Robert came to OCTEC back in November 2019. In what has been a long journey Robert has now found his ideal employment where he is respected and can use his skills in an industry he thought may have been lost to him.
Robert is from the Sunshine Coast and began his employment journey as a 16-year old in the hospitality industry. He is now 39, a qualified chef and the father of a 10-year-old daughter.
Unfortunately, Robert had one huge hurdle to overcome along his way.
While working as a chef in Raratonga in the Cook Islands, Robert crashed his motorbike into a seawall. He was found and taken to hospital in a serious condition. He suffered a fractured skull and a frontal lobe haemorrhage. 48 hours later he was airlifted to Auckland, New Zealand.
At Auckland City Hospital it was also discovered through further x-rays and CT scans that he had a fractured C1 vertebrae as well as a fractured orbital socket. His family flew to New Zealand and set up a GoFundMe page to help get Robert back to Australia.
Once back in Australia Robert under-went months of rehabilitation and and was eventually released from hospital. He continued to have both neuropsychology support and physiotherapy. From 2019 to 2022 Robert attempted employment as a chef with several hotels in the Gympie area. Unfortunately these positions were impacted by both continuing symptoms from the accident and COVID shutdowns.
In December 2022, Robert was able to gain employment at Tides Waterfront Dining, Caloundra, one of the Sunshine Coast’s premier restaurants with the support of OCTEC.
With the ongoing support from both his OCTEC Consultant Graeme, and a coordinated approach with his employer at Tides, Robert has grown to now be a confident and respected member of the staff. Almost 12 months on, Robert is planning to continue to chasing his dream of becoming a head chef at a top class restaurant.