Before I started my social enterprise Merry Go Round Toys, I had my dream carer which I adored, being a Police Officer with Queensland Police Service. I was a first responder for the entirety of my 8 year career until a simple hernia operation left me permanently disabled.
I loved being a Police Officer I was even named as a finalist for Police Officer of the year 2015 before everything turned upside down. I’d gone from being a strong and very capable Police Officer to a broken human who had lost their way.
I battled with depression, anxiety and PTSD yet still I mourned “the job”. Being a first responder it transcends from being an occupation to being a part of your matrix. It didn’t help when further surgery caused severe complications and caused my clinical death a number of times including on my birthday.
Every day now is a battle for me as I manoeuvre through a world filled with constant pain, a plethora of pills but at least I’m mostly functioning today. Tomorrow? Well that may be a whole other story. I have been left with numerous autoimmune diseases, nerve damage and associated pain in my abdomen, right groin and leg. As if that wasn’t enough i know have the displeasure of having my lower ribs grate on top of my hips.
Despite these daily challenges giving back to my community has always felt like a necessary duty to me. At 13 I found myself living on the streets, occasionally with friends, until their parents found out. A small community program provided a stable place for me to live and to thrive, I will always be indebted.
So in turn I pay it forward. Firstly in various volunteer capacities with St John Ambulance and the State Emergency Service and later into a paid capacity. Most recently with my social enterprise Merry Go Round Toys which tackles the problem of extreme waste in a novel way.
I designed Merry Go Round Toys around the circular economy approach where we assure buyers of quality and sanitation practices whilst providing quality toys in an affordable manner. To further bolster the community engagement we have partnered with two local charities supporting their community initiatives.
Redland Bay Mens shed provide handmade toys for us to sell, also resourcefully provide spare parts such as balls, shapes and mallets to ensure toys stay in circulation. In turn we have provided many templates for toys to be made where the men can bond and foster relationships whilst working “shoulder to shoulder”
Our other charity of choice was Bayside Salvos Houses of Hope Program which was recently recognised at Australia Day ceremony. This program since inception in June 2023 has housed 3 families including 10 children which were affected by a lack of affordable housing. We provide both physical as well as monetary assistance as we endeavour to meet the needs of the community in a united manner.
Merry Go Round Toys has been trading as a sole proprietorship for 12mths now. The going is slow as it is mainly down to myself to manage the day to day tasks and some days I’m just not able to manage things. I have drawn attention however as I have participated in a podcast with Naomi Simson as well as been a finalist for Women in Business and Gold winner for Social Enterprise at Women Changing the World awards in May.
For more information visit https://www.merrygoroundtoys.com.au/