Rebekah O' Rourke

I was born on a sheep and grain station in NSW, Australia. I lived there until I went off to school in Sydney following my parent's divorce. I was very keen on sport, debating and the humanities. When I finished school, I moved to Melbourne and married very young. My career began with the hard work of hospitality over the split and double shifts in a large 5-star hotel. During this time I started university and undertook study around my work. I was offered a great opportunity in the hotel to volunteer in the Human Resources department by day and work in the cocktail bar by night. I then spent a few years in the Construction industry and was tapped on the shoulder to apply for a role with World Vision (WV) in a role that no one wanted to do - apparently. It was an innovative opportunity to try some pioneering work in organisation development. After my divorce, I took a role in the East African regional office with WV and continued to work in organisational development across nine countries. I also completed a Masters degree during this time.