Brooke Fitzgerald- Health and Lifestyle Coordinator (HLC)
“I haven’t worked in FIFO before, but joining Sodexo hasn’t been that daunting. FIFO is something I had wanted to do for ages. The freedom that I now have to work two weeks on, and then in my week off to travel has been incredible."
“I was actually coming off a ski season when I applied for Sodexo. I had just lived in a house with 18 other people and was kind of tired of the impermanence of the work,” Brooke said.
While I always wanted to get into FIFO, I kept telling myself, ‘next season’. I was waiting for the right time but realised that there is no such thing.”
Taking the leap in November 2021, Brooke found a sense of job stability in a few short months and, through this role, reignited her passion for fitness and people.
“I was actually studying nursing when I decided to challenge myself with a coaching course. From there I kind of stumbled into personal training. I found that teaching actually came quite naturally to me,” Brooke said.
Being a full-time personal trainer is difficult, but was something I still wanted to do. When looking for my next gig, I was really looking for a position where I could have a passion for helping people and teaching. And in my role with Sodexo, I can do that.”
To this day, conducting personal training programs is still one of Brooke’s favourite things to do on-site, but this is just one small part of her role.
In addition to gym and fitness sessions, Brooke coordinates social activities onsite and promotes community work which gives back the local community – in her second month, she spearheaded the Return and Earns scheme where the proceeds were given to a local women’s shelter. More recently, Brooke coordinated the donation of volleyballs to the Laynhapuy Homelands Aboriginal Corporation to be distributed within schools.
“I thought I knew what to expect, but I surprise myself every day,” Brooke said.
My advice for anyone considering FIFO is just to take the leap. There is so much to learn and experience from it.”
