BON VOYAGE RAE!
This month we farewell a beloved member of the DNA team as she sails off into the retirement sunset.
Many DNA subscribers will be familiar with Rae as she has been the voice on the end of the phone when they called to renew their subscription or change their address. In fact, over the course of her marathon 25 years with the DNA family, Rae has had many jobs.
She’s done everything from taking care of subscribers, looking after the books, paying bills, chasing outstanding invoices, putting address stickers on envelopes, sending out calendars and trying to maintain order in the DNA warehouse!
If she sounds indispensable, well, that’s how we feel about her. We already talked her out of retiring once before but it hasn’t worked this time! She will be missed, not just by the DNA team but by the many DNA subscribers with whom she has developed great friendships. At the end of the year, it’s Rae who gets all the Christmas cards from happy DNA readers.
So, appreciating that so many of you know and love her, I’m going to share a few personal stories and observations about her that she would probably never have mentioned. Hopefully, none of you know, for example, that she swears like a trooper! I’m sure, in her interactions with DNA readers, she has always maintained the highest professional standards but, outside of work, and after a glass of champagne, well, the language gets a little more “informal”. Yes, there is a wicked sense of humour that goes with that, too, and that’s when the snorting laugh comes out as well!
She’s also extremely fit. She watches her diet, she gyms regularly, and she’s in great shape to prove it. I have even seen a photo of her when she was competing in physique events. Impressive.
That said, she was often unimpressed by DNA’s cover models. “They’re not really my cup of tea,” she’d say, so, when she did occasionally give her stamp of approval, we knew the issue would do well. If it can impress Rae, it can impress anyone!
A tough audience but a real softy underneath. Rae never had a bad word for anyone. She is kind, considerate and thoughtful, and expresses genuine concern for those she hardly knows. It makes absolute sense to me that she was such a success at customer relations.
The great news is that it’s not just a handshake and a thank-you card and see you later. I said that she’s sailing off into the sunset, well, in fact, that has actually happened. Rae joined the DNA team on the first P&O Pride Cruise that left Sydney last November and partied with readers and some of the clients she’s worked with over the years, including Chris and Anthony from Unlabelled, whose previous business was Lqd Skin Care. Rae has known them for a good 10 years. She loved the cruise, and it was the perfect way to say thank you!
Although we’re sad to see her go, we’re happy that she’s going off to become a “Golden Girl” and enjoy her retirement. I joked with her before she left that she’d become “a lady who lunches”. She replied, “I love lunch!” We’ve made plans to catch up already!
So, on behalf of the DNA team, past and present, thank you Rae. Your years of devotion, loyalty and hard work are so very appreciated. They don’t come along like you every day! Enjoy your retirement, we love you!
Hopefully, none of you know, for example, that she swears like a trooper!