Avondale Communications student Kody Dobson caught up with Alumni Laura Hutchinson to talk about her unique public relations role.
All photos supplied by Q Station Manly
After leaving Avondale college what was the pathway that lead you to being Marketing for Quarantine Station?
After I graduated I decided to take a break from my responsibilities – I never took a gap year and had completely burnt out by the end of College because I overcommitted to so many things (and loved every minute!). So I planned to do nothing for the month of January.
Of course, I am not the type of person who could just sit still and by the end of the month I had accidentally gained multiple jobs including directing the musical Jericho Road, Admissions Officer back at Avondale, working as an Extra on TV sets, assisting with a project at the Adventist Union plus a few modelling gigs. I like to keep busy!
Initially I dreamed of working in the media, particularly radio, but it’s a very hard industry to crack into. I applied for lots of roles in Marketing / PR in Sydney because it was a familiar place and close to home (Lake Macquarie). My then-boyfriend now-husband Sebastian Hutchinson (Avondale Business School Alumni) was employed already as an Assistant Accountant on the Northern Beaches of Sydney so Q Station in Manly was a perfect choice because it allowed me to live and work close to Bas.
I fell in love with Q Station as soon as I arrived for my interview and saw the amazing views of Sydney Harbour, natural environment or the National Park and the gorgeous old buildings, rich with history. I was honest in my interview about my experiences and expectations, demonstrating that as a graduate I didn’t have heaps of exposure to the programs or systems of a hotel but was very eager to learn. They appreciated my honesty and innovative nature I think… I’ve just celebrated my 2 year anniversary in this role in May 2019.
When Graduating from Avondale did you see yourself in a position like this?
Yes. I wanted to work full time in business in Marketing or Public Relations – my role now is a varied mix between the two. Although I thought I’d be in radio, hospitality has surprised me as being quite vibrant and fun in a different way!
What is your Favourite Part of the Job?
Creativity. I dabble in graphic design, writing (press releases, website copy, social captions, etc) photography, videography and more. I’m lucky to have a lot of responsibility in my small team and pretty much single-handedly manage the digital presence for Q Station across all our revenue streams – hotel, conferencing and events, weddings, history and ghost tours, restaurant and leisure guests for the cafe, museum and beach. It’s wild! Marketing is basically just communicating a brand story. Creativity and storytelling are woven through all of my tasks.
If there is one story you could share of Q Station and the history of it what would it be?
Oh my gosh… where do I begin! European settlers first used this spot for quarantine purposes in 1828 and it was only closed in 1984 – so there is a lot of history behind us and countless stories to tell. The people coming through here were migrating from overseas and had to have themselves and all of their belonging thoroughly disinfected before being interned for a minimum of 40 days. Anyone sick on the ship was taken to the Hospital Precinct and isolated – major diseases included smallpox, typhoid, bubonic plague and Spanish influenza.
My favourite story occurred when the quarantine station was totally overrun by soldiers returning home from war in 1918. They didn’t have enough accommodation so the soldiers had to pitch their own tents. In doing so across the property, they encountered so many snakes that one man climbed a pole and wouldn’t get down ALL NIGHT! By morning the men had rallied together and marched out of the gates past security (what one or two security guards could stop 600+ soldiers?!), down to Manly Ferry and across to the city. This was their protest to the poor conditions of the station at that time.
They were then quarantined in tents on the Sydney Cricket Ground for the remainder of their 40 days.
Your website talks about ghost tours, have you had any experience with ghosts since working there or have any of your co-workers experienced anything?
Q Station runs ghost tours every night of the year, except for Christmas and New Year’s Eve. We are considered one of the most haunted sites in Australia, and the fact that we have enough people visiting for that purpose every single night is a testament to that.
I was nervous to market the ghost tours as I wasn’t quite sure how it would align with my Christian beliefs. As it turns out, the tours are lots of fun whether you are a sceptic or a believer as they are based on the stories of the real history of the site and the people who lived and worked here. I really enjoy marketing them. We have a huge following online and the audience is very engaged. I did the tour and did not experience any paranormal things but had a few jumps and screams none the less! Because I manage our social accounts, I receive messages often of people telling us what they have encountered and sending a photo of “evidence”. Some are convincing! I tend to keep it at arm’s length and while I enjoy telling and hearing the spooky stories I don’t want to mess with the spiritual realm if it really is there so I keep things fun and light-hearted. My God is way bigger than whatever is lurking in the old shower block at work so I’m not phased.
What is your favourite tour you can take at Q station, give me a short explanation of the tour and why it is your favourite?
The Wharf Wander History Tour. It Covers everything you need to know in 45 minutes and you get to explore cool places like the autoclaves, shower block and old hospital. It’s still meaningful and rooted in the tragic history but also tells fun stories and dives into the history of migration and medicine, how we got the beautiful multicultural Sydney we live in and love today. This tour runs every day at 11 am.
How did Studying at Avondale help equip you for the Future?
My experience at Avondale was full of so many opportunities for leadership as well as participation in teams. I’m not talking about group assignments, though they are sometimes very similar to what it is like to work in an office team! I joined music groups, bible studies and sports teams, supported mission trips, wrote articles for the yearbooks and lead a drama team. As someone with a small attention span, I really appreciated the intimate class sizes which allowed for collaboration and discussions within lectures. My lecturers all knew me by name and were highly supportive of my ventures. The lecturers also really encouraged me to get as much hands-on experience as possible – after all, it does not matter the university name on your resume, it’s all about the real workplace experience you’ve gained!
My view on this has only been emphasised since graduating – I don’t know anything about or care where my colleagues studied, but I do know their previous jobs and the skills they are bringing to their current role because of them. Honestly, I believe you’d be better off at a small town college with relevant casual/part-time career experience on your resume than with somewhere massive like USYD and having done nothing but ride off Centrelink for 4 years. Just my opinion! 😉
My lecturers at Avondale had great connections to help me gain invaluable internship experience, such as radio, magazines, marketing/PR offices, etc.
My advice to Avondale students is to GET INVOLVED in as much as you can handle! Find things you love and get amongst it. Interviewers are much more interested in the musical I directed and social projects I was a part of than the scores I got in economics classes. College is more than just getting an expensive piece of paper, it is about building your resume through building your character, social and professional networks as well as skill set.
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