Rachael’s sea change was plain sailing, thanks to Nathan

For some people, moving to a remote Pilbara mining town – sight unseen, with your husband and three children, including 18-month-old twins – could seem daunting. Throw in a pandemic, and it could be downright overwhelming. For executive manager, Rachael Wright, however, the transition process was gold-standard thanks to Nathan Giglia from Robert Walters. 

With Nathan’s assistance, Rachael made the 1,300 kilometre move from metropolitan Perth to Onslow, a coastal town with less than 1,000 residents, to take up a role with the Shire of Ashburton.

“It really was a leap of faith because we’d never visited Onslow before,” explains Rachael.

“But having someone as trustworthy as Nathan on our side made all the difference. He genuinely wanted me to succeed.”

Nathan’s care was evident from the get-go, Rachael says. Care – both for the Shire, and for Rachael as an individual.  

“Nathan clearly wanted the best person for the role. He was searching for a good fit, and his authenticity was obvious,” says Rachael.

So was his commitment. When Rachael applied for the role, she was staggered to hear back from Nathan within two hours, via video call. From that moment on, whether he was helping her prepare for her interview, or finalising details after she had secured the role, Nathan kept in regular contact with Rachael, smoothing out the entire process.

“Nathan went above and beyond,” says Rachael. “I found his dedication just lovely.”

Fortunately, Rachael and her family found Onslow similarly lovely, and the five of them quickly fell in love with the beachside town and its close-knit community.

“We stepped off the plane in the middle of winter and it was sunny; the temperature was in the high twenties,” says Rachael. “And in the first week everyone on the street came up to say hello and introduce themselves. It felt like home, pretty quickly to be honest.”

Two years later, Nathan and Rachael are still in touch, most recently when Nathan congratulated Rachael on her promotion to executive manager level. And while Rachael has no plans to leave Onslow anytime soon, when she does, it’s Nathan she’ll turn to for help.

“I would absolutely reach out to Nathan again,” she says. “I know I can trust him with the transition process.”