Petria Thomas

With the 2006 Commonwealth Games only a couple of weeks away, sports loving people all around Australia are gearing up for what will no doubt be an exciting spectacle.

Although I am not competing any more, I am still lucky enough to be a part of the Australia Team Headquarters Staff at the Games. I am not 100% sure of my duties in this role yet, but generally speaking, I will be part of a team that will try to ensure that the Australian Team runs as smoothly as possible.

I am heading down to Melbourne on about the 7th March to take up residence in the Commonwealth Games village. My team duties will finish on March 27, the day after the Closing Ceremony. I am looking forward to seeing the 'other side' of sport at a major event! I am sure my experience there will be both challenging and busy, but I’m looking forward to what lays ahead in the next month or so.

On a more personal note, my husband and I are expecting the birth of our first child in early June. The pregnancy has been going ok. I had a medium dose of morning sickness (they should call it all-day sickness!!) for around the first four months or so, but since then I have been feeling a bit better.

After a year or so of trying to fall pregnant naturally, my husband and I were both very relieved that our first cycle of IVF treatment was successful. IVF was quite an emotionally and physically challenging time, but the results made it more than worthwhile. I am very excited about the prospect of being a parent, but at the same time quite nervous. I wish there was an all-inclusive guide to being a new parent as it would make life much easier!!

Since early this year I have been keeping busy by working at the Australian Sports Commission (ASC). I have taken up a casual position (28-30 hours per week) working in the Business Support Centre, which fits into the Sports Services section at the ASC.

The Business Support Centre services around 45-50 of the smaller National Sporting Organisations and helps them in areas such as governance, structure, IT, finance etc. I have been enjoying learning about the challenges that these small sporting organisations face, for most of these sports it is just mere survival.

I completed my degree in Sports Administration in 2004, so the kind of work I have been doing ties in perfectly. It has been great to get some real life working experience before the baby arrives. Hopefully I will be able to slot back into a similar type of position after I have had some time to get to know our new arrival!

So, all in all the next few months will be quite exciting for me. I have the Commonwealth Games and new baby experiences to look forward to, and I forgot to mention that my husband and I have been building a new house which is due to be completed around Easter time.

It’s going to be busy! I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish all at Fuji Xerox a belated Happy New Year. I hope that you are all in good health and spirits and that 2006 is a very prosperous year.

My heartfelt thanks go to all of you at Fuji Xerox for your ongoing support. Bye for now, take care!

Best Wishes,
Petria Thomas