In the spotlight is a new series highlighting local unsung heroes in the community who might otherwise go unseen in the course of every day life.
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Katherine Hospital executive administration officer Amber Cadell juggles more than the never-ending staff requests, paper work and myriad other things keeping the hospital afloat.
When she leaves the hospital grounds, she steps into her other full time role as a mother to three boys under the age of 14.
It doesn’t stop there, assignments and study await. She recently finished a certificate four in business and she is on to completing another course in leadership and management.
If In the Spotlight is about celebrating unsung heroes in the community, then Mrs Cadell is one to celebrate.
Calling Katherine home for most of her life, the 30 year old is looked upon as a role model for her Indigenous community, although she won’t admit it herself.
She got her foot in the door as part of the Aboriginal Employment Program in 2016, working her way up from there.
It wasn’t an easy road.
“In 2015 my brother got cancer,” Mrs Cadell said.
“I had a choice to either stop everything and give up, but I didn’t, I wanted to keep going because it was his wife that introduced me to the program.
“I kept going for him, to make him proud.
Mrs Cadell said she is sure she would not be in her current position if not for the program.
“I wouldn’t know where I’d be. It is hard to get into a NT Government job as an outsider.
“Before, I’ve put my hand up for similar jobs and I’ve been knocked back,” she said.
In September, Mrs Cadell attended the NT Training awards at the Darwin Convention Centre and was runner up in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year.
Nominated by Tammy Healy from Top End Business School, it was Mrs Cadell’s motivation and positivity which made her stand out from the crowd.
A Department of Health spokeswoman said, “Amber’s excellent leadership and communication skills both in the classroom and work environment make her an exceptional role model for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.”
On top of everything else, Mrs Cadell finds time to mentor a recent graduate of the Aboriginal Employment Program through the Top End Health mentoring program.
“I don’t see myself as a role model, you just want to be there to help people,” Mrs Cadell said.
“It is good to know I am helping someone, [that] all the qualifications I’m doing, and learning I’m experiencing is helping other people,” she said.
“It is important to advocate for my community. I tell people, ‘if I can do it you can do it’.
“Everyone has a hard life. With Indigenous people there are a lot of obstacles within their communities it is just about if you really want it, do it. Do it for yourself,” she said.
Further study to climb up the corporate ladder in on the cards.
“Just trying to work my way up,” she said.
“I want my kids to know if you want something you can do it, you just need to work for it.”
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