By Kirsty O’Shea

I am very excited to announce that the SA Chapter of SCRIA looks, for the first time in a long time, set to become a real, live, happening thing! At this stage we only have a small group but this is OK- it is a small group of enthusiastic, professionals who all believe we can make a difference! We are due to have our first meeting soon!

Everyone has made me feel so welcome and been so supportive, particularly Gary, thank you so much! I already feel honored to be given this opportunity! My enthusiasm is immense and I hope it rubs off onto others!!

A little about me…I have been involved in the industry for approximately 8 years. I do not have the technical knowledge that others have but I have a broad understanding of how it works, I have business acumen and I have passion. I believe that ‘I’ and ‘We’ can make a difference!! My involvement over the last 8 years stems from me helping my husband, Sean O’Shea, in his long term business (of about 24 years), “O’Shea’s Carpet Cleaning” and now known as “O’Shea’s Organisation”. When I went on Maternity Leave I offered to give hubby a bit of a hand to spruce things up a little… well I certainly did that and more – we have gone from a home office to a commercial office which includes a Rug Laundry, our team has grown immensely and we also retail a range of Carpet Cleaning products through a supermarket chain in SA – amongst other achievements! Needless to say, I did not have one day of “Maternity Leave” as such but I have enjoyed every minute (mostly!) of what I have been doing!! I cannot help but mention my biggest achievements over the last 8 years which are my son Finningan who is now 7, my daughter Aobh who is now 5 and my baby Rafferty who is now 4 – they are amazing!

I admire the work of the Carpet Techs in our industry who work massive hours, leave their families at such short notice, work in the extremities of weather and generally bust their guts, in an industry that deserves licensing, reform and respect!

Take care,
Kirsty