Finding myself: Shane’s journey to support work
Shane is one of the male Support Workers from the Coral Coast Team. Finding support work changed Shane’s life in ways he could never have imagined.
Before support work, Shane worked in construction in the Whitsundays. He had always been a hands-on worker. Before construction, he’d been a mechanic by trade and even tried his hand at dairy farming for a couple of years.
Construction was hard work, but Shane was working with land he felt deeply connected to. During one contract, he was instructed to fell some trees during one of his construction jobs, but it didn’t sit well with him.
Shane didn’t know it then, but the felling of that land marked the beginning of a dark chapter in his life. Not long after, he fell ill. He spent the next seven years battling a mysterious illness that no doctors could help him with.
“I was burnt out and sick and needed something different – some way to heal,” Shane recalled. He knew he had to make a change.
Recovering
Shane returned to Western Australia, hoping that the familiar landscape would offer the solace and healing he needed.
As he settled into life in Geraldton, Shane started to recover. It was during this time of healing that he stumbled upon an advertisement that caught his eye. It asked, ‘do you enjoy boating, camping, and fishing?’ It seemed like a simple question, but for Shane, it was the opportunity he was looking for, but hadn’t realised he’d needed.
Being outdoors had always brought him joy and these activities made him feel most alive.
Intrigued, Shane checked out the opportunity and discovered Avivo! The idea of support work was new to Shane, but the more he learned, the more it appealed to him. Here was a chance to connect with people, to help them with their health and happiness, just as he had helped himself.
“I’ve found myself since doing this work,” Shane said, with a sense of peace he has found through the work he does.
“It was like everything fell into place. I was meant to do this.”
Today, Shane is a much-admired Avivo Support Worker who brings his love for the outdoors, his infectious positivity and his empathy for others into his daily work.
He takes his customers fishing and biking, sharing his love for the outdoors with others. He’s seen the positive impact it has, not just on them, but also on himself.