THE NAMES MAY CHANGE, BUT THE STORY CONTINUES : MEMBER BEHIND THE BADGE
John Wolmersley is a great father and a family man. He also volunteers at the RSPCA. His wife, Andrea, comes from a Lebanese Maranite Christian family. Photos from his wedding give us lots of details, from the Arabic language to placing many coloured streamers around the bride and groom as they danced at their wedding.
John is a very practical person, who learned these skills working beside his father, a mechanical engineer. Being active and making things is an essential part of his life. Although he has very fond memories of this time in kindergarten, he recalled, as the years went by, that he was not academic. He made the choice to turn his mind , and studies, to business. However, by the time he reached VCE, he did not obtain what was required to undertake an accounting course. Instead, he went to Holmesglen, and undertook a bridging course in accounting. After Holmesglen, he went to Deakin University in Burwood. At the height of the recession, in the eighties, he continued to apply for jobs in accounting. His first job was at Harry Heaths in Balwyn.
Eventually, John gained a job at AMEV Insurance. There, he implemented and improved a direct debit system which was not functioning properly. Fortis bought AMEV, and rationalised all the departments. It was full of young people, all around the same age. John became a Team Leader in the Accounts Department, along with access to many leadership courses.
CGU took over Fortis. Many people were made redundant as result of this business takeover. John was directed to Swann Insurance - moving it from St Kilda to Melbourne. This was the beginning of John's project management career.
He met his wife, Andrea, at work and they had a daughter, Penny. She, now fifteen years old, is a student at Strathcona. He also has a cat, named Astra and a dog, named Molly, as well as two birds.
While IAG has bought out CGU, it has sustained a consistent team of people. Eventually, IAG began offshoring administrative jobs. John took a redundancy and six months later, returned as a contractor. During that time, he experienced a lot of stress and then came COVID19.
Andrea, his wife, has worked with technology and works from home via the computer. John has become the household dad, and spends a lot of time with his daughter, Penny. As a result of the long hours of work, Andrea does, he began to seek out opportunities in volunteering. After visiting The Rotary Club of Canterbury stand at the Boroondara Volunteer Expo, John very happily joined us.
