When COVID-19 grounded flights worldwide in 2020, Louise Mathers faced an unexpected career crossroads. After working for nine airlines throughout her career and serving as a safety trainer at Virgin Australia, the pandemic forced her to reassess her professional path – leading her to discover a fulfilling new role as Village Manager at TriCare’s Mt Gravatt Retirement Community.
“Everyone always thinks flying is very glamorous, but it’s not,” Louise says. During the height of COVID-19, she found herself on nearly empty flights, maintaining minimal services just to keep the airline operational.
“I remember at one stage during COVID, you could see the cancellation board and there was this one flight to Sydney. I was on it – no passengers, nothing. There was no one at the airport, it was really so spooky.”
The uncertainty of the situation took its toll. “I was mentally affected by COVID because it was the notknowing what was going to happen next. I’ve never had that in my life,” Louise recalls. “I thought, ‘This is not me’, and I ended up taking a redundancy package.”
A unique opportunity arose when the Victorian government began recruiting airline crew to work in Aged Care facilities during the pandemic.
“We were called residential officers, and we had to be that point of contact for families,” Louise explains. After gaining experience in the Aged Care sector, Louise joined the TriCare team, where her diverse skill set has proved invaluable.
But Louise’s transition to retirement community management wasn’t without its challenges. “Computer skills – we didn’t really use computers up in the sky!” Louise admits. But she discovered that many of her aviation skills transferred perfectly to her role at TriCare, particularly in communication and crisis management.
“The communication skills and the respectfulness, because we’re working with seniors… I think having that respect for them certainly helps, and we had to have that in the airline industry,” she says.
“Also the medical side of things with first aid – I’ve seen so many medical episodes on flights. When I’m calling for the paramedic, in the back of my mind I already know what the issue may be, nine times out of ten I’m normally right with my diagnosis.”
As Village Manager at TriCare Mt Gravatt Retirement Community, Louise says she has found her true calling.
“I couldn’t ask for actually a better job. It’s being responsible for all these people, but seeing them smile every day and them being thankful for what you do – it’s really heartwarming,” she says. “I’m exhausted at the weekend because it takes a lot of energy, but it’s a really good place to work.”
Under Louise’s leadership, the Mt Gravatt community has flourished. She’s implemented a range of improvements, including a new library and gym facilities, and she has even been lured into sharing her singing ability at community events.
“It’s very multi-faceted, our role,” Louise says. “You can’t say it’s just this and this, because it’s not. You’re a counsellor or a friend a lot of the time.”
To those in the airline industry considering a similar career change, Louise offers nothing but encouragement.
“Until you’re in this industry, you don’t actually know how much fun it is. And your skill set that you use in the airlines – you can use it.”
Louise emphasises that flight attendants often don’t realise the valuable skills they have until they find themselves in a different role. When someone recently suffered from a medical emergency in her community, Louise kept a cool head.
“I went into my crisis mode – just calm. That’s all the years of training in the airlines. You don’t know what a great amount of skill you have until you’re in a different role.”
Looking back, Louise says she can see the pandemic’s silver lining.
“In a way, COVID has done me a favour because it’s got me out of an industry that I probably would still be in,” she says. “I hope I have someone like me running a village if my husband and I ever go to a retirement village because you’ve got to make it fun. You don’t want to be doom and gloom when you get older.”
At TriCare Mt Gravatt Retirement Community, Louise’s energy and genuine care for our residents shows what retirement living is all about – creating a warm, welcoming place that people are happy to call home.
Want to learn more about Mt Gravatt Retirement Community? We’d love to hear from you and maybe even show you around. Call our friendly team at Mt Gravatt Retirement Community on 07 3849 4358 or hit the link below to book a tour.
