PR consultant and QA researcherStarted work in mid July 2014 as a "Mentoring Camps Project Officer" researching material and interviewing participants to write a policy & procedure manual. The outcome of this contract also recommended strategic directions for the viability and sustainability of a valued camp "mentoring" program for the children of prisoners (one of the most vulnerable groups in our society). It drew together corporations and community groups who were also committed to funding worthwhile causes. My role concluded in February 2015. I have since worked on a safety issue concerning helmets and falls and also suicide prevention to name a few.I enjoy the rewards of volunteering with the SES and a Local Ambulance Committee immensely. There tends to be a bit of PR in everything I do and there's nothing more rewarding than "raising the bar" to achieve a positive outcome for one's community.

Followed QA and standard operating (SOP) procedures to ensure that the company's domestic & export meat products were loaded/unloaded according to stated requirements. Worked closely with DAFF (formerly AQIS) officials; kept photographic records and conducted specification & temperature checks. Completed meat transfer certificates. Liaised with supervisors, other QA officers and plant management. Prior processing experience in the boning room.

Did work experience for Eric White Associates in Adelaide and started my career with Burson-Marstellar. Joined G.W. Holden & Associates then APR - Associated Public Relations (the PR arm of DMB&B advertising). Was later appointed deputy general manager of Royce MS&L in Adelaide. Then transferred to the company's Melbourne office.Distinguished myself by scoring front page and back page lead stories for the same client in a matter of weeks without having any "Melbourne-based" media contacts. I had only just arrived in Melbourne and relied on my creativity and news sense to grab the required attention. Thanks to the support of my colleagues at Royce the near impossible was achieved.Vanessa Hein & Associates was formed soon after my return to Adelaide. Worked chiefly with a consortium of talented professionals to try to secure South Australia's 2nd AFL licence. Port Adelaide won; the consortium of teams, unfortunately, lost. Then headed to Darwin to take up the biggest PR challenge of my life: confronting low staff morale/poor media relations ahead of an upcoming election. My appointment coincided with that of Dr Len Notaras' who was privy to media speculation and disasters -- the Newcastle earthquake disaster to name one.Returned from Darwin in late 1997 to be close to my ailing parents. Edited fiction books and supplemented my income in between assignments by doing manual labour in the fruit industry. That paved the way for a change in direction - quality assurance.

Sole PR officer at Royal Darwin Hospital - responsible for internal & external communication, media & staff relations, newsletter, brochure & annual report preparation. Assisted the Hospital Auxiliary and wards with fundraising initiatives. Wrote speech notes and briefings for the Health Minister and departmental heads. Provided informal media training and advice to the hospital's medical superintendent Dr Len Notaras (the official spokesperson) on an on-going basis. Contributed to the NT Health Department's vast range of publications.Further note: Integral to my PR career, I have served on the state councils of the Public Relations Institute of Australia (also elected SA President); the Australian Marketing Institute; and was also a member of the Marketing Communications Seminar Committee (MARCOM). All on a voluntary basis.In 1985, I was one of 100 people chosen to participate in: "Future Perspectives -- A Forum for Young Australians". (A project of The Queen Elizabeth 11 Silver Jubilee Trust for Young Australians "...aimed at bringing together young Australians regarded as potential leaders from widely diverse segments of the community and providing an opportunity for them to gain an understanding of the complex issues facing Australia and the ways in which each can contribute towards Australia's future.)