Meet Eloise: Depot Supervisor

I am responsible for ensuring our council depots run smoothly and safely on a day to day basis, providing a safe and comfortable workplace for our employees.

The depots are split between Civil (roads, footpaths, drainage) and Open Space (horticulture and biodiversity), and I help behind the scenes taking care of the field staff for both, at multiple locations.

I process the invoices for anything coming out of the depot, but I also make sure the field staff have their uniforms, PPE and any equipment they need to do their jobs. The role is quite diverse so I could be doing a range of different tasks on any given day.

My dad works in local government, and it always seemed like a great place to grow a career. I started out doing a horticulture apprenticeship with the City of Adelaide, but unfortunately Covid hit and that wiped out all the apprentices at the time.

After exploring a few other interests – real estate, disability support, some horticulture work for a private company – I found my way back through a customer service role at the Adelaide Hills Council.

"Everyone is encouraging and supportive, and happy to let you go and get on with doing a good job."

One of the things I really like about local council is that there are lots of opportunities to try different things that you might not have ever thought of. They ask for expressions of interest for short-term positions, and those can lead to a totally different career.

When this role came up on our Hub, I thought it sounded like a great fit for both sides of my skill set – the admin and the outdoors – so I applied and got accepted.

I like being responsible for myself day to day. There’s a lot of room for organising and improving the processes in this role, and I think that’s something I’ve got a knack for, so I’ve really enjoyed it so far.

It’s a happy working environment, and I’ve had a very good experience with the Adelaide Hills Council. There’s a great work–life balance, my manager is very flexible with hours, and they’ve been very accommodating and supportive of me while I’ve been pregnant.

I feel very comfortable and accepted, which I think is very important in a workplace. Councils generally want to see their staff succeed, and it feels very genuine. Everyone is encouraging and supportive, and happy to let you go and get on with doing a good job.

Council has come a long way from the old beliefs people had about the work. When I started in horticulture, people would make comments about being an outdoor council worker – ‘So, you lean on a shovel all day’, that sort of thing. But it’s very different to that. And there are so many opportunities once you’re in – they really look after their employees.

It’s a great path to go down, and if you’re thinking of it, I say just go for it!