Unexpected rewards in job
An integral member of Timaru’s community will bid the town a fond farewell early next month when she moves back home to Europe.
After five years as Aoraki Migrant Centre migrant support manager, and more than 10 in Timaru, Rosie Knoppel said her decision to leave South Canterbury had been dictated by her heart.
‘‘I still have my mum. She is 94 and living in Germany on her own. I visit her every year for a few weeks and every time I left I felt a bit guilty,’’ Knoppel said.
The decision had also been pushed along by the offer a job which she said was perfect for her. ‘‘I thought if I don’t grab this opportunity now, I’ll never do it.’’
While Knoppel was looking forward to to exploring new options and seeking out new challenges, she said she would miss being ‘‘the migrant lady’’ at the centre.
‘‘I am going to miss this role of being involved in the community because I am going back to business. I will be working in a sales department where I will provide back office support for an international company in the former East Germany, where I was born.
‘‘It’s going to be different but I know that is what I am good at. And I know I will be close to my family.’’
Knoppel said when she started in the position at the migrant centre five years ago her office only contained a very old desk, and she received no clear-cut direction as to what path to take.
‘‘It was a new position. Nobody could tell me really what I had to do. It had sort of a framework but in reality it was a lot different.
‘‘So I started to network with people and connect with local migrants and newcomers to see what their needs really are. I met many amazing people here. I am going to miss these people.’’
Knoppel said Timaru was a great place to live and had developed tremendously in the past decade.
‘‘Timaru is nice place to live and bring up children. It is safe and the economy is doing well,’’ she said.
‘‘There have been so many changes since I arrived 10 years ago. Timaru has changed and that’s very positive to see.’’
Knoppel said her job had brought unexpected rewards that will see her look back at her time in Timaru with fondness.
‘‘When I help people it is very rewarding, especially migrants. They need to go somewhere they can trust people, and to trust some one it is a huge step.
‘‘It was very rewarding to see how people slowly opened up with our coffee mornings and other activities.
‘‘It is hard to keep a professional distance because you learn a lot about people’s lives and you feel like in some cases you’re part of it.’’
She had a special message for South Canterbury employers who bring migrants to the region to fill skills gaps.
‘‘We have employers who accommodate migrants filling in gaps and this works well, but on the other hand you have employers who don’t think there might be a difference and don’t make the transition easy enough.
‘‘It’s not just at the beginning you give them attention. You have to make sure in the longer period that every is going okay.
‘‘People need to employ better social skills when dealing with or employing migrants. That’s what I see is still lacking among employers.’’
Aoraki Multicultural Trust chairperson Kate Wright said Knoppel’s departure would leave a huge hole to fill within the organisation.
‘‘We were very lucky to have Rosie. It never entered my head not to trust her with anything,’’ Wright said.
‘‘We started this place with an empty office, we came in here and asked ourselves: ‘what the heck do we do?’
‘‘And when you build it up from that you become a part of it instead of just walking in.
‘‘She is honest, caring and kind – all the qualities you need when dealing with the vast range of different people.’’