Day 12: Nat's gold and black webs

As the days progress writing the blog, I realise that there is a golden thread running through my life, creating a web that links together all the important people in it. Today's earrings symbolise it well, both because of their design, and because of the person who gave them to me.

Natalie Galea gave these gorgeous earrings to me as a gift last month for my 50th birthday. (Indeed, she spoilt me, giving me two pairs, the other silver pair equally lovely, to be displayed in a future post). The earrings have two separate pieces attached to a hook. The bottom layer is a black teardrop shaped piece of metal each stamped with an almost imperceptible impression - one with a bee, another with a fern. Layered on top is a filigree golden weave/web. Sitting on top of each other, the black gives the gold definition. They move beautifully.


The earrings were made by Nat's multi-talented friend, Phillippa Caremolla. Phillippa not only makes stunning jewellery (click on the link to see her work), she is also an industrial designer who has recently completed a PhD at UNSW in accessible design for older people and those living with a disability. 

Suzie and Pete

Natalie entered my orbit about 4 years ago, after I received a phone call from my aunty Suzie (who I'm emulating with my current haircut, and who I've mentioned wears great hoops), a hairdresser, who was at the time living in Dubai with my uncle Pete (more about these two special people in futures posts). Natalie, a Sydney native, had been living in Dubai working as a project manager on big construction projects across the Middle East and Africa, and first met Suzie when she became Nat's hairdresser; they then struck up a close friendship which endures to this day. Nat explained to Suzie that she was looking for a change, a chance to reflect on her experiences as a woman professional in a male dominated industry, and was keen to undertake a PhD. When Suzie told Nat she had a niece who worked on gender issues at UNSW, Nat asked her to put us contact and she came to see me on her next visit to Sydney. At our first meeting I was struck by Nat's passion for her project, her intelligence and sense of humour - three essential ingredients to do a PhD - and was also dazzled by her smile and style. I happily agreed to take her on as one of my PhD students. 

Nat receiving her NAWIC award

I had no idea at the time just how accomplished Nat is: not only skilled in the arts of project management, she's a judo champion, representing Australia at the Olympics, and an amazing cook. Nat's very close to finishing her PhD  - today we spent time morning working through one of the key chapters - and I know she has a brilliant career in front of her. Nat's an achiever, she can't help herself: during her PhD she's received numerous awards from our university for best PhD student in her faculty, and industry recognition. Here she is being awarded a hammer (!) and scholarship by the national construction industry body for excellence in research. Nat's also become an important friend of our family, revered by the boys for many reasons including for being the best pizza maker in the entire world, and adored by Molly dog.

Lou on site, 2015

In the past three years, Nat and I have been on a fabulous journey together, working with colleagues Abi Powell and Martin Loosemore, studying why so few women professionals enter, progress and stay in the Australian construction industry. We chose to go 'undercover' using ethnographic methods which saw us shadowing industry professionals on site to find out what really goes on in their daily life. The project, especially the method, has been revelatory and pushed me to think in exciting new ways about how to do research. Here I am on site one day. There is a long story about why I was the only person among about 2000 employees on site that day wearing a pink breast cancer hat  -  given my recent rant about this pinkness, you can imagine how I felt wearing it -  but as a good observer I made no fuss, leaving my reflections to our analysis! 

Launch of project, AHRC Dec 2016

In our project, we worked with the Australian Human Rights Commission, who sponsored a launch of the findings at their head office on 7 December last year. The photo captures our team, with the current Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Kate Jenkins. The project launch received lots of media attention, including a great interview with Nat, who really drove the project, in the Australian Financial Review with a photo of her looking very cross about the parlous state of affairs!

After the launch Nat and I had great fun being interviewed by James Valentine on ABC Radio about the project. You can listen here. The golden thread ran through this experience too, with my dear friend and radio producer extraordinaire Jen Fleming setting up the interview for us. 

Reflecting back on that launch from this vantage is really interesting. The event took place on Wednesday, I'd had a biopsy on Monday and was waiting anxiously on the results. On Tuesday, Nat's Dad had had a minor heart attack and was in hospital. Abi was managing a little bub, just returning to work after maternity leave. It reminds me how our personal worlds collide with our public ones for all of us, every day. For me, it was a blessing that week having the distraction of the launch and other work commitments. But sometimes the boundaries between home and work don't or can't hold, and as our construction work found, it leads to terrible stresses in peoples lives. The mental health costs of this are huge. 

On Day 12 I'm feeling so grateful for the golden thread that links me to Suzie and Pete, to Nat, to Jen and beyond. 

My scalp seems to be calming down, but with new small patches of baldness appearing. Aside from some fatigue, I'm otherwise well. I hope it holds into the next week, before the next infusion on Valentine's Day. If someone could just TURN DOWN THE HEAT!!!