Our work tree is up, and just like that 2021 is nearly over… I’m not sure how we actually made it to the end of what turned out to be such a challenging, and often chaotic year. It did however also hide some surprising blessings, like more quieter moments with immediate family.

Reflecting back, there were many highlights for our team. Most notably our graduating trainees were both recognised externally. (We already knew they were amazing!)

Emily was selected amongst thousands of trainees, as a finalist for the Trainee of the Year (NSW Group Training Awards), with your family business also winning the Small Business Employer of the Year category…such a proud moment!

Then more recently Indy was selected to participate in the ‘Today’s Skills: Tomorrow’s Leaders’ program, a professional development program run by National Apprentice Employment Network (NAEN). Early next year, he will be off to Canberra for a week of immersive leadership training, meeting inspiring Australian leaders including the Governor General, and learning more about how to shape his career to realise his full potential.

After finishing their traineeships, both Emily and Indy have accepted direct roles with our team, Emily in her service role and Indy as our Warehouse Manager in Newcastle. It’s been so rewarding to see these individuals grow in their ‘first real job’, as Indy describes it. They both brought such energy and determination to their roles, and even though they were often well outside their comfort zone, they worked through challenges with a consistently positive, open manner. As a direct result of their efforts, they both thrived, and they have genuinely inspired me. As someone on the other side of their career, I’ll be thinking about their achievements as I spend a few quiet moments over the break ensuring my goals for 2022 are ambitious enough to have me out of my own comfort zone, achieving personal growth.

Being December, our family is also busy with our holiday traditions. The Christmas tree is up, although we are back to our old tree, after I planted our gorgeous native from last year. The tree is loaded with sparkling crystals this year, after we repurposed a few wall chandeliers that were thrown out when our extended family renovated. We have started making presents, including my favourite Chilli Jam and Pickled Cucumber, although this year we have experimented with Carrots as well, which are so far tasting great. We had an overabundance of carrots in the garden after the seed planting occurred with limited supervision… imagine carrot seeds everywhere! The priority for our vegie garden in summer is greens, and with so much rain, we have peppery rocket and lettuce in abundance. It’s so easy and really rewarding to see the little seeds flourish.

Our kids have also been making Christmas tags out of recycled paper with Kierra, one of our creative team members. Taking our scrap paper at work, they have transformed it into amazing textured paper. It complements our gorgeous reusable wrapping paper and is a great way to teach kids about a circular economy, where we recreate rather than simply throw away and repurchase.

Wishing everyone a lovely holiday period. I’m mindful that not everyone celebrates Christmas, however I do hope, given the year that has passed, that everyone gets a chance to use this time to catch up with people they love.

Let’s hope for a healthy and open 2022. We have some exciting new changes and projects at Compost-A-Pak, which I’m looking forward to sharing with you next season!

Mel