With a rich life experience that saw him live in Western Australia for a period of time, Nick said “knowing all the people here” is what motivated him to return to his roots.
“My father was a paramedic for close to 40 years here in Bendigo, so I grew up at the old ambulance station as a kid. We would constantly be interacting with medical staff and clinical staff,” Nick said.
“There are constant connections; every day you find someone else that you have grown up with in Bendigo.”
Nick has always been invested in leading people to success. He has spent time working in the prison system, more specifically in adult education and rehabilitation of prisoners to get back into the workforce.
Through these experiences he has moved through the ranks into facility management, which is what led him to his current role as Facility Manager for Downer.
The Bendigo Hospital Project was delivered as a public-private partnership (PPP), with Downer being engaged by Exemplar Health to maintain facilities as part of this contract.
Nick oversees a team within Downer that takes care of various trades, projects, assets and security for Bendigo Health.
Downer completed 23,661 reactive maintenance jobs servicing Bendigo Health in 2023, so Nick often has his hands full ensuring the facilities are kept to a high standard.
“I’ve got a bit of an eye for detail, so I am constantly looking around for things that may need addressing,” Nick said.
“When I walk in here I am pretty proud of how our hospital looks, and that’s a reflection on our team and Downer’s commitment to maintain this facility.”
Although early on in his career at Downer, having commenced in April of last year, his proudest work-related achievement is managing the volume of maintenance tasks and modifications that arise each week.
”It can be a logistical task to make sure we achieve all the tasks within very short timeframes, but I am proud of my team and how we are going with all the requests,” Nick said.
Nick’s ability to succeed in his role has been enabled by positive relationships between stakeholders.
“I think the relationship is really strong at the moment between Downer, Bendigo Health and Exemplar Health,” Nick said.
These relationships continue outside of the workplace for Nick, having solidified friendships primarily through local sport and community groups.
His wife also works for Bendigo Health in People and Culture, so there is certainly never a day without a familiar face within these walls.
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