23/05/2025
Gilbert is a long-term supporter of the First Nations community in northern Victoria and southern New South Wales, having spent many years helping local people navigate the ups and downs of life.
But after the death of his wife, it was Gilbert who needed support to return to the workforce.
“I’m glad I came to CVGT Employment,” he says. “There’s a lot of job agencies out there, but CVGT seemed to be the one for me at my time.”
Gilbert moved to Echuca in the 1980s, raising a family of four with his wife and serving for 13 years as a social and emotional wellbeing worker at the Njernda Aboriginal Corporation.
His next role was to act as a carer for his wife – a former Indigenous Liaison Officer at the local hospital, Echuca Regional Health – when her health deteriorated.
“It wasn’t easy to let go of my job, but what was important to me at that moment was my wife,” he says.
Her passing left him with the challenge of starting again, with bills still to pay and a household to run.
After being referred by Centrelink, Gilbert connected with the CVGT Employment team in Echuca.
“It was a comfortable place to walk into,” he says.
“They were supportive… They knew I was in that space where I knew what I had to do, but the timing wasn’t right at that time.
“The empathy was great.”
The CVGT Employment Echuca team fully understood Gilbert’s situation, offering him support to meet his job search requirements without rushing his return to the workforce
“Recognising Gilbert’s status as a respected figure in the Indigenous community, we empowered him to set the pace for finding the right position, understanding that the grieving process can be unpredictable,” CVGT Employment Business Development Consultant Rhiannon says.
“Throughout this period, I engaged in numerous conversations with Gilbert, often focusing on his mental health and emotional wellbeing, alongside his job search.
“We emphasised our commitment to working alongside him at a pace that suited his needs, a gesture that he deeply appreciated.”
Eventually, the right time and, importantly, the right job, presented itself.
That role was the position formerly held by his wife, the vacancy brought to his attention by a family member.
With the support of CVGT, contact was made with the hospital, a resume provided, and an interview organised.
“Following a formal interview, he was offered the position,” Rhiannon says.
“Gilbert expressed immense gratitude for the support he received during the application process.”
For Gilbert, the result was fitting given his belief the right time to reenter the workforce would come if he stayed connected and engaged with the right people.
To do so in his wife’s former role, supporting First Nations patients and visitors to the hospital, was serendipitous.
“She must have left the footprints there for one day for when I was able to wait for that job that turned up, and it was that exact role that she played within the hospital…”
