Redundancy and Early Retirement
My Journey
I worked in a minimum security correctional centre, teaching and managing education programs for male inmates for over 22 years.
I was made redundant in December 2016, just days after turning 56. I look back at all the posts I wrote during this difficult time, from the announcement in May 2016 to my final week at work in December 2016 and can relive the emotions of that time.
‘You aren’t redundant — your job is redundant. You are still a much-loved, important, powerful and precious mother, husband, father, wife, person’.
A message from the Queen? No, just me guesting with THE GIFT OF AN EARLY AND UNWANTED REDUNDANCY – over at Cresting The Hill
A guest post featuring the Queen and I – yes really! Check it out.
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On being made redundant…..
My thoughts on being made redundant Meaning: not or no longer needed or useful; superfluous. Synonyms: Unnecessary, not required, inessential, unessential, needless, unneeded, uncalled for, dispensable, disposable, expendable. unwanted, useless Back in 2016, I was sitting and talking with my sister at her hospital bed and it was therapeutic for both of us. For…
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Guest Post Series: Reflections on My First Year of Retirement
Holiday Greetings to you all from the Land Down Under! Donna at Retirement Reflections kindly invited me to be a guest in her ‘Sundays at Six’ series and gave me free rein as to what I could write about. Donna has many interesting bloggers join her in her series and it’s great reading what everyone is…
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Surprisingly there is a life after retirement – Musings on a Monday
Retirement update I have now been ‘retired’ for some time and can honestly say I have not missed going to work at all. There I’ve said it! I don’t miss going to work! Surprise, surprise! I do miss the social interactions with my co-workers but as my staff all finished with me (we were all…
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Jailhouse Blues by Murray Cook
This article was written by Murray Cook, a fellow teacher at Long Bay Correctional Centre in Sydney and was published in the Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday 27/8/16. He sums it up very well and adds a human element to our case. Jailhouse Blues: Premier’s decision will rock may lives Pottering around the Blue Mountains…
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Today I’m a radical!
I wouldn’t have thought I was a radical but recent events have made me question myself. I will admit that I’m passionate, I’m excitable, I’m enthusiastic, I’m a fighter and I’m determined. Today I’m also adding the word radical to that description as I’m taking industrial action and am on strike for 24 hours due to…
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What’s your value? I know mine!
A heartfelt post about the value of Education, or not as the case may be, in a correctional facility.
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Not a good week!
It seems I’m more political than I thought! I’m also very angry! I’ve rarely shared information about my work on my blog but this week I have well and truly broken that self imposed ban. And for a very good reason. This week we were informed that our jobs, as educators within correctional centres across…
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Wordless Wednesday 11/5/16
Welcome to Wordless Wednesday I don’t usually add words to these Wordless Wednesday posts believing that the picture tells the story but today is a bit different. The quote used with my photo is very fitting at the moment. This article tells a story which affects me and my colleagues. I rarely, if ever, talk…
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Education beats crime every day
The importance of Education in jails I know I’ve mentioned it before on my blog (Not a good week, Wednesday 11/5/16, and this BuzzFeed interview) but I thought I’d share my latest foray into speaking out about this very important issue. I was interviewed by a local TV station during the week and I don’t know about you but I…
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Partners in crime
These lovely people are just some of my partners in crime! I have worked with many of these good people for well over 10 years, (I’m the one on the far left of the photo). I have been in this workplace for over 20 years and their Manager for all of this time. In all…
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The day I met a murderer on the bus
The time I met a murderer on the bus! Life is an adventure.
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WTF? #ThrowbackThursday
Does the acronym WTF mean anything to you? Well an inmate and I had very different meanings of WTF – read on for the story!
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What do you do now that you’re…….
What do you do now that you’re retired? Instead of being annoyed at being asked this question, I used it as a way of reflecting on the past 5 years, and looking at what has happened since I was made redundant.
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We were important and we were valued by our colleagues and students. We worked hard for many years to improve the lives of our students. Senior management and Government ministers might not recognise or thank us for what we’ve accomplished, but luckily we know our own worth.
Writing these posts during this awful time helped me to cope, it gave me an outlet, a voice and it was a way of healing. I didn’t realise at the time that I was grieving.
Finding other bloggers in similar situations also helped.
Please feel free to contact me or leave me a message.
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A tragic accident at age 17, resulting in a Bravery Award from the Queen, didn’t deter Debbie from travelling the world. A young retiree, after being made redundant from her 22 year career managing education programs in a men’s correctional centre, she now loves reading, blogging, riding her ebike and a good cup of tea! Also known as Granny Debs to her 4 grandchildren.
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