Celebrating women in business.
#ChooseToChallenge
Tee and Natalie prove gender is no barrier By Mel Jaunay There’s a certain a look of incredulity that Angaston Motors and RAA mechanics, Tee Oxer and Natalie Brazier are used to being greeted with at roadside call-outs. “You get out the car and they go, oh, okay, it’s a girl!” explained 23-year-old Tee with a laugh. “You get the surprise and then they want a little bit of your life story, which is nice.” It’s fair to have an interest in the careers of these two Barossa women, who are among only a handful of female mechanics driving for the RAA, and within a minority in their industry. Born with a touch of hereditary grease lubricating their veins, both knew from a young age that cars were going to be part of their future. “I think it was inevitable really,” said Natalie, who at 38, has recently returned to the workforce after taking time out to have children. “We used to go to the drags on the weekends. Dad used to pit crew for Graeme Cowin, and I was all of eight or nine, and it was my job to clean the dragsters. “I think it was going to happen whether I liked it or not!” Likewise Tee was inspired to pick up the tools by her grandfather, Ernest, a diesel mechanic who worked on busses in England. “Growing up, I’d see all his photos of the massive workshops,” said Tee. “He’d show me pictures of the all the double decker busses and he’d say we did this and did that. It was really cool to listen to.” Both women swapped school books for practical work as teenagers, forgoing Year 12 in favour of apprenticeships. Natalie completed her training through the Motor Trade Association, with stints at Holden and CMI Toyota. Te e w a s o f f e r e d h e r apprenticeship at Nuriootpa Automotive, completing one week per month at TAFE over four years. The women share a laugh at being the “only girl” in their
worry “ Don’t about what
anyone else thinks, if it makes you happy, go for it.
”
– Natalie Brazier
Mechanics, Tee Oxer and Natalie Brazier. respective classes, but say it was never a problem fitting in. “You come into the workshop, and it’s so much fun. I don’t think there is a day I haven’t laughed, which is the greatest thing,” Tee said. “You can have the worst job where nothing is going right for you, but then you get the banter and it just makes it all worthwhile.” Natalie agrees that, for the most part, being female has made no difference to her acceptance within
a team. “You don’t feel any different until someone points it out,” she said. The women note that most of the pressure to succeed they put upon themselves, which is self-evident in their work ethic and high attention to detail, but if there is any greater expectation, perhaps surprisingly, it comes from outside the industry, rather than within. “There’s pressure to be good at what you do, but then a little bit more because you’ve got to prove
yourself somewhat because there are those customers that will go, she’s a chick,” Tee said. “It’s in one ear and out the other, because I know some people are set in their ways. “Times are changing, but they’re not changed.” On the flip side, Tee has built such a rapport with other customers that they specifically ask for her. “You know that you’re good at what you do if they request you to
work on their car,” she said with a smile. Tee and Natalie, and other trailblazing women like them, are proof that gender does not need to be a barrier to any particular career or industry. “Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks, if it makes you happy, go for it,” Natalie said. And perhaps next time you call the RAA and a capable female mechanic hops out the van, try not to look too surprised.
Juncken Builders and Joinery
Gemma Schrapel and Sophie Watson.
BLD 272 559
26 - “The Leader”, Wednesday, March 3, 2021
WE’RE PROUD TO EMPLOY A TEAM OF LOCAL, DEDICATED & PASSIONATE TRADES PEOPLE TO ENSURE YOUR NEXT BUILD IS OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY. DR20230
Tell us a bit about your business... Describe your role. Gemma: I am an officer administrator for our joinery workshop at Juncken Builders and Joinery. We are very much a versatile company that provides products and services in many areas of joinery and building. My role is to handle administration duties in the joinery as well as the management of our social media and website. Sophie: I’m a cabinet maker at Juncken Builders and Joinery. We’re an allrounder company that offers and supports you with everything you need in construction and building, from house renovations to shop fit-outs. My role is to create and construct cabinetry for kitchens,
bathrooms, laundries, living rooms, bedrooms and more - I have been taught skills and knowledge that enables me to be versatile with what an individual would want created. I love my job because I can create a work from start to finish and then be able to install it on site, enabling me to see the outcome of what I have made with my own hands. In your opinion, why do you think it’s important to recognise women in business? Gemma: It is important as it throws away stigmas, it highlights that there are successful women in business, especially in industries that are stereotypically viewed for men. I think it is powerful to recognise women in business as it leads the path for young women to be inspired and feel like their future career opportunities are more vast than they would initially think. Sophie: I am all about equality. Anything a man can do, I can do too. The females out there proving themselves everyday deserve the same recognition. I work hard to keep up with the boys I work with so that I am able to be given the same opportunities that they are given, I earn it just as much. I strive to be just as good, if not better.
8562 2983
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4 Kalimna Rd, Nuriootpa
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www.jbandj.com.au