Join us as we meet some of our incredible team.
For more than a decade, Agi has played a vital role at BaptistCare HopeStreet Campbelltown, helping to keep the hub running smoothly. From welcoming clients and coordinating appointments to troubleshooting IT hiccups and assisting with reports, her role is as varied as the people she meets.
“I do a bit of everything,” Agi says. “No two days are the same, and that’s what I love about it.”
The road to HopeStreet
In 2013, Agi was returning to the workforce after maternity leave with her second child. She’d been commuting from Campbelltown to North Sydney for a recruitment agency role, and the long days – often 12 hours away from home – had become unsustainable.
“I started looking for something closer to home that I could still do well,” she says. She applied for a part-time role as an Administration Assistant with HopeStreet, which later evolved into her current position of Hub Administrator. She now supports not just Campbelltown, but other BaptistCare locations as well.
Agi manages client intake, registers new clients, talks them through available services, allocates them to counsellors and schedules appointments. “That’s a big part of my job,” she says, “but I also do anything and everything to keep the office running.”
She also manages Work Development Orders, which allow people experiencing financial hardship to reduce their fines by attending counselling or group programs, and helps with reports for the Men’s Behaviour Change program, which is partly funded by the Department of Communities and Justice.
“It’s all about making sure our clients get the right support at the right time,” Agi says. “It’s such a varied role – there’s always something different to do.”
The reason she’s stayed
While the practical benefits of location and hours initially drew her to BaptistCare, it was the people she works with who have kept her there so long.
“I’ve been really blessed with the team over the years. They’re warm, supportive and caring – it genuinely feels like a family,” she says. “That’s what’s kept me here.”
The team’s shared purpose also plays a big part. “We all work together for our clients and do everything we can to support them.”
Being on the front line means Agi often hears personal and sometimes heartbreaking stories before a client has even met with a counsellor.
“I’m not a counsellor, but I listen. I want people to feel heard,” she says. “It’s a privilege when someone trusts you enough to share their story.”
How the work has changed her
Agi says the role has broadened her perspective on life.
“Before I started here, I lived in a bit of a bubble,” she admits. “I’d never encountered family or domestic violence personally, so I didn’t understand the scale of it. Within six months, I realised how much struggle there is in the world. Everyone who comes through the door has been through something.”
That insight has made her more grateful for what she has. “It makes you appreciate your health, your family and the things you might take for granted,” she says.
Life outside the office
Away from work, Agi focuses on what makes her happiest – time with her partner, two children, and two beloved dogs: a Jack Russell mix rescue and a playful seven-month-old dachshund.
“I love going to the beach, bushwalking, exploring new places, and walking the dogs,” she says. “It’s important to do the things you love and focus on the positives – just as our counsellors encourage our clients to do.
Thinking of a similar career?
For anyone considering working in a counselling service, Agi’s advice is to be open-minded and resilient.
“You’ll meet people going through incredibly tough times,” she says. “It’s not about having ‘happy clients’ – it’s about being there for them in a way that makes a difference, even in small moments. Those moments can mean everything.”
