Analytical Researcher | Early Adopter | Global Citizen | Asia/Japan Specialist | Social Integrator

Why Japan
I am often asked about what started my interest in Japan. Well, like most things, my journey started with the first step.  In this instance that was a chance meeting with an exchange student at high school during year 10. While at the beginning of the year he could speak very little English, by then end he could converse quite freely. His diligent and steady approach to learning English created a ping of embarrassment deep inside me. “He can speak English….why the hell can’t I speak Japanese…” And so it began.

I quickly changed schools to start in a pilot program at the Orange College of TAFE called “Pathways” that not only offered Japanese language (which my high school did not), it provided practical skill development which I was also interested in.  Unfortunalty, while I graduated from the course with a Bar Operations certificate,  Accounts Clerical certificate, First Aid certificate and a Tourism and Hospitality certificate (Grade 2), the language teacher who taught Japanese for the course managed to “assist” each and every student fail 2 unit z (basic) Japanese.

Basically, this resulted in a lower than expected TER and non-acceptance into the courses I had applied for. Shocked into action, I decided that the thing that kept me from university was Japanese, so I needed to go to Japan and learn how to speak it properly. While it is normally not possible to organise an exchange program in less than 6 months, within three I had arrived in Japan thanks to the Tamworth branch of the Lions Club.

I was sent to Sasebo on the island of Kyushu in southern Japan. While there I attended both Japanese high school and primary school. My experience at both locations in con-junction with my experiences living with three different host families (all of which could not speak English) gave me the motivation I needed to develop. While I will not go into all of the experiences I had there, it is during this period that I developed foundational elements of Japanese language and culture that have pushed me along the path I am currently on.

Upon returning to Australia, I returned to my hospitality base by working for the Nikko Hotel Darling Harbor. There I developed my customer relation skills, and event management knowledge, while at certain times of the night, also playing the role as the only person on staff who could speak Japanese. After nearly a year there I found a position for greater pay and greater responsibility working for the Regent Hotel Sydney. I had decided at this point in my life that I was sold on the world of hospitality (which originally goes back to when I was on summer vacation, working at the Hyatt Hotel in Saipan.)

After a little over a year at the Regent, a family reunion was organised in Hawaii.

My association with the Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) started while I was still at university in December of 2003. Having just finished my Bachelor of Arts: Asian Studies at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), I was looking for something to increase my contact with the international relations community.

Motivated by my acceptance into the Masters of International Relations program, again at the UNSW, I searched Sydney for a group that I could become a part of that would inform me and provide me with contacts. When I found the AIIA, I could not believe the consistent dealings I would have with current and former members of DFAT, ONA, UN, amongst many other “acronyms’. More importantly, the content of the events was intriguing. It was the first time I had been granted access to informed, experienced and educated people from within the international relations sphere. The doors of this world were now opened to me.

Rather than just show up, I immediately put up my hand to help run events and do office administration under the watchful eye of Louisa Graham (the Executive Officer of the NSW branch). This in turn opened more doors for me to members on the council and to the event speakers.

My involvement in the AIIA took a giant leap forward in March of 2004 when I founded ACCESS along with a group of like minded individuals. To ensure smooth communication with the council concerning the events and developments of ACCESS, I was elected to joined the NSW branch board.

Through out my involvement with the council I have consistently done my part in moving the organisation forward. This position offered me the opportunity to gain the experiences associated with being on the board of a not for profit organisation, and through my positions on both the speakers committee and the website development committee, to participate in the day to day affairs of the branch.

With the international relations community now open to me, the connections and contacts that I made during this period continue to be very valuable. Representing ACCESS and the AIIA, I have attended many events at organisations such as the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) the Lowy Institute for International Policy and SafeGuarding Australia. I was also very privileged to attend the APEC Second Track Dialogue in Melbourne in 2007.

I will always be grateful for the development and experiences I had at the AIIA, and the support of those around me. Those experiences are now the platform from which I will start the next stage of my career and life.

Responsibilities/Experiences

• Engaged in group management, budget consultations, event management and planning future directions of the organisation.
• Increased the number of younger members attending AIIA events, ensuring the growth and survival of this important institution.
• Liaison between ACCESS and the council, enabling the promotion of new directions and potential solutions to existing issues.

Full Resume