Stephanie grew up in Dublin, Ireland, where she explored her interest in consumer behaviour and marketing. She studied wine and its emotional connections, learning the importance of storytelling in people’s lives.

She moved to the Riverland in 2012 and fell in love with the region especially the River Murray. She is married to a local wine maker with two beautiful children and one on the way.

Since 2013, Stephanie has worked with the Renmark Paringa Council. Her job focuses on communications, marketing and community engagement, helping to share stories and reliable information with residents and stakeholders.

When the 2022-23 floods arrived, Stephanie joined the emergency incident management team. She managed communication, supported by her team, working long days to ensure everyone stayed informed and reassured.

Her role during the River Murray Flood 2022/23, on the Emergency Incident Management Team, was to ensure all stakeholders were informed on Renmark Paringa Council's response to the impeding flood waters and ensure that that the community remained confident of the levee network during that time.

Professionally and personally, she was engulfed by the Flood, so felt able to prepare communication resources for the community which made sense to her as a community member and therefore ensured that the Council was trusted source of information during that time. She shared facts clearly and made sure people understood both risks and progress, helping reduce fear and build trust during a difficult time.

She is proud of how the community came together, and values the teamwork, resilience and belonging that her experience has brought her.

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We hope that you enjoyed this episode of River Murray Recovery Stories, brought to you by Kintsugi Heroes.

Please take care: if you have been triggered by listening to this episode we recommend you get in contact with someone who can help keep you safe and give you the support you need. This may be Lifeline, AA, a friend, a counsellor, or some other support group.

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Warmly,

The Kintsugi Heroes team