Member Profile, Sonia Campbell

Sonia Campbell Building and Infrastructure Manager, East Arnhem Regional Council

What have been your career highlights?

• Aiding in the recovery effort after Category 4 Cyclone Lam passed over Arnhem Land in Feb 2015 – Flying by small charter plane to the affected communities soon after the passing of the cyclone was something I’ll never forget.

The entire landscape was bare, stripped of all foliage, hollows in the landscape that were previously unseen due to vegetation coverage were now exposed. From the window of the plane the fallen tree trunks looked like matchsticks laying on the ground. Damage to our buildings and infrastructure as a whole was quite severe, the rebuild process post event was consuming but also very rewarding, being able to help restore normality to the lives of the staff living and working in these communities was nice. I trust with the ongoing advances within construction codes and standards that the impact of these events moving forward will be reduced.

• Working in collaboration with the 19th Division Australian

Army (AACAP project team) for the Design and Construction of a new Youth Facility in Lake

Evella, NT – The Australian Army

AACAP division will mobilise to site and live within a fully selfsufficient camp based on the outskirts of the community for the duration of the construction phase of the project later on this year, pending COVID restrictions.

• Completion of my CASA (Civil

Aviation Safety Authority) Commercial Drone licence – The ‘birds eye view’ a drone can portray is such an effective planning tool. It also essentially removes the OH&S element of visual inspections of elevated areas. Roofing iron and broadcast tower infrastructure inspections are a few of the areas we utilise the drone, but the applications are endless we haven’t really touched on this space as yet. One of the assessment criteria when completing my license was the successful execution of an emergency spiral descend from height. At the time, I was a sceptical as to when I would actually need to use this manoeuvre but have since had to perform multiple impromptu descends to escape some very persistent, territorial eagles and crows.

Building Damage in Galiwinku

Did you have any mentors during your career who made an impact on you and/or your career pathway?

I have been very fortunate to have crossed paths with some very knowledgeable mentors, both male and female, during my career and life in general. In particular, the female mentors in leadership positions have been women who have worked their way up from the bottom, humbly earning their respect by the results they have achieved.

Key qualities I found refreshing in these leaders were: a) Great listeners - the ability to pick up on finer details in conversation b) Strength – not in the standover sense but the strength to take risks, learn from failure, deal graciously with remarks insults or stereotypes, and if pushed have the strength to stand up for what they believe in. d) Grit – to persevere even in the tough times and get things done.

What has been your biggest challenge so far?

Attracting key staff with specific skills to a remote area. I am currently recruiting so would love to hear from anyone wishing to make a sea change.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

Although I do enjoy the structured scheduled element of my job, I also really do enjoy the impromptu unstructured elements as well. Working in a part of Australia where travel to our construction sites is via light charter plane across untouched parts of the country, it does keep things interesting! Every day is different, we joke in the office that I could write a book someday featuring some of the situations I have been faced with.

Another aspect I enjoy is the progressive upgrade of our older facilities to accommodate new technologies and design aspects. Just because we are a remote Council shouldn’t mean we should settle for less or lower than our city counterparts.

Outstation roads in Galiwinku Building damage Galiwinku

Aerial image of Ramingining community post cyclone On site at our new Duplex construction in Gapuwiyak

What are the pros and cons of working in the Territory?

Pros – I would have to say the diversity within the Territory is a drawcard. Due to the transient nature of the state, there are so many different cultures and diverse backgrounds.

Cons – The logistical delays that occur on a regular basis. Being so remote with large distances between our major cities and the large supplier hubs transport/ logistical delays are a regular occurrence.

Has your career pathway been affected by gender or time out for family, if any?

Wow this is a huge question …. Having children was one of the best decisions of my life! I have two beautiful children whom I am immensely proud of, they are everything to me. But as a woman taking time out of the workforce to have a family does come with some disadvantage. Limited upskilling

opportunities, being at the mercy of the childcare providers when returning to work, returning at a lower level with less hours initially until you can ‘catch up’ and gain traction again.

A pause in superannuation payments when income isn’t being generated or is in the lower bands also means a greatly reduced overall figure for women to access at the end of their careers.

I’m not sure what the answer is in this space, it’s a very complicated situation. There has been excellent progression, but I do think we still have a long way to go.

Drone imagetaken from my boat while fishing at the Wessel Islands north of Nhulunbuy

East Arnhem Regional Council is situated in the far north-eastern corner of the Northern Territory mainland covering a land mass of approximately 33,359km2 . The Council comprises of 9 major remote communities, five of which are located on islands. My position oversees the Building and Public Area Infrastructure sector across these 9 communities.