For twenty-five-year-old Kelsey Petherick the journey to business ownership started as school-based trainee at St Agnes’ Catholic Parish in 2014. 

Kelsey did her traineeship through Newman Senior Technical College as part of her Higher School Certificate (HSC), which she completed in 2015. For the work placement component of her studies, she began work with St Agnes’ Catholic Parish as a trainee in their Human Resources (HR) section in August 2014.  

“On the spur of the moment, I decided to go for an interview for the traineeship with the Parish… I remember on the day of the interview it was my birthday and I was so excited when I was the successful applicant,” says Kelsey. 

“When I started my traineeship, I already had a part time job at Best & Less so I would work till 4pm at the Parish then do my shift at Best & Less from 5pm till 9pm,” she adds.  

“One of the fantastic things about the traineeship was that I got paid for the day I worked at the Parish, which gave me a sense of security and helped me build my independence.” 

“Working at the Parish was different from my other work experiences, it felt like a family.” 

“The team and my supervisors were great – very helpful and patient, they helped me learn from my mistakes in a positive way,” says Kelsey. 

Kelsey graduated in December 2015 with her HSC, a Certificate II in Business, and a Statement of Attainment in Human Resources. At the time, Kelsey thought her career would see her in Business Administration. 

After completing her traineeship, Kelsey continued working with the Parish as a casual Admin Assistant in Human Resources in early 2016.  

In March of that year, the Parish offered Kelsey a life-changing opportunity to work full-time as a foundational member of the Parish’s newly formed Communications & Marketing team in the role of Communications & Marketing Admin Assistant. 

“I started out doing mainly administration tasks but was gradually given more responsibility and more opportunities to develop my skills.” 

“I have enjoyed developing my skills in web-based software, working on the Parish Intranet site and its social media platforms”. 

For evidence of the Kelsey’s enthusiasm and dedication look no further than the St Agnes’ Catholic Parish Facebook page which has grown, under her care, from zero to 1.7k followers since its launch in February 2019.  

She is also a key member of the editorial/production team that produces a weekly email newsletter and Fr Paul Gooley’s Gospel Reflections (6 days a week) for over 1,000 parish staff and nearly 300 parishioners. 

Always willing to learn and to try new things, Kelsey jumped at the opportunity to branch out creatively into filming, editing, and producing video content for the Parish.  

“I am really proud the video production work I have been involved with such as the recording and production of two short films for the Focus on Ability film festival, and the Parish’s ‘People with Purpose’ Series,” says Kelsey. 

During the 7 years since Kelsey took on the Communications & Marketing role, she has grown in confidence and experience, set new goals, and moved in the direction of her dreams. 

In September 2018, she decided to pursue a desire to learn more about nutrition and health and, combining full time work and study, a year later she had completed a Diploma of Health Science via long distance education with Torrens University.  

Encouraged by this success and her passion for the subject, in September 2019, Kelsey embarked on study for Bachelor of Health Sciences majoring in Naturopathy. As the demands of study grew Kelsey was able to re-negotiate her employment contract with the Parish using flexible hours to work 5 days in four and reduced them further later on when she needed more time for her work placements. She eventually reduced her work hours to three days a week so she could travel to Sydney each week to complete the final clinical phase of her degree.  

Kelsey completed her degree in December 2022 and will celebrate more fully at an official graduation ceremony in June 2023. Throughout the period of her study, she has maintained a high level of dedication and achievement in her work with Parish. 

While studying, Kelsey set herself the goal of building a business profile (The Intuitive Studio) so that, once qualified, she could open her own practice. In February 2023, Kelsey’s dream became a reality when she opened consulting rooms 2 days a week at Port Health, 32/38 Clifton Drive in Port Macquarie.  

“I am so grateful for the opportunities and support I have been given at St Agnes’ Catholic Parish. Without the Parish’s support when I needed to re-negotiate my work hours it would have been so much more difficult for me to complete the practical part of my degree,” says Kelsey. 

“In general, my whole experience as a trainee was good and I would recommend it to others.”  

“If I was to offer advice to anyone contemplating a similar pathway, it would be to stay curious and keep asking questions because you never know where it will take you or what opportunities it might bring” concluded Kelsey. 

Kelsey will be leaving the Parish soon to embark on new adventures, including a trip to Europe. We wish Kelsey well for the future and thank her for her hard work and dedication during her time with the Parish.