Five weeks ago I launched the book Same Dance Different Tune. With so much feedback the most interesting is from people that know me from different parts of my life who have said that they thought they knew me, but didn't know about particular parts of my life.

Dancing is a big part of my life, and I have realised that I have been dancing the same dance, but there have been different tunes in my life.

I have read books, I have heard people say that you need to find that one tune - maybe you've read or heard the same thing, but I have found it is not the case in my life.

I have had three different tunes: Childhood, Corporate and Connecting with the community

And this is what I am going to share with you this morning

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Let me just set the scene with my childhood.

We had a farm in Bindoon with vineyards, orchards and live stock, at the time a very small community - 90 Kms north of Perth. Mum and Dad are immigrated from Italy in the 1950s, married in 1962 (within 3 months of knowing each other) and had faith that the universe would provide. Have 8 children within ten years (four girls and four boys - I was number five after a set of twins). We all live in an old asbestos house, concrete floors, three bedrooms, an eating room and a kitchen with wooden stove. No running hot water, no electricity, no TV and the Italian language was all that we knew I shared a single bed with my sister and nanna. With my sister we shared a bath, our clothes and our dreams. All our clothes were hand me down clothes from relatives that came to visit us from Perth. Our food was rationed, we lived off the land - we ate meat and vegetables and homemade pasta. School holidays were for picking grapes, oranges or rocks. No toys, birthday or Christmas presents

Dad worked for Westrail full time and weeknights and weekend worked on his farm. Mum worked on the farm during the day and somehow managed to raise her 8 children.

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Let me give you a glimpse of one day in my life

My days were a struggle but the most challenging was the time when I got to Year 11 and 12 and I was completing my TAE studies.

I would have to get up at 5am, do my farm duties - feed the animals, collect the eggs, and sweep all the floors and make the beds. By 7am I was waiting on the Great Northern Highway for the big orange Government school bus. We had a two hour trip to Bullsbrook District High School. The only bonus here, was that I was the bus prefect, head girl on the bus, so had some leadership responsibilities which kept me busy and most times entertained for the trip.

School finished at 3 o'clock and by 5pm we were home. We would have to rush to swap our school uniform to work clothes, run up to the vineyards or orchards, and start picking. Dad and mum were already up there, so we moved as fast as we could.

As time went on, I would say, "dad can we go home now?" "No, the sun has not gone down yet,"

I would wait for another 20 - 30 minutes and ask again, "dad can we go home now?"

"I will tell you when it is time to go home".

Finally, the sun did go down,

It was only then that Dad would say ; all the girls could now go home first. The boys would come down with dad in ½ hour or so. We would run down, have quick showers, and then get the dinner on, hand wash some clothes, and make the lunches for everyone the next day. By 10pm, we have finished our meals, cleaned dishes and ready to start studying. This was my life.

We worked hard, but Dad and Mum showed a level of resilience that has stayed with me forever.

I spent a lot of my child hood years crying. Crying about all the things that I did not have.

What I wanted most was: Work in an Air-conditioned office; Career in Management; Wear business suits; Long hair and get a professional haircut; Polished finger nails; Financially stable

A modern home; Meet people, did not want to be isolated;

Develop my friendship with my sister.

This led me to my second tune which is my corporate life

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- This is the beginning of Part 2 of the Video -

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This led me to my second tune which is my corporate life

16 years later I realised I had all these things. Working in at the SGIO Office - Cnr King Street and St Georges Terrace. Wearing Perri Cutten business suits. Going to salon and getting professional haircuts. State Manager with a good salary.

Choice of company car was a green BMW. I was married to my loving and supportive husband and soul mate, Angelo, who has been by my side and is a professional. I maintained daily contact with my sister. Living in a modern home in Dianella with a multi-cultural neighbourhood. Joined professional associations and was attending at least two networking functions per week.

I had it all and it was only getting better

My husband was offered a business partnership

I was offered a General Management position in Sydney

I was so happy, I was achieving

At this time, Angelo and I were leaving on a trip to see the world, our European vacation - a trip we had saved for ten years to get to.

Little did I know that the trip was going to change my tune once again.

It was during this time that I reconnected with values I had left behind in my struggle to break free from my origins. Seven weeks into the trip, we found ourselves sitting at the table talking with my cousins about life. Here I found a community that valued time together more than material success, laughter more than designer labels.

After listening to our hectic life, they only had two questions:

Why do you live like this? Does everyone in Australia do this?

A week later, Angelo and I found ourselves sitting on the Spanish steps in Rome and I asked Angelo, why are we getting in to the business partnership? No answer. Angelo then asked me, why are you taking this Sydney job? There was complete silence

I realised that it was time to change my tune again

When we got back to Australia, what did we do? Work in business was replaced with work in the community. Time with family and friends. Personal development. Sharing our life experiences with others. Refused the business partnership offer.

Declined the role in Sydney. Uncluttered our home of clothes, furniture and white goods that we were not using and gave them away to church and charities. Made a conscious decision to leave our jobs within two years.

I realised that relationships and the relationships you have with people were important

Connecting with people and our community was now my tune.

I reassessed my values; Gained a Work/life balance; Spent time with people, not things; Looking at what I had, rather that what I didn't have; Giving back to the community is rewarding; If you can help make a difference in peoples lives then you should do it what you can; Declined a lucrative offer working for a corporate company and for the last 5 ½ years have been working at Lotterywest which gives 30% of its revenue back to the WA community.

On reflection, I feel fortunate; Long hours; Early mornings; My School years; Working on the farm in my school holidays; Healthy eating style; Living with the challenges of a big family; Having to share everything, a bed, bath and chair was okay

As I child I had certainty, variety, significance, love and connection.

I have now made sure that I still have these today as well as my Freedom and now working on growth and contribution

This book tells the story of the three tunes in my life and as part of the connection with the community, every dollar of every book sale is going to back to the WA Community - Aged Care and programs that profile young talent.

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Here I am today

Three tunes: Childhood tune; Corporate tune; Community tune.

Will they be all - I don't know.

What I do know is that: I am Trish Rechichi; I am 40 ;I'm the fifth child in a family of 8 children; I have two loving parents, who are my heroes and the greatest leaders in my life; I am from Italian background; My humble but privileged childhood gave me the determination, commitment, dedication and inspiration to meet all challenges in life; Foundations of my barefoot childhood led me to success in career, social life and general well being.

I am connecting with people and the community; Very thankful for what I have and know not to concentrate on what I don't have; I know myself; I am who I am; And most of all, I like who I am.

I know the tune that I am dancing to now is right for me

What about you?

Same dance, what's your tune?

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- End of Presentation -

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