I attended Clonard College from 1993- 1996. I came across to Clonard College in Year 9 from Morongo Girls College, as my parents could no longer afford to send me there. It was really hard leaving a group of close friends and coming into a new school. The nuns were still at Clonard at that time, and it was very different to the school I’d come from, with many more students. My favourite subjects were Drama and History, and I loved learning to play the clarinet. I also have fond memories of being the debating captain in Year 12 – there was a real sense of excitement, and I loved being on stage and getting my opinion across.
School was a bit of a struggle for me, and I often found myself wanting to be out in the wider world. One of my teachers could see the challenges I faced and told me that when I set my mind to it I could do well and that I could still achieve whatever I wanted– those words encouraged me and stuck with me well into my adult life.
The environment at Clonard was a nurturing one and one where I felt very protected. I loved the connections with the girls, many of whom I remain connected with today. Being a girl’s school, we were encouraged to be strong, independent women, who could be whatever we wanted to be. It has been in the challenging times of my life, that this lesson has come back to me, and motivated me to succeed.
While I was at Clonard I did work experience and voluntary work at Geelong Community Radio. It was my dream to work in radio and upon leaving school I drove to the Sunshine Coast, stopping at every radio station along the way and handing in my demo tape. By the time I arrived in Queensland, I had three job offers and started working in ad copywriting.
It was around this time that I lost my confidence and struggled with my mental health. In the years that followed, I travelled in Europe, had two children one who was very unwell with Type 1 diabetes. I had a lot of self-doubt and fears and really wanted to change the trajectory of my life and started thinking about working in real estate. I began as a PA with Ray White and a year later started working as an agent. I very quickly began hitting sales records and within the year I was the number 1 selling agent in the Ray White group across Australia. I then decided to take the biggest risk of all and took the leap to starting our own Real Estate Business – Hayes Winkle. A massive highlight for me in my career was speaking at the Real Estate Institute of Australia conference in front of 5000 agents. But I have also found speaking about my personal challenges to women in the region just as powerful. I love the impact and connection that comes from the sharing of common experiences. I also really enjoy giving back to the community through my involvement with the Type 1 Foundation and other charity work as an auctioneer.
My time at Clonard also gave me a strong faith in God, which I’ve relied on a lot throughout my life. I believe that whatever challenges come my way that by trusting in God and the lesson, pushing through and trying to do the best I can, eventually I’ll come out of whatever rut I’m in. I believe that everything that happens in life is a lesson, and I trust in that. My biggest lesson at Clonard came from the teacher who instilled the belief in me that I would be successful, in whatever I set my mind to, if I was passionate about it. That still drives me today.
