Sharni Ashford has had paid jobs here and there over the past four years, and has volunteered her time as well, but she had not found such a valued role as she has at The Old Station Café.

Sharni, who lives at Noweyung where she receives support that enables her to live somewhat independently, began work a few months ago at the café located over the road from the Bairnsdale train station and quickly learned that it was a happy place and one she “loves” to come to five days a week.

Job coach at atWork Australia, trading as Work Solutions Gippsland, Belinda Dawson, said Sharni has been part of the WorkSolutions Gippsland family for the past four years, however, work opportunities were few and not long-lived for the bubbly Bairnsdale girl.

That was until The Old Station Café’s Michelle Heaver and Simon Ellis welcomed her as a member of their team.

Sharni recently participated in the New Horizons program conducted by the Paynesville Neighbourhood Centre where she gained confidence and skills that assisted her job search. She learnt how to write her resumé, dress appropriately and answer questions in a job interview.

She loved being one of the participants in the program, saying program facilitator, Melinda Spencer, was “really helpful”, as was the centre’s manager, Karen Fleischer, who took her to PNC’s Inspire Op Shop for a free outfit for a job interview.

“I loved trying on the clothes,” Sharni said.

“The people were really friendly and helpful, especially when they gave me new outfits to try on.”

“We gave Sharni a bright pink top with a skirt to try on, and she was a bit unsure, but we encouraged her to give it a go and she ended up loving it,” Karen said.

“She was a really good contributor in classes too, always ready to give something a go.”

In addition to New Horizons, Sharni participated in any program opportunities put to her through WorkSolutions Gippsland.

“Sharni has worked really hard to get herself to the point of ongoing paid employment,” Belinda said.

Belinda set up a work trial for her at the café at which she “did exceptionally well”, Simon and Michelle following the trial up with an off of ongoing employment.

With her job set in place, Belinda continued to work with Sharni to further build her confidence and work capacity.

Initially that involved making written cue cards to assist with daily tasks and remembering them, though Sharni rarely needs to use these now.

Ask Sharni what she thinks of her work at the café and she can’t help but smile.

“I love it,” she said.

“I love everything about it. I wash dishes and run lunches and coffees out to people in the restaurant.

“I love giving everyone a smile when I give them their coffee and food.

“I get to try the food, too, and it’s really good,” Sharni laughs.

“Sharni is exceptionally friendly with customers and people just love her at the café,” Belinda said.

Simon agreed wholeheartedly.

“Sharni knows a lot of people and they’ll come in and call out ‘hey, Sharni’ and give her a wave into the kitchen,” he said.

“I’ve always worked and hired people with disabilities, giving everyone an opportunity to work. They need work as well, simple as that.

“We went with an employment provider that doesn’t discriminate against anybody, WorkSolutions. We wanted to be inclusive, give opportunities to people who find it hard to find work.

“It’s good to know that we can give someone a job where they can feel comfortable. Not just with our staff but with our customers too. That’s really important, and our customers really love Sharni.”

Sharni works five days a week, from 11am to 1pm.

“Sometimes she’ll stay until 2pm,” Simon said.

“She loves it and talks about the café when she’s out and about. We’ll have people coming in saying they saw Sharni and she told them about us. The customers really warm to her.”

Simon and Michelle are impressed with the support Sharni and the rest of the team receives from Belinda and WorkSolutions.

“She comes in regularly to check if we need anything, to check everything’s on track,” Simon said.

Some changes have been made in the way the café operates to help Sharni, which has also helped the café run smoothly, like customers taking their own numbers to the table to await their orders so Sharni doesn’t have to try to find people.

She’s eager, too, ready at any moment to do any task asked of her.

“We might ask her to go into the restaurant to clear tables, push in chairs, make sure it looks neat, and she’s right onto it,” Michelle said.

“Never a complaint or eye roll.”

Sharni said she uses the skills she learned in the New Horizons program in her working and everyday life and made lots of friends too. She’s using her work skills at home too.

“She comes to work and tells us about all the things she cooks at home now, which is great,” Simon said.

“Seeing Sharni so happy in her role at The Old Station Café has been personally rewarding,” Karen said.

“She quietly goes about her work and I know Simon and Michelle value her as one of their team.”

Sharni is on a supported wage through WorkSolutions. Belinda said her capacity to work level is relatively high and will be evaluated every 12 months “Every 12 months her work capacity will get higher as she develops and learns more skills,” Belinda said.

Sharni’s work capacity determines her award, which the café is paying her over and above.

“She’s well worth it,” Simon said.

PICTURED: Sharni Ashford (second from left) loves being ‘a part of the family’ at The Old Station Café, thanks to the support of Belinda Dawson (job coach, at Work Australia, trading as Work Solutions Gippsland), Karen Fleischer (Paynesville Neighbourhood Centre) and café owners, Michelle Heaver and Simon Ellis.