Susan landed her first job at the end of Year 12 as a factory worker, which became a stop-gap until she started nursing at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital the following year.

“There wasn’t a lot to love about working in the factory, but as a rookie youngster in my first job, I loved the kindness of some older workers,” Susan said.

However, Susan hated working in the factory without any cooling in the peak of summer, and found some of the senior nursing staff to be quite scary. 

“In nursing, I loved knowing I helped someone feel a bit more comfortable whilst they were sick,” she said.

From nursing, she transitioned into the community sector and became a community volunteer.

One of her volunteering activities included supporting music, in particular, women in music. 

Susan was part of a small group who organised the first Women’s Music Festival in Australia in 1985. 

“That was so inspiring, I decided I had to find a way to work in the arts,” she said.

“After some study, I got employed as the cultural development officer at Liverpool City Council in Sydney.”

Susan became the first cultural planner in local government at Liverpool Council and went on to run her own consultancy for 24 years.

Now Susan is the executive director for the Southern Tablelands Art Inc and works across seven Highlands government areas where each day is filled with mixed tasks.

“I can start the day in the office, manage a professional development training program, commission an artist for a project, liaise with councils, write reports, work on a funding application, attend events and meetings, or give advice to artists,” she said.

“I love the engagement with artists and communities.

“There are so many fabulous creatives in the region,” Susan said.