WHAT'S MY ROLL?

I gained employment at a farm called Coolibah Herbs, a fairly large operation with maybe thirty employees. I went into the interview expecting I’d be packing lettuce, but as soon as they discovered I’d been manager of the fresh produce department at Coles I was offered a different position on the spot. I was shown the basic ropes and told I was the new QA — a title I didn’t even understand at the time. For weeks I wandered around not knowing what QA actually stood for or what my responsibilities were. It felt a bit like Kramer from Seinfeld turning up to a job with no clue what he was supposed to be doing, or George entangled in one of his Pinsky-file mishaps. Eventually I learned QA meant quality assurer. The job was dull: most days I drifted around trying to look busy, accomplishing very little, and increasingly certain my role would be short-lived. Sure enough, I was moved to dispatch, which suited me better despite the fact it still involved hard work — and I’m not fond of hard work. I asked for a pay rise and was turned down. At the time I was taking clozapine and needed monthly blood tests that required me to leave early once a month; that request was denied as well. I can’t recall whether I quit or was fired in the end. Either way, I don’t miss that place.