When fate stepped in

It was perhaps fate that landed Crystal Mather her dream job, but it is her sheer motivation and desire to help young women that will keep her in the role until hopefully – in her own words – she is 85.

The 37-year-old admits a career as a support worker was never in her sights, but in landing the job at Milligan Community Learning and Resource Centre Crystal has ignited a passion she never realised she had.

“I’ve found that working with teenage and young mums, I didn’t know but I have a fair bit of passion there for young people,” Crystal said.

It was on a bit of a whim that Crystal landed the job after being a receptionist with the centre for about six months and then deciding she would “just go for it” for the resume and interview experience.

“I ended up landing the job which was really awesome because now it’s something I want to pursue and keep going with and learn more about,” she said.

Crystal works with teenage and young mothers through the centre’s program called Nixi – meaning goddess of childbirth in Latin.

Crystal admits it was confronting at first, but she has quickly adapted after 18 months in the job.

“You learn skills to deal with things that you might hear and I guess when you haven’t dealt with that stuff before, you sort of go ‘oh god’ and shy away from it,” she said.

“But the more you are involved in it the more you just become more empathetic and a bit more understanding.”

And while she laughs off any childhood aspirations of being a support worker, her approachable and captivating manner makes it obvious Crystal has truly found her calling.

“It’s not something I imagined myself doing, but I’ve always liked helping friends through stuff,” Crystal laughs.

“I don’t know what I thought I’d be doing, but no I never thought of this.

“I didn’t think I’d be able to handle it, but I’ve surprised myself.”

Her working life is only a snapshot of her world, as a student completing a certificate four in youth work, mother of two young boys and bookkeeper for her husband’s concreting business, Crystal admits juggling her multiple roles brings its challenges.

But it is her boys – aged three and four – that keep her going.

“It is very hard and I do feel guilty sometimes doing it, because they’re so little still,” she said.

“I still want to be able to be there for them but I have to look at the big picture and what I’m working towards and it’s for them in the long run.

“I’ve just got to look at the big picture and I just want to show the boys that you’re never too old to do what you want to do.”

Growing up on King Island – a little island off Tasmania in the middle of Bass Strait – it was again fate that landed Crystal in Bunbury.

“We were travelling around Australia and we ran out of money so we stopped in Bunbury,” Crystal laughs.

“So we were stopping for three months to make money and keep going and 10 years later, a house, a business, two kids, two dogs and yeah, we’ll finish that trip one day … hopefully.”

But for now Crystal has her eyes set on getting to university and becoming a fully qualified psychiatrist so she continue to help young people.

She cannot praise the work Milligan does enough with the centre aiming to combat the “growing concern” of social isolation in Bunbury.

“It’s growing at a rapid rate, people feeling like that and the suicide rate, anxiety, depression, all of that and we just think it’s a massive community problem,” Crystal said.

And while she said she was lucky in always having support and confidence at the other end of the spectrum, it is clear Crystal does draw on personal experiences to now help others.

“My sister has suffered it a little, but I actually thought depression and anxiety were a choice and I just couldn’t figure out why she just wouldn’t get herself out of this mood that she was in,” Crystal said.

“And it took me to work at Milligan and to be mentored there to realise that it’s not a choice and it is a real concern in our society these days.”