Amy Dunbar is a woman of incredible passion, spirit, and determination. She is the classic story of starting from the bottom and reaching the top, breaking past barriers, and creating new opportunities for women in local government.
Amy is a hard-working member of Penrith City Council who currently serves as a Field Coordinator in Civil works, leading a team of workers to help repair roads and conduct major patchwork. She has also assisted in the recent flood events that have hit some communities and families especially hard.
Joining the council at age 18, Amy first worked as an apprentice, then a truck driver, a machine operator and then a Team Leader in Civil Maintenance.
This was the first role in which Amy took on a leadership role. She was then promoted to a field supervisor of Major Patching which involves leading multiple teams and tremendous organisational skill to respond to the immediate needs of customers using roads managed and maintained by the Council right across its local government area. Amy now is in the higher position of Field Works Coordinator in Civil operations.
The journey has had its challenges, especially after Amy was involved in a workplace incident several years ago, where she underwent extensive surgeries and rehabilitation in order to return to work. However, Amy’s determination has meant she continues to have a significant and positive impact on the local community. This includes during the latest flood emergency, where she was at the forefront of the response, leading a team to organise resources, including the filling and delivery of sandbags, supporting requests for assistance from the State Emergency Service (SES) and NSW Police, and providing traffic control. Her team worked extremely hard to ensure the safety and provision of services to the community.
Amy continues her desire to learn and develop her skills set, especially as a leader. She has completed a Certificate IV in Civil Construction, a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and is currently studying in Leadership and Project Management. These courses aren’t required of Amy, however she is undertaking these courses on her own volition because she believes that the work she does is important, and recognises the challenges she faced being the first woman in her role. Amy believes she requires constant development, and constant improvement to ensure other women can follow in her footsteps without the barriers that she faced being the first.
Penrith City Council’s support for Amy and her leadership has facilitated women breaking into and exceling in traditionally male dominated roles.
There is no stopping Amy, and her future is certainly bright as she continues to be a champion and a role model for women not just in our local community but across Western Sydney.