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IT TOOK CHERYL PHILLIPS A WHILE, BUT SHE FINALLY FOUND HER CALLING. SINCE THEN SHE HAS BEEN WORKING TO EMPOWER OTHERS IN OUR COMMUNITY TO LIVE THEIR BEST LIVES.
Cheryl Phillips didn’t get secondary school at all.
Someone “talking at her” didn’t work, so she dropped out in Year 11 from Shepparton High School and worked as a fruit packer like many other locals at the time.
She then tried working in a bank, but that didn’t do it for Cheryl either.
It wasn’t until she started training as a mothercraft nurse in Melbourne that she realised she “wasn’t dumb”; she was simply a more practical learner.
Despite not having any of her own, Cheryl had always loved kids, so being a mothercraft nurse and assisting parents with newborns just felt right, she said.
After experience working in childcare in Western Australia and Melbourne, she was encouraged to do welfare studies.
“I didn't ever meet a child that I thought would be better off without any contact with their parents or their extended family,” Cheryl said.
“They just really needed to be in touch, and then to build a community around them.”
So, Cheryl began working with the government to set up permanent services people could access at any time.
She acquired a Master of Social Science and began to work in community development.
After realising her passion for community and working with people, Cheryl set up her own consulting company, which she had for more than 30 years, working with people in Greater Shepparton, across Australia and even overseas.
Eventually she focused her business more on leadership and mentoring.
“People might get promoted because they're a great accountant or a great firefighter, but have not developed the skills in managing or empowering people,” she said.
“So, then I mentor them.”
Cheryl said so much of what she had done had been about giving people a voice, many of whom were just trying to survive.
Even after significant change, Cheryl said she felt men’s voices still dominated mainstream media, so she was focused on telling women’s stories.
She recently launched a book about women at the South Shepparton Community Centre, and previously had written about a group of Ugandan women while volunteering in Africa.
Cheryl was most proud of the stories she had collated from a group of older women from Mooroopna and Ardmona.
She said many of these women had lived through wars and the Great Depression.
“The women were so strong, and resilient, but never had sought the limelight or had a spotlight on them before.
“About half of those women have now passed on, so I'm really happy that we captured the stories before we lost that unique history.”
Cheryl said she had spent decades learning about herself, and that it took time for her to be able to back herself and initiate change.
“When you're a kid, and you're like, this is how the system works and this is how you do it, so you just go along with that.
“And then over time, the system isn't actually doing anyone a favour, and we need to look at how we could do it differently.
“It's always been about listening and learning and putting that into the melting pot and thinking, ‘okay, how can we do this better?’.”
Cheryl said her message to young women, who were maybe in a similar position as she was in Year 11, was to stay patient and to explore their options, try to find a passion, and maybe make a difference.
“Getting the biggest and best ATAR? Sorry, I don't think that's the be-all and end-all,” she said.
“Start to just think about the jobs you've had and the people you've met.
“What are the opportunities? Where do you want to take it from there?