Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself?
“I started with St Agnes’ Catholic Parish back in 2002. My very first job was cleaning at Lourdes Nursing Home on Clifton Drive.

Before that, I was a stay-at-home mum for many years after leaving school in 1989. I had four children and lived in Armidale, but after my marriage ended, I made a fresh start in Port Macquarie.

It wasn’t easy – I didn’t know anyone here. For six months, we lived in a holiday cabin while I looked for a home. Thank goodness for the pool! Eventually, I got a job with the Parish around September 2002.

Over the years, I’ve worked in cleaning, the kitchen, and now the laundry. I’ve always been happy to help wherever needed, and that flexibility led me to my current role. I’ve been here ever since.”

Q: What’s involved in working in the laundry? What does a typical day looks like?
“No job is ever just its title – there’s always more that lies underneath.

The laundry handles dirty washing from multiple sites: Emmaus Home (linen and clothes), Emmaus Village (linen only), and St Agnes’ House, Maryknoll, and Mount Carmel (linen and clothes). Our day starts by sorting clothes from linen. Then we get the washing on and keep the machines moving. We have four washers and four dryers, so it’s all about flow – minimising downtime and keeping things progressing.

One of our golden rules when training new staff is: never mix your loads. Each site has colour-coded bags – purple for St Agnes, others for Maryknoll and Mount Carmel. At Emmaus, we keep Southside and Northside separate. This is to minimise mix-ups and helps us track items if tags come off during washing.

Once everything is washed and dried, we fold and hang clothes, stock linen trolleys, and prepare for the next round. It’s a constant juggle—you’re always thinking two or three steps ahead.”

Q: How many people work in the laundry?
“We currently have two people per shift, and recently introduced a third person three days a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 12 to 5 pm). Their role is to help finish what we don’t get time to do during the day and to wash and dry the loads that come back from other sites in the afternoon.

Having that third person has helped us tremendously. It means we can manage the volume more efficiently and avoid starting the next day with a huge backlog.”

Q: In an average day, how many loads of washing would you do?
“We can do up to 16 loads a day – that’s linen and clothes combined.

For Emmaus Home alone, we start with the morning wash from the previous afternoon and night. Southside and Northside each have their own loads – two for clothes and double that for linen. Then there’s Emmaus Village linen, plus about one load each from St Agnes’ House, Maryknoll, and Mount Carmel.

It’s a lot of volume, and we do our best to keep everything organised. We don’t like it when things go astray, but it happens, especially when new clothing arrives without tags.”

Q: What is your top tip for residents or families?
“Make sure everything is labelled.

The admission form has a simple tick box for ordering labels. If they tick that box, we can print the labels right here in the laundry. They’re not very expensive, around $3 for a dozen. Labelling makes a huge difference in keeping clothes organised and ensuring items don’t go astray.”

Q: So what do you love most about your job?

“The people I work with. We’re a really great team; we laugh, we joke, and no one takes things too seriously. I’m pretty forthright, but always in a nice way, and the beauty of our team is that we can talk freely and know it’s taken light-heartedly.

When you’ve got that connection, the day goes so much faster. We have fun, we have music—I never work without music! And yes, I usually get to choose what’s playing.”

Q: What are some of the challenges?
“It’s frustrating when items go astray because we can do our job to the absolute best, but once items leave the laundry, it’s out of our control.

Unfortunately, when things go missing, laundry often gets the blame. I don’t take it personally, but it doesn’t reflect well on the team, even though we know how careful we’ve been.”

Q: How have you found working for the Parish?
“The Parish has always supported me. When my kids were still in primary school, I broke down near Walcha on my way to Tamworth. The Parish organised for my vehicle to be towed, and even covered a hire car so I could get to and from work until mine was fixed.

Beyond that, their support and encouragement have been incredible. I love the friendly atmosphere. They’re approachable—if you’ve got a problem or just need to talk, they’re open to that.

Q: 2025 has been a big year for you – tell us why?
“In September my partner Les and I got married and our honeymoon started in a pretty unusual way with me filming an episode of ‘The Chase’ TV game show just five days after getting married!

Our wedding was on 6 September, and by the 11th we were in Sydney for filming. Then, the very next day, we hit the road for our honeymoon.

We didn’t have a set itinerary—just the freedom to go wherever we felt like. We headed west through Mudgee, Bourke, and Broken Hill, tried to visit the Mad Max 2 Museum at Silverton (it was closed), and eventually made our way to the Great Ocean Road.

We travelled over 6,000 kilometres in three and a half weeks, finishing up in Adelaide before heading home. It was amazing! The freedom was the best part.
As for The Chase? The episode hasn’t aired yet. I can tell people I’ve been on, but not how we went until it’s broadcast. It was nerve-wracking at first, but so exciting.

I applied about a year ago after Les joked I should go on. Nine months later, I got the call.

Doing The Chase wasn’t on my bucket list, but I’m so glad I did it. Now I just have to wait for the episode to air!”

Congratulations Vickey and thanks for chatting!