Today is International Day of Women and Girls in Science with this year’s theme “Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Water Unites Us.”

Science plays an important role in Opal’s day to day operations in Australia and New Zealand and we’re proud to recognise the contribution our female team members make, through science, across our different sites.

Pictured are some of our Women in Science at Opal’s Maryvale Mill.

Pictured are some of our Women in Science at Opal’s Botany Mill.

Holly, Machine operator at Opal Paper & Recycling Botany Mill, has shared her insights about their work and what the theme of this year’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science means to her.

Holly, Machine Operator

Holly has worked at Opal for more than six years commencing her first role as a process tester. Holly has had the opportunity to be a part of the commissioning of Opal Paper & Recycling Botany Mill’s secondary water treatment plant.

“This involved all the routine testing and troubleshooting that goes into starting up a new process. I now use these skills in my current role as a machine operator, running the plant from an operations point of view. My previous roles have definitely given me more experience and knowledge to troubleshoot issues if they arise.

This year’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science theme: “Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Water Unites Us”, means a lot to Holly – both professionally and personally.

“I think water unites us as it is essential for life, it’s really the one thing that we all collectively need to survive. I feel proud to be a part of a company that takes its role with water and the environment seriously, implementing the secondary water treatment plant to do our part in the continuous recycle / reuse water cycle,” she says.

“On a more personal note, growing up near the beach, I have seen water play an important role in bringing people together, forming a community feel whether it’s for sport or leisure. Water has always and will continue to play a huge part in my life, being a lover of both the ocean and more recently the snow,” Holly said.