For the past six months, Wagin born and bred woman Londa Finlayson has been the RRR Networks’ Coordinator, working behind the scenes and coloufully in events, social media and with her fellow female RRR community.
It’s safe to say the Londa has become a well known connector in different parts of the state and worldwide. As busy woman, Londa has kept her life and career filled with all kinds of opportunities, always based in Wagin, the motto she lives by is “try everything, embrace the experience and add a little colour whilst your doing it”. Her support crew consists of her supportive husband Troy, four handsome sons Logan (16), Hunter (14), Taine (12) and Jordan (7), making Londa’s world a male dominate household, but female balance with herself at the helm.
Londa’s career path has been that of an adventure book, as she grew up with her parents in the shearing industry, it was a vow to herself that she would find a career path that would be better suited to her fashion sense of wanting to wear the wool, not skirt the fleece, this small town country Maori/Aussie (Mozzie) girl with a big city appetite knew there was more to come beyond the emerald city.
As a vibrant and passionate person, Londa set out into Local Government from 17 years old, moved into Banking, started a family in the quieter moments of motherhood she would run her own network marketing businesses such as Tupperware, Senegence, Nutrimetics to name a few. But the real desire for Londa was to work with helping her community, one of her key roles was with the Wagin Community Resource Centre as the Coordinator. Connecting her community was a key passion, and continues to be so to this day. Londa again had a career break with baby boy number four who would complete her family, but not her career. Her desire for more career growth continued to grow.
Londa went back into Banking in the Agri sector, but found it was no longer a passion of hers, so she decided to see if health was the elixir of career life. As practice manager of the Wagin General Practice, she soon found that the needs of her community stretched further. So an opportunity to work in Aged Care facility Waratah Lodge came along which filled her career cup in a new found respect for the pioneers of the community. Knowing that there was a niggling feeling to adventure out of Wagin, Londa landed a role as a Project Manager with Wheatbelt Health Network in Northam post Covid. Her role was a full time role to deliver inclusive art workshops to people with disabilities in reconnecting them back into art therapies, whilst offering alternative ways to earn income. But more importantly connect people with likeminded groups where people could feel safe, like they belong and support eachother. Once the project had concluded, having travelled to 20 different locations across the Wheatbelt. Continuing her community passion Londa then worked with Rural Aid and Bank of Ideas in a Community Builders Project for 12 months where reigniting community passion was at the forefront of the project. Londa found herself back in healthcare with WA Country Health System in Emergency Department as a Ward Clerk. Which eventually lead her to the role of Network Coordinator for the RRR Network.
In amongst Londa’s colourful corporate career, the creative side of the rainbow has always pulled at the inner essence of Londa. When she was diagnosed (or awarded the badge of superpower status) ADHD in November 2021, she knew that there was a deeper purpose and meaning to her “need to do everything”. An avid juggler of life meant that having four sons, a husband of 23 years, a social calendar like an advent calendar and the willingness to help one, help all, meant that something would eventually have to give. And it was a realisation Londa has had recently. In the simmering background of her daily social media life, she also has her own floral business (as a floral artist), something “she fell into” that has somehow made so much sense to her ADHD and dopamine levels, but to the fact that she has a natural eye for and something that comes easily. Knowing that you can’t juggle forever, Londa made the difficult decision to resign from the RRR Network and purely hyper-focus on her floral passion and work in the weddings, events space and art therapy sides of her ‘Florals by Londa’ business.
This being her third year in Florals by Londa, this was a decision that was determined by Londa knowing that this opportunity for her to delve deeper into this world will be the best career journey she would come to embark on. Londa not only has a passion for events and celebration florals, but want’s to share the therapeutic and artistic craft of flowers all over the state.