Passionate people

Passion is a powerful driving force. When you’re a passionate person, you wear your heart on your sleeve. Being passionate person is challenging, sometimes heartbreakingly so. It means you lead with your heart, and you put it on the line more often than most.

JOHN-PAUL LANGBROEK MP

Member for Surfers Paradise, Shadow Minister for Seniors, Communities and Disability Services, Shadow Minister for Multiculturalism and Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Partnerships

I would love to shout this from the rooftops - I love where we live! I was born in The Netherlands and the family came to the Gold Coast when it was a small, disjointed town of 30,000 people. We lived in Nobby Beach and Southport (what is known as Chirn Park now before it became very trendy). My sister Kate, who has a high profile radio career and is also a regular on The Project and The Panel, and I went to Burleigh Heads State School. My father was a teacher there whilst Mum was an Avon lady. After completing my dentistry degree at the University of Queensland, I went to London where I met my wife Stacey. After spending three years in the UK, we decided to return and our three children were born here. We set up dental practices in Surfers Paradise and Ashmore which we ran until 2014. I was always interested in politics and in 2004, I was elected as the Member for Surfers Paradise in the Queensland Parliament. It’s been a great privilege to represent the local community, to work on behalf of all Gold Coasters, and to make it the best place to live, work, play and raise a family. Having travelled extensively around Queensland, Australia and the rest of the world, I proudly never miss a chance to spread the word wherever I go about about the best place on earth -‘The Fabulous Goldie’. Ours is a New World city filled with great people who live and work in a beautiful and safe environment. We are a true melting pot of migrants and locals welcoming all who come here and are prepared to ‘have a go’.

CATHERINE FITZSIMMONS

Territory Business Development & Relationships Manager, Currumbin Clinic

I am currently the Territory Business Development and Relationships Manager for the Currumbin Clinic. It is a long way from my first job at Sanity Music when I was 15. (There are still some songs I can’t listen to that were played on repeat.) It did teach me about customer service and being organised for work. That was fun as a teenager but the best job I had before working for Currumbin Clinic was as an Area Manager at Aldi. I loved having the autonomy to discover my skills and capabilities and I worked with some great people from around the world too.

My career to here has taken a few different paths but I became a registered nurse (RN). That was inspired by my Nan who was also a RN. She had such a caring nature while being so strong and independent in everything she did. She passed on some great advice to me that I still think of everyday. I have been asked for my best life and business advice and it is twofold. Try and find something to be grateful for in difficult times and in business if you can create a great work culture, staff will always go above and beyond. (I am tempted to say ‘Fake it ‘til you make it’ as a joke!) My move to the Gold Coast was in 2004 from Melbourne when my then boyfriend was here. That relationship didn’t last but I loved it so much I stayed here and ended up meeting my husband. I have made so many great friends and really love what I do at Currumbin Clinic so my life is good. I do have an unfulfilled ambition which is to write a non-fiction book but that will have to wait until my children are a bit older.

I was asked to finish this sentence for this article. Life is …. And my answer is ‘Always manageable with amazing girlfriends and champagne!’