We are very excited to welcome two new staff to SMART Recovery Australia. The first interview is with Tim Wade, our new SMART Project Officer.
- Welcome to SRAU! What attracted you to the organisation?
Thank you. My first interaction with SRAU was while I was undertaking a student internship at Mental Health Carers NSW, who share an office with the SMART recovery team, where I began to see the work SRAU were doing and the way in which the programme seeks to empower its participants. What attracted me most to SRAU is its commitment to providing evidence based programmes and tools that are accessible and relevant to everyone. Their ongoing commitment to developing tools which are evidence based is another aspect which resonated with me.
- What are you most looking forward to about your time here?
Mostly, I am looking forward to working with a highly skilled and diverse team with extensive experience in the AOD and not for profit sectors. There is a high level of skill and knowledge in the SRAU team that I am keen to tap into and learn from.
- If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?
Anyone that has even briefly met me knows I am obsessed with dogs. Hands down, my choice would be a dog. Their unique relationship with people and within society has always fascinated me, it would be very exciting to experience the life of a dog.
- Obviously this is the best place to work. What’s the weirdest job or work experience you’ve had, and why?
Having previously worked at a pharmaceutical company and being in charge of exports made for some very interesting conversations with some interesting people. One of the strangest experiences I had in the role was receiving a phone call, in the middle of the night, from a United Arab Emirates’ customs official asking what ‘feminine hygiene products’ were and why we were exporting them to the UAE. With some sleepy explanation of what they are used for and why they are important, the shipment was cleared.
