There's no place like Hume  

It’s rare to happily return to a former workplace and eagerly pick up where you left off, yet for Hume our people keep boomerang-ing back.

Customer Insight and Engagement Officer – and now official Hume-erang – Alex genuinely loved his time with Hume until the travel bug beckoned. Post-COVID, Alex decided to hit the backroads discovering Australia and learning firsthand about its people.

“I loved my role, however the call to achieve my lifelong dream to travel Australia was strong. I had an ‘If not now, when?’ revelation and made the decision to go, which unfortunately meant having to leave Hume,” he said.

In 2022, Alex embarked on his dream road-trip, a five-month, 26,000km, anti-clockwise journey around Australia, timed with the seasons and predominantly following the coast. Starting in Sydney and heading north to Queensland, he spent 6 weeks “hiking through rainforests and hopping between waterfalls”. 

He then travelled west across to the Northern Territory, visiting many sacred sites and exploring towns and meeting First Nations people. After that, it was over to Western Australia visiting places including Broome, Ningaloo Reef at Exmouth, Perth, Margaret River and Esperance. Finally, he worked his way east, crossing the Nullabor into South Australia, Victoria and up the east coast toward home. 

Alex’s trusty Volvo was his home on wheels, fitted with all the necessities to live off-grid while on the road, including a roof top tent, onboard solar and battery power, a fridge, water and extra diesel, and even a kitchen sink!

“As well as visiting all the beautiful National Parks like Litchfield, Kakadu, Katharine Gorge, Purnululu (also known as the Bungle Bungles), Karijini and Cape Le Grand–– I gained humbling insight into how a lot of First Nations people live. The disadvantage of remote First Nations communities was a stark contrast to the wealthy coastal towns, and it certainly gave me more understanding of the challenges they face,” Alex reflected.

“It was clear housing planning and design often did not adequately consider cultural practices, so now having returned to work for Hume it really has given me a better perspective on the work we do,” he said.

“Living in a car for several months was fantastic; I wanted for nothing, existed comfortably and it reinforced that there are so many things we don’t need in life. I certainly discovered that fallacy of ‘the grass is always greener’ and expanded my thinking to include ‘where you water it,” he said.

“It also hit home that I had the choice to live in my car this time, it was an adventure for me. Unfortunately, the housing crisis has meant so many people do not have the option – either living in their cars or on the streets permanently. For me this was a rare opportunity, to have no set plans and no one to answer to. Being a nomad was a total freedom that few get to experience.”

Alex returned to work for Hume in late February 2024, this time in a new role as Project Administrator of Business Transformation, again reconnecting with many familiar teammates.

“It was like being reunited with old friends. I was made aware of the role through a Hume colleague, and jumped at the chance, was interviewed, and ultimately secured the role,” Alex said.

“It’s an incredibly dynamic team, and it’s exciting to be a part of assisting to deliver some of the fantastic change initiatives we have been formulating at Hume.

“As I’ve also taken up studying a Bachelor of Business, Hume’s flexible workplace culture is fantastic as it allows me to work productively whilst pursing my studies and self-development at the same time. I am incredibly grateful to be back and to officially be a Hume-erang!” Alex said.

If you want to join an organisation people find hard to leave, check out our current vacancies.