“The best time to take an opportunity is when it presents itself.” That is the mantra that Goulburn-Murray Water’s (GMW) Andrew Cooper has tried to live by in both his personal and professional life.
From an apprenticeship as a cabinet maker to a complete change in 2009 to take up a water bailiff traineeship with GMW, Andrew has taken hold of many opportunities that have taken him on a journey of steady career progression.
“Since I started with GMW as a trainee bailiff I haven’t looked back,” he said.
“Once I completed the traineeship, I worked as a bailiff for three years before moving into (water) planning for almost seven years. After this, I took a secondment in the Central irrigation area based in Rochester as a coordinator and then through the businesses’ transformation I was able to step into my current role as an Assistant Customer Services Manager within the Distribution Services team.”
Taking up the assistant manager’s role saw Andrew move out of the Central area and into the East irrigation district, based at both Shepparton and Cobram.
“It was a steep learning curve and a lot more travel as I’m based in Ky but the opportunity was too good to pass up – I have always said in life, the best time to take an opportunity is when it presents itself,” Andrew said.
“And while things might not be perfectly aligned, they will fall into place and you’ll make them work. The experience I’ve gained compared to the small sacrifices I’ve had to make has been invaluable.”
Andrew said while working in the water planning team he was able to gain a good understanding of GMW’s channel network and infrastructure, but in his current role he has broadened his knowledge of the organisation’s customer base and expanded his skills in people management.
“Working as a bailiff and then as a planner I had a lot of ‘on ground’ knowledge but between irrigation districts there’s still different complexities and issues. In Murray Valley (East) I’ve been able to learn a lot more about weed management and build relationships with both staff and customers,” he said.
“I’ve really enjoyed the role because it is that mix of people management and operations. I’ve always looked to further my career and knowledge within the business but at the same time my days working as a bailiff and planner are some of the best memories of my working life, so this has been a good way to get the best of both worlds.
“It’s also opened up other big opportunities such as Fairley Leadership which I undertook last year and some mentoring work since and I’m really grateful these experiences.”
While Andrew has enjoyed his time in the East, he is looking forward to returning to the Central area at the end of the irrigation season on May 15.
Andrew will return in the same role through a job swap arrangement between himself and his counterpart, Luke Dunham, who has filled the Assistant Customer Services Manager role in the Central area for the past 18 months, based in both Kyabram and Rochester.
Luke, who started with GMW in 2010 has been working in the East region – primarily Shepparton - as a Team Leader.
“The assistant manager role came up around October 2020. I took it as a secondment and then six months turned into a full time position,” Luke said.
“I’ve always just taken opportunities as they arose and this was something I wanted to do to challenge myself, to learn a new area of the business and meet different people.
“I’ve enjoyed every minute, particularly the mentorship with Letch (Central Distribution Services Customer Services Manager Brian Letcher) and the support I’ve been provided to step into the role and to make it work with a young family.”
While geographically, it made sense for Luke to work in the East district and Andrew in the Central area, both agreed to step outside of their comfort zones and take on the role in an irrigation area they had not previously worked.
“Between myself, Coops (Andrew) and Warren (Water Delivery Services General Manager Warren Blyth) we were able to come up with an arrangement for us to both spend some time in these different areas before returning back to our original districts at the end of the irrigation season,” Luke said.
“Since COVID in particular the business has put more focus on flexible working arrangements and opportunities for career growth and development so it was great we were able to work through a plan like this that benefitted us both personally as well as GMW.”
Water Delivery Service General Manager Warren Blyth described the arrangement as a “win-win” and said it brings to life GMW’s goal to build a safe, inspiring and diverse workplace where learning is encouraged and people are supported.
“Our people are our most valuable asset and the capability of GMW relies on a culture of continuous learning and skill to meet our challenges now and into the future,” Warren said.
“Andrew and Luke represent our next generation of leadership, so the skills they’ve been able to develop under the mentorship of our Customer Services Managers in these districts has been invaluable.
“The business has been flexible enough to see this arrangement work but Andrew and Luke as individuals have also been flexible and turned it into a positive example of effective succession planning and have demonstrated the career opportunities available at GMW. I’d like to congratulate and thank them both for their willingness to think outside the box and seize an opportunity.”