a child on my father’s Mirror Dingy sailing boat on a local lake, I progressed to faster and capsize-able boats such as Lasers and Picos with the school sailing club.

Skiing

I do find it peculiar that I learnt to ski in Australia rather than in Europe. I have plenty to learn, but have enough knowledge and gear (whilst hiring some actual skis and boots) to get me up and back down a mountain without too many issues.

Kayaking

I’m no champion kayaker, but give me a calm lake or river on a nice day and I’ll grab my kayak, paddle, and life jacket and enjoy gliding through the water.