Nicole Mason knows first-hand the power of an opportunity after being given a life changing traineeship at Wings Wildlife Park at the age of 17. Now a Senior Wildlife Keeper, Nicole is striving to encourage other women to explore the variety of incredible possibilities waiting in the hospitality industry. Tasmania, renowned for being an incredible produce belt, full of beautiful local delicacies and people, is also affectionately known for its incredible wildlife and particularly for being home to the Tasmanian Devil. For Senior Wildlife Keeper Nicole, getting up close and personal with the cute (but very fierce) animal has become part of her daily routine where her best friend Juda the Tassie Devil keeps her entertained for hours on end. Nicole’s leadership journey and introduction to the hospitality and tourism industry started from an early age when she recognised her passion for animals while at high school. “I started off as a work experience student coming to the Wings Wildlife Park when I was only 17-years-old,” she says. “I did a week worth of placement here and I was lucky enough to actually get offered a traineeship. Once my traineeship finished, I became full time. So I’ve been here since I was 17 – coming up to 15 years here at the wildlife park. “Back then, I didn’t really know exactly what that would involve. I didn’t really know a lot about wildlife. I’d only sort of worked with cats and dogs in veterinary clinics, so it was very much learning as you go. But I very much love it.” Looking back on those initial days at the park, Nicole often reflects on what her role has meant for her own personal development.
“I’ve become a lot more confident,” she says. “I’m very willing to get in and give everything a go and it has taught me a bit of resilience as well you know, because not everything is always going to go according to plan. Things can change very quickly within the hospitality industry or within the park here itself. So it does teach you to become a little bit more flexible and definitely more resilient and confident in how you talk to people.” That can-do attitude has helped her to become a strong and respected leader within the park, where she explains that her experience of starting at a beginner level and progressing over the years has gifted her with greater understanding towards her team. “I’ve definitely grown as a leader in how I handle certain situations. Sometimes things can pop up – for example we had our flood here last year and I think in those sorts of situations, it does show you how you need to work as a team. I think that’s pretty important, teamwork, and that you all work together. And it does help you develop within yourself what you’re actually capable of.” Nicole describes the key to both her enjoyment at work and how she approaches leadership as being given opportunities to improve and the room to grow and develop as a person. “More often than not, you’re perfectly capable of doing things but sometimes you just need to be put into a situation to be able to develop those skills. “Some skills come over time, some skills you can pick up quite quickly. People are natural at certain aspects of leadership, but some things I feel you need to be in a situation to better understand and grow, so that you can change how you would do things in the future.”
10 Tasmanian Hospitality Review June/July Edition
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