This month we spoke with Bree Moore, Horticulturalist, City of Charles Sturt, about her career journey so far, her biggest takeaways from the 2024 LG Professionals SA Women's Network Conference, and her favourite native plant in the City of Charles Sturt.

How long have you been in local government and what is your role?

I have been in local government for close to a year and a half now and work as a Horticulturist for the City of Charles Sturt. In my role, I maintain parks and garden spaces for the local community and find it super rewarding. 

In November, you attended the Women’s Network Conference: The Power of Belonging on a Field Staff Scholarship, which was a first-of-its-kind scholarship made available through LG Professionals SA. What was your biggest takeaway from the day?

Being selected for this scholarship was amazing, I definitely took a lot from the day. These events help build a sense of purpose and direction in terms of our development and are such a great opportunity to network with women in local government (especially field staff) and see what the bigger picture might look like.

My biggest takeaway was learning the importance of taking intentional actions towards our overall wellbeing and how showing up for that extra 1% in our day-to-day lives can really make a significant impact both personally and professionally. 

What’s your favourite native plant that you work with in your role?

That is definitely a hard question as I could talk about native plants all day. I’d say one of the more underrated plants that I love is actually the native coastal grass spinifex. 

It is unique in the fact that its root system is quite deep, it is fast growing and super hardy. It can withstand the harsh coastal conditions and acts as a stabiliser in the dunes which is great to help control some of the erosion issues we face along the coast. It is an important plant for our role in protecting and increasing the biodiversity of the area.

What are your career goals?

At the moment I’m enjoying the role that I am in currently and want to continue to grow within this space. In saying this I am interested in doing further studies and moving into a leadership role in the future. 

How do you like to spend your time outside of work? 

My time outside of work is generally spent doing something active either walking, going to the gym or yoga. I love travelling and being outside but also love to stay inside and binge watch tv shows. It’s about balance, right?