George’s Story
Originally from Margaret River, George has had a long career as a sandblaster, working his way across Western Australia, eventually settling in Kalgoorlie. But when the engineering company he had worked at for more than a decade made him redundant, George, who has epilepsy, struggled to find employment.
At the age of 61, George worked several odd jobs across the Goldfields, but when the work dried up — and he was unable to find long-term employment — he was left with few options. Because of his epilepsy, George was unable to work in the same industries he had years of experience in.
George found that although the Goldfields had a reputation for wealth, prosperity, and job opportunities, for people with disabilities that was not always the case.
After connecting with Forrest Personnel, we were able to place George with our Social Enterprise, Trolley Collecting for Woolworths, Kalgoorlie. Although this has been a huge change from his usual work, George has been able to maintain regular employment and has the supports around him to help him succeed.
George has now been in this role for over 4 years and has become an invaluable member of our Kalgoorlie Trolley Collecting team. He is a great advocate for Forrest Personnel within the community and is also an active member of our Participant Advisory Group.
