Jacqueline’s drive to change her life
Jacqueline relocated to NSW from WA in 2020 to live with her sister.
Living outside Wagga Wagga it was a 20-minute drive to Holbrook and 25-minutes to Albury. Jacqueline didn’t have a Driver’s Licence so she was dependent on her sister for transport to job interviews.
Jacqueline was open to work in any industry and applied for several roles in retail, hospitality and cleaning. She gained many interviews however none proved successful. This started to impact her self-esteem and depression. Jacqueline continued through this rough period with a positive outlook that she would find a job and her age wouldn’t stop her.
As she searched for work, Jacqueline undertook a medical to gain her Licence back. After 6-months of reliance of her sister, she regained her full Licence and her independence back. Jacqueline was eager to travel anywhere for employment.
A cleaning role at the local Hotel became available and Jacqueline was the successful applicant! She loved the job as her passion was is commercial cleaning. With the Hotel fully booked out for the next 12-months by logging truck drivers, Jacqueline was responsible for 17 rooms each day.
After working her first month as a Cleaner, Jacqueline was offered more work in the bar if she could gain her RSA/RGC. Jacqueline was over the moon and couldn’t be happier with her employment trajectory.
Over time, the relationship between Jacqueline and her broke down and Jacqueline became homeless. Jacqueline’s boss was able to offer her a room at the Hotel so that she could continue her employment with them, as everyone was impressed with her skills and how she had helped improved the rooms and guest feedback.
Jacqueline stayed at the hotel for 6 weeks but due to her having a pet dog and the hotel couldn’t keep them any longer. She applied for several rental homes in the Holbrook township without success. With the only house offered being in Culcairn – a 25-minute drive from Holbrook and her full-time job.
Jacqueline accepted the house, having saved 6-weeks of rent in advance. She moved in with no furniture and slept on the floor for the first month. Jacqueline mentioned that she didn’t care about her furniture as she needed the house first. She was offered a bed from a work mate and she has continued to furnish her home each payday. The Sureway Wagga Wagga team were also able to provide financial support to Jacqueline during this time to help with food, rent and fuel.
The next hurdle for Jacqueline came in form of transport. Without a car, the 31km distance between the towns was too great. In a stroke of luck, her boss was away for 6 weeks on annual leave and allowed her to use his car.
As time went on Jacqueline knew that she was going to find herself unemployed again due to transport. Her health took a hit and she ended up in hospital for a few days due to the stress.
Desperate not to lose her job that she loved, Jacqueline reached out to Consultant Debra in Wagga for assistance. The team reviewed a number of options for Jacqueline but settled on the only solution that seemed right – assist her to get her own car.
When she received the keys to her new car, Jacqueline was overwhelmed with joy and tears. More than just a car, this meant she could keep her employment and by extension, her home.
Jacqueline said that she will be forever grateful to her Sureway Wagga team Ashleigh, Kate and Debra.
