20 years at Cleanaway: a career built on people, purpose and possibility
Twenty years. Nine council customers. Countless customer calls, invoices, timecards and service requests.
Pictured from left to right: Branch Manager Bill Kelly, Sandra looking sharp and Administration Supervisor Melody Freeman.
For Sandra Stradling, Administration Officer at our Shepparton Depot, two decades with Cleanaway have been defined by change, learning and, most importantly, people.
When Sandra joined Cleanaway 20 years ago, she remembers a busy first day filled with new faces and plenty of names to remember.
“Everyone was very welcoming and friendly,” she says.
Back then, our Shepparton Depot looked very different. The team managed council kerbside collections across general waste and recycling, supported by a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), several front lift trucks and just one hook lift truck.
Today, the operation has evolved significantly. Collections now include organics and glass waste streams and the team operates five hook lift trucks.
Sandra has evolved with it.
A role that has grown with the business
Sandra started as a Customer Service Officer (CSO), with her early days involving everything from opening the mail and processing cheque payments to banking cash, entering municipal statistics and answering the phone.
Over the years, her responsibilities expanded as she learned more about the business and took on new challenges.
Today, Sandra plays a vital role across four depots: Shepparton, Seymour, Benalla and Numurkah.
Her responsibilities include payroll administration, resolving timecard exceptions, processing leave, invoicing and purchase orders, as well as helping the team manage customer calls, emails and ad hoc issues.
It is a diverse role and that is exactly what Sandra enjoys about it.
“I like the diverse range of my duties, not doing just one repetitious task all day.”
Her days start at 7am, often with a check of our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system for service bookings that have come in overnight, followed by timecard exceptions that need to be resolved ahead of the Monday payroll deadline. From there, the day can take her anywhere, depending on the needs of customers, councils, suppliers and her colleagues.
“I guess a great day is when everything just goes to plan!”
People make the difference
For Sandra, the biggest reason she has stayed with Cleanaway for 20 years is simple: her team.
“The team that I work with at the Shepparton Depot. Absolutely!”
There have been plenty of changes over two decades, but Sandra says the team has always worked through the ups and downs together.
Two people have been particularly important along the way: Branch Manager Bill Kelly and Administration Supervisor Melody Freeman.
Sandra has watched Bill progress from Supervisor to Branch Manager, describing him as someone who can always find a solution when a problem arises.
“I often say, ‘Bill, I need you to pull a rabbit out of your hat.’”
She has also seen Melody progress from part-time CSO to her current leadership role, with the pair becoming an important source of support for each other over the years.
That sense of connection extends beyond the day-to-day work. Birthdays are celebrated with cake and a chance to sit down together, while the annual pre-Christmas lunch is a favourite tradition.
There is even a familiar sight each year: Bill arriving at the depot dressed as Santa, sack of treats in hand, before cooking a BBQ for the team.
Pictured: Bill as Santa with Sandra
Keeping pace with change
Over 20 years, Sandra has seen Cleanaway go through changes in leadership, teams, technology and systems.
She remembers the transition to the darker blue Transpacific Cleanaway trucks and the welcome return to the familiar Cleanaway branding.
Pictured: A Cleanaway truck with legacy branding circa 1990s.
But technology has arguably transformed her working life the most.
Sandra remembers when employees used punched timecards and payroll information was entered manually. Today, her work involves systems with many acronyms such as UKG, JDE, ECHO and more.
Always showing up
Looking back, Sandra is proudest of the customer service she has provided to individuals and councils over the years.
She has received plenty of positive feedback from customers, something she says is particularly rewarding.
She also takes pride in her work ethic.
“I just always show up.”
It is a simple statement that perhaps captures Sandra’s contribution best. For 20 years, she has been a consistent presence for her team, customers and councils, adapting as the business has grown and continuing to learn along the way.
Her advice to new starters reflects that experience.
“Allow yourself time to grasp things. There’s so much to learn, don’t be overwhelmed.”
Now 71, Sandra is looking forward to the next chapter, gradually reducing her hours while continuing to contribute before eventually retiring when the time is right.
After two decades, one thing is clear: there has never been a dull moment.
Congratulations, Sandra, on an incredible 20 years with Cleanaway. Here’s to everything you’ve contributed, everyone you’ve supported and the next chapter ahead.
Your career could take you further than you think.
Sandra joined Cleanaway 20 years ago and has grown her career alongside a changing business. Her story is a reminder that careers can evolve in ways you never expect.
Discover where a career at Cleanaway could take you.