When Idai responded to my job post on Hireup and expressed her interest to work with me, I was totally surprised when I realised she was my neighbour! We actually share a back fence. I had often heard her children singing as I was gardening, but had not yet met them. My first meeting with Idai was amazing, it was like an instant connection. Her warm, relaxed personality and her knowledge and experience around disability gave me a lot of confidence. I knew I had connected with a fantastic person.
We share some common ground. Travelling is a big one, especially my trip to South Africa in 2019. When Idai supports me to cook dinner, she brings some of her African recipes. Idai has a very similar music taste to me, so we are always catching on to a song we both know and love. I have a djembe drum which encourages Idai to do a beat with me while waiting for the dinner to cook.
I have an interest in photography and have been using the ‘ISO’ (COVID-19 lockdown period) to develop my camera skills more. I asked Idai if I could do a photo shoot for her, and said it would need to be at my house due to the restrictions. She responded with a lot of enthusiasm and that inspired me to find a positive story to capture. It was such a wonderful afternoon of shared experiences. Idai was not only an excellent model who came dressed in her distinctive style, but she gave me the opportunity to work on my skills comfortably, in my own home.
Hireup has been such an amazing experience for me. It continues to help me find fantastic people to connect with. I am living my life as I choose to, with the right people at the right time.
Written by Dr Melinda Smith, OAM
Wurundjeri land (Croydon, VIC)
A blog from the Hireup community
For more stories like Melinda and Idai, read how Account Manager Narelle and support worker Justine shared a similar 'instant connection' when they first met over Hireup.