{"id":253840,"date":"2020-02-28T21:15:36","date_gmt":"2020-02-28T11:15:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=253840"},"modified":"2020-07-12T16:43:09","modified_gmt":"2020-07-12T06:43:09","slug":"a-girl-can-do-that","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2020\/02\/28\/a-girl-can-do-that\/","title":{"rendered":"A Girl Can Do That!"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Cherie Baldacchino … challenging herself and succeeding at Tarong (Photo: Stanwell)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

February 28, 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cherie Baldacchino\u2019s father would often say, \u201ca girl can\u2019t do that\u201d …\u00a0but he had a cheeky grin and an ulterior motive.<\/p>\n

These were the words which drove Cherie to become the first woman at Tarong power stations to complete an Electrical Apprenticeship.<\/p>\n

Cherie and her family moved from Western Australia to Kingaroy when she was four.<\/p>\n

They quickly settled into the rural community on a 250 acre hobby farm.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe grew up being very \u2018outdoorsy\u2019, especially being on a farm with 30 head of cattle,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was my Dad\u2019s shadow growing up and would spend hours hanging around him in the shed, tinkering away with something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cherie credits those hours, and her father, for the “fire in her belly” to challenge herself and forge her own path in life.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was in Year 11, I was thinking about university, but as Year 12 approached, I realised that I didn\u2019t really want to take that path anymore,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had studied metal fabrication and woodwork throughout my entire schooling career, and they were subjects I really looked forward to each day.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, I only ever saw them as something fun on the side, not something I could pursue as a career.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was my dad who suggested I look into an apprenticeship, so I applied for work experience at both Tarong power stations and Meandu Mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Enjoying the hands-on aspect of a trade, Cherie didn\u2019t spend her school holidays like most other students, instead she decided to get as much experience in different trades as she could.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI spent one week at Tarong power stations, working with the Units and Auxiliary teams, then another week at Meandu Mine with electrical tradespeople,” she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I was there, I got to help with the electrical service of a dragline and replace the electrical brushes, which was an unreal experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was at the completion of that week that Cherie knew that this is what she wanted to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cI spent months researching and prepping for my interview with Stanwell,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had some of my parents\u2019 friends help me with my application, and my dad helped me with my interview preparation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thinking outside of the (tool)box, Cherie decided to make sure she made an impression at her interview.<\/p>\n

\u201cI took a toolbox I had made into my interview,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to show the panel what I was capable of and that I enjoyed doing hands-on tasks.\u201d<\/p>\n

The gamble paid off, with Cherie gaining a full-time apprenticeship at Tarong power stations in 2016.<\/p>\n

However, it wasn\u2019t all smooth sailing, with Cherie admitting she went through a period of believing she had to prove herself, because she was a female.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI felt like I had to prove I was \u2018one of the guys\u2019 to do well, which led me to struggle with my femininity at work,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, I realised, being a female tradie wasn\u2019t a weakness and I could use that difference as strength to bring in a different perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cherie credits Tarong power stations Operations Manager Dr Liz Beavis for helping to ensure she completed her apprenticeship to the best of her ability.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t be able to thank Liz enough for everything she has done for me,\u201d Cherie said.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe stepped forward and started mentoring me, which was a life-changing opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gave me the chance to see another woman in a maintenance-based role, who has had an amazing career.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was great to have another female to turn to, who had shared a similar career path, who I could relate to and who could give me some really helpful advice.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I took control of the things I could control, like the quality of my work, building my skills, and my attitude, and I let those things speak for the type of apprentice I am, not my gender.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cherie said the biggest lesson she learned during her apprenticeship was to “embrace who I am”.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were times I had to challenge the cultural stigma of being a female apprentice, but at the end of the day, everyone was really helpful and accepted me into the team,\u201d she said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t the \u2018female apprentice\u2019, rather just \u2018one of the apprentices\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cherie has since been joined by other female apprentices beginning their electrical apprenticeship at Tarong power stations.<\/p>\n

\u201cLiz became the familiar face I could always turn to, so I wanted to be able to provide that level of support to anyone who needed it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the last few years I have had the opportunity of mentoring other female electrical apprentices.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe now have one female second year and two female first years on site, which is incredible.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been a great opportunity to mentor those coming through and starting their journey.”<\/p>\n

Cherie already has her next career goal in sight.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will be completing my Certificate III in Instrumentation and Control,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough my apprenticeship, I had the opportunity to get hands-on experience with the machines and how they operate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe next step in my career will be learning how to control those machines, which will bring more understanding into the whole process.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love that I am able to diversify my learnings and have the opportunity to go into this new path.\u201d
\n\"Community<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Cherie Baldacchino\u2019s father would often say, \u201ca girl can\u2019t do that\u201d …\u00a0but he had a cheeky grin and an ulterior motive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":253842,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5,402,16,3],"tags":[34],"yoast_head":"\nA Girl Can Do That! - southburnett.com.au<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u00a0Cherie Baldacchino\u2019s father would often say, \u201ca girl can\u2019t do that\u201d ...\u00a0but he had a cheeky grin and an ulterior motive.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2020\/02\/28\/a-girl-can-do-that\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Girl Can Do That! 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