A chance to work in the 'most incredible locations'

For Ms Tyne Hamilton of Ettalong, being a field officer for the National Parks and Wildlife Service has given her the chance to work "in the most incredible locations" and to learn "interesting and unexpected" skills.

Ms Hamilton joined the service as part of the Field Officer Traineeship Program in February, 2015.

During her traineeship, she completed a Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management at the University of Newcastle.

She has held a number of positions with the service since then, spending three years as a field officer based at the Bucketty Depot.

She then moved into the service's Enhanced Bushfire Mitigation Program at Lake Munmorah.

She helped to maintain asset protection zones and prepare areas for hazard reduction burns across the Central Coast region.

She is now employed full-time as a technical officer as part of the program and is a trained and certified remote area firefighter.

"It's hard to summarise what a field officer does in a single sentence because the role is so diverse," Ms Hamilton said.

"We maintain walking tracks, build new visitor facilities, conduct hazard reduction burns, undertake pest eradication programs, weld broken gates, care for and protect indigenous sites and respond to wild fires.

"I love my job because I get to work outside every day in the most incredible locations and I've had the opportunity to learn some really interesting and unexpected new skills.

"There's a great culture of learning and skill-sharing at the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

"There are so many experienced and knowledgeable field officers and supervisors who have all the time in the world to help you learn.

"The work can be physically demanding but it is so rewarding to be able to fix things and ensure special places are protected for our future generations.

"A lot of people think field work is only for big, burly men - but that couldn't be further from the truth.

"The service has equipment and machinery to help with the big jobs.

"It's not about your technical skills or your physical strength - it's about your willingness to learn."

SOURCE

Media release, 22 June 2020

Media statement, 30 June 2020

Kylie Yeend, National Parks and Wildlife Service