The following interview is by OC Connections’ participant Aidan, who is interviewing OC Connections’ staff as part of a new program whereby we engage participants as champions of OC Connections. This program matches participant goals with potential opportunities in our Marketing and Communications team. You can read more about Aidan’s role in getting this pilot program up and running here.
I interviewed Rob Easy, Team Leader of Short-Term Accommodation (STA) on the 18th of May 2022.
As Team Leader of Short-Term Accommodation Rob supports participants to access respite.
He has been working for 3-and-a-half years at OC Connections, so a long time.
Before COVID, Rob was a Team Leader for one of OC Connections’ houses. He said, “For almost 3 years I was Team Leader at a house with 5 participants and managed a team of almost 10 people.”
Rob said that he can transfer his skills from community living and use them in Short-Term Accommodation.
Before OC Connections, Rob worked for an agency. He had an opportunity to work at different organisations and was able to see how different companies worked. He worked at OC Connections during this time and said he really enjoyed working there, so he applied for a job.
When talking about his job in STA, Rob said he enjoys that every day is different.. He has regular participants that come 1-2 times a week. “Different people are staying every night. They get to do different activities. It’s about engaging people in activities and independent living skills.”
Rob starts his shift in the afternoon. He said, “I check to see who is staying. Most go to work or to the day program. I can provide transport for them. We have activities like going to the movies, walks, dinner, and we support them to make their own dinner. Everyone has different levels of skills, so we provide active support and encourage people to be as independent as possible. The afternoons are very chilled. We have two TV areas, and we have an outdoors area.”
Rob said, “It’s really great when people come into STA. People tell us their goals such as cooking a meal or doing their own laundry. It is very person centred for each individual who comes to STA.”
Rob spends half of his administration time working from home and half of his administration time working in the house. He said working from home gives him space and more flexibility to catch up on his admin work. He said, “I can jump into last minute meetings such as this interview”.
The other part of Rob’s job is working in the STA house. He said, “I do about 2 sleep-overs a week”.
When Rob isn’t working he said that his great passion is travelling. He spent most of his 20’s travelling. Rob said that he has travelled a lot and that he thinks that his favourite place that he has ever been to is India. He travelled there in 2015. Rob said he has roots in India as his grandfather was from India. He said, “It was great to see where he was raised. It is completely different to any place I’ve ever been. The people are amazing. The food is amazing. I really enjoyed my time there.”
Rob was in India and Sri Lanka for 6 weeks. He said that was not enough time because they are huge countries. He started in Mumbai, then went to Goa, then took a 13-hour train ride to Kerala. He said, “When you go from one side to the other the language changes, the food changes, and the weather changes.”
Rob’s proudest achievement is when he relocated to Australia from London in the UK. He came here travelling six years ago, and he never left. He bought a house and settled down. Rob said it’s a beautiful life that he leads and that he was proud that he moved from the UK to Australia. He has been here for nearly 6 years. When he was in the UK he trained in nursing. He left at the end of his second year to go travelling so never went back, but he has no regrets. He is in much more person centred work which he really enjoys.
Rob’s hobbies are socialising with friends and eating out at nice restaurants. He likes checking out new bars in Melbourne. He also enjoys watching movies, reading, and going out.
Rob’s favorite musical right now is called Jagged Little Pill which is based on an album by Alanis Morissette. It’s a coming-of-age musical. He said, “I don’t think that they are touring anymore, but if they come back, I definitely recommend seeing it.”
Rob’s favourite TV Show is a British show called Gavin & Stacy which is set in Wales. Rob’s father was from Wales, and he spent a lot of time there when he was young. He said, “I love the accents, the backdrop, and the storyline. I recommend it. It’s on Stan.”
Rob likes older movies. He likes The Goonies and The Flight of the Navigator.
I really enjoyed interviewing Rob on-line, and I hope that I will stay at the Short-Term Accommodation house soon and meet him in person.
