Geethani DeSilva from Colombo, Sri Lanka

Geethani De Silva came to New Zealand with her family for a safer life. “We were pushed from Sri Lanka because of the conflict with terrorists. My children were in school then, and we weren’t sure how safe it was. It was a case of not feeling comfortable in our own country.”

Seeking a more peaceful life, Geethani and her family immigrated to New Zealand in 1996. “My husband is qualified in IT, so he was accepted into New Zealand through the skilled migrant category, which meant that there would be jobs for him. I wasn’t thinking of a job for myself then because the children were so young.”

Soon after arriving, Geethani began volunteering to get involved and gain local work experience. “I started applying for voluntary work because someone told us that would go a long way as I didn’t have any experience working in New Zealand. I could do it in my own time, so I started volunteering for UNICEF and as a Girl Guide leader. I am still a Girl Guide leader because it gives me so much satisfaction."

As Geethani’s children got a bit older, she decided that she’d like to continue her career as a librarian. “I called every library in the Yellow Pages and asked if they had vacancies, but that wasn’t successful.

“Then one day I saw that the National Library was advertising for a cataloguing librarian. Even though I wasn’t qualified for that job, I just thought, ‘I am going to do this’. I sent in my CV and was called for an interview. When I went in they said I wasn’t qualified for the job as I didn't have the necessary experience, but they put me on their waiting list.”

After two weeks Geethani was offered a job as a library assistant, and from there she undertook more training and progressed into different roles.

“I did my library qualifications in 1978 in Sri Lanka, so I wanted to upskill myself. While working, I wanted to improve my cataloguing and computer skills. My team leader told me about a cataloguing paper, so I did that, and it helped me understand current cataloguing trends, which in turn made my work life easier, and I was able to apply for, and get a position as a cataloguer.”