“I became a motor mechanic because I wanted a hands-on job and I was interested in cars. After I did a pre-apprenticeship course to learn basic automotive skills, I got into TAFE. I did work experience with Springwood Holden (now Blue Mountains Motor Group) and eventually got an apprenticeship in December 2000. The manager laughed at me when I first went in, but when he realised I wasn’t laughing with him, he took me more seriously.
I loved the job from the start. At first what the guys talked about was a bit off-putting, but I thought, it’s just the way blokes are.
Initially, the mechanics would be too nice and say, ‘Let me help you with that’. After a while they got to know the kind of person I was, that I liked proving to myself I could do things without asking for help.
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'People come in and say, "I want to speak to a mechanic" and I say, "I am a mechanic" and they say, "No, I want to speak to a real mechanic".' |
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Some customers are happy to see a female mechanic but some make jokes like, ‘Don’t leave lipstick marks all over it’. I used to feel embarrassed to tell guys what I did when I went out. Sometimes I got bad reactions, like ‘What are you doing that for? You should have nice nails.’
I won Holden Apprentice of the Year for the Sydney region in 2001. I finished my apprenticeship in December 2004 and became a service advisor in March 2005.
I can tell some of the women feel a lot more comfortable talking with me because I explain the work we’ve done on their car in a way that’s more understandable.
I ran my first Women and Motoring night in March, a free community-based workshop to teach women the basics.
My advice to women considering becoming motor mechanics is to go for it if it’s what they really want. Don’t let anything get in your way; hold your head high and remember you’re doing it for yourself.”
