In 2017, I retired from my professional role as social worker.
As a retired person my primary work now, is continuing to do the things I enjoy most. Given I've always enjoyed the paid work I've done (as well as the unpaid work I've done), my work is to now find similar enjoyment in what I do as a retiree. I therefore participate voluntarily in community resilience building following the 2019-20 Black Summer; transition planning with our community to transition away from relying on harvesting of old growth forests, given Victorian government policy this industry will finish in six months; finding strategies and solutions to affordable housing in our community etc.

In a more general sense, my primary tasks which I've set for myself are to:
1. Continue learning about myself
2. Doing things to help conserve, regenerate the planet across my life span; learning how to do this
3. Incremental improvements in how I relate to those around me, in any capacity
4. Using retirement to do things I didn't do while I was working full time and growing up our children.
5. Always exploring how to expand my own creativity
6. Being brave; growing my bravery
7. Finding interconnections between sun, moon, seasons, stars, water, fire, plants, animals, humans

1. Working alongside others in our community in a way that meets them where they are at
2. Reaching inside myself to do the things in Q.1. above
3. Using actions and behaviour to build Community that shows kindness, love, compassion and a system of governance that includes everyone.
4. Connecting my spirit and brain; do "listening with my eyes and seeing with my ears" (Tyson Yunkaporta)

1. Finding courage to be 'visible' in many different ways
2. Always trying to work out how to connect to Country, individually and as community.
3. Reflecting on and avoiding the mental habits of my colonial, invader history
4. Being able to see ways I unthinkingly, unknowingly and systematically contribute to disadvantaging others

1. Continually extending and growing in all the things in Q. 1., 2., and 3. above.
2. To be able to feel resolute when relating to people I perceive as having more power than myself
3. Able to reach out to those way outside my life and world experience, and ask them for help to learn, when I need this.
4. Not to feel diminished when my intuition tells me I'm experiencing hierarchical, elitist politics

I'm now retired from my professional career which was a stimulating and rewarding 37 years spanning: education; social and community work; and clinical child and adolescent mental health practice. So TRP series doesn't actually build directly and neatly on my professional experience.

TRP series is aligned with my teenage self, who aimed to be a life-long learner. It will expand and augment the understanding and knowledge I carry, and that I bring to who I am as a person.

...A lifetime (70 years) of experiences and learning! Every day; with every person; within myself. It's been an investment of time, effort, love, money, compassion, growth, grief, joy and more.
The 'formal' investment includes:
2007 Developmental Psychiatry Course (DPC), Melbourne University and Monash University partnership
2000-2003 Diploma of Financial Planning (Financial Services Competencies), Deakin University
1994-1998 Bachelor of Social Work, Monash University
1978 Graduate Diploma in Special Education, Melbourne Institute of Education
1970-1972 Diploma of Teaching (Primary), Melbourne Teachers College
'Informal' investment includes exploring the application of this knowledge (in my professional and personal life) in a way that's consistent with my professional and personal values.

There's no single person who has remained important to my thinking across my whole life. I've been influenced by different people at different ages and stages of my life and learning. The weight of importance of those listed below, as well as others not listed, shifted and changed across my life.
My maternal grandfather (a teacher) and my mother (also a teacher) were important thinkers to me during my early life.
1. As a very young woman I was heavily influenced by Ivan Illich ("Deschooling Society"); Rachel Carson; Paul Erlich; Marshall McLuhan; Val Yule ("What Happens to Children"); Murial James & Dorothy Jongward ("Born to Win").
2. As a parent Maurice Balson ("Becoming Better Parents") was important to me.
3. As an emerging social worker Jan Fook and Jim Ife were very important in shaping my thinking.
4. As a Child & Adolescent Mental Health clinician, the clinical supervision of Child & Adolescent Psychiatrists in Victoria: Dr George Halasz; Dr Don Bornstein; and Dr Julie Stone were critically important in my life and how I integrated personal values, academic knowledge, clinical skills and practice frameworks into my work with each person/family.
5. Working in the NT in 2009-2012, the NT Children's Commissioner Dr. Howard Bath was very important. Also the mentoring, knowledge and thinking of Kylie Stothers, Jawoyn woman born and raised in Katherine, Northern Territory, social worker and now Deputy Chairperson of Indigenous Allied Health Australia was hugely important.
6. In retirement Dr. Mary Graham UQ; Mary Crooks, Victorian Women's Trust; Ross Williams, Senior Cultural Leader and Campaign Ambassador for Yarns Heal.

Finding the interconnections between myself (spiritual, cultural, physical, social) and between sun, moon, seasons, stars, water, fire, plants, animals, humans. Albert Einstein is said to have expressed it as "look deep into nature and then you will understand everything better". I believe in the philosophy of Earth Jurisprudence.