When I grow up, I want to be …

When you were a child, what did you want to be? Childhood dreams and what we imagine we’ll be doing as grown-ups can sometimes be  quite different to the reality, looking back.

My father worked for Castrol as a sales rep, and when I was 10, he brought home a 44-gallon drum. I thought, “I’m going to be a circus performer” and learned to traverse the length of the backyard, rolling it underfoot while trying to juggle oranges.

I had some spectacular falls. Needless to say, I didn’t run away to join the circus.

I was curious about other childhood musings. So, I’ve rounded up a few locals and had a yarn with them about their childhood dream jobs, and how that all played out in the real world.

Bill Edbrooke as a police sergeant (left) and a tradesman fitter

Bill Edbrooke, 60, retired police sergeant – Bill recently wrapped up 30 years on the job.

“I’ve absolutely no regrets about my choice of career,” he says.

“But who would have thought a spur-of-the-moment decision 39 years ago would have resulted in such a long and rich life experience?”

Growing up, Bill imagined he’d become a tradesman fitter. And, sure enough, he was – until he decided on a radical career pivot.

It was May 1985 and Bill was buying lunch. An apprentice told Bill that he’d applied for the Queensland Police Service (QPS).

“While waiting for my potato scallops to cook, I thought about what he’d said for five minutes, before going to the public phone and calling for an application pack,” Bill recalls.

Eight weeks later, Bill walked through the Police Academy gates at Oxley.

He’s had many great experiences within QPS, and carved out a stellar career that’s taken him from Townsville to Mount Isa, as well as Burketown, Normanton, Karumba, Doomadgee proper, Boulia, Cloncurry and a half-a-dozen or so Birdsville Races.

One memorable job was when he was on the Northern Territory border at the Gulf.

After wild weather, he was involved in a double rescue of two teachers missing for four days and whom he discovered unharmed, plus a family which was bogged in the same remote and rugged region.

“We recovered their vehicle, too, and all camped overnight on the beach, caught and cooked some mud crabs, had a big fire and barbecue,” he muses.

Now Bill’s hung up his handcuffs and is enjoying retirement, travelling with his wife Elly.

Michele Lipner, 73, OzHarvest Sunshine  Coast founder – As a child, Michele wanted to be  an astronomer.

“I’d seen the movie Invaders from Mars,” she says.

“My career aspirations would change often, depending on what movie I’d watched.”

But, as she grew older, Michele realised one important thing: “I knew I wanted to help people.”

She studied and attained her masters degree in clinical psychology and a PhD in sociology.

She was consulting in international aid and development and went to Ethiopia at the time of the break-up of the 17-year Marxist regime.

“I loved it and I felt like, for the first time, I was living my life,” she says.

That desire to help others saw Michele reach out to OzHarvest to start a Sunshine Coast chapter in 2014.

“It began as a snowball that just kept growing and growing,” she says.

On the Sunshine Coast and in Gympie, more than  120 OzHarvest volunteers have delivered in excess of  2.1 million meals and supported 45 charities feeding people in need.

Michele has some incredible stories to share of those whom the organisation has helped.

“One memorable one was of a young mum who was able to give her kids fresh fruit and vegetables – something she’d been unable to do for a few years,”  she says.

When asked if she’d ever retire, Michele says, “Never say never. I’m currently on a quest to find something that captures my passion and gives me a sense of purpose.”

Caroline Hutchinson with new business partner Lisa Rowe (left) and as a young schoolgirl

Caroline Hutchinson, 56, radio personality – “When I was very young, my burning passion was to be a teacher,” Caroline says.

She remembers being asked to go to the office to retrieve photocopying for the teacher.

“I was stoked. I thought, ‘This is exactly who I  want to be – the person who gives the handouts’,” Caroline remembers.

She’d toyed with the idea of going into radio, after some encouragement from her mum, and had also thought about becoming a journalist.

In the end, radio won out when an uncle in Sydney invited Caroline to stay.

“Come and have a bit of an adventure. There are lots of courses in radio you can do,” he told her.

Caroline’s first job offer was in TV news.

“I loved it, and when I had my second child, I jumped out of journalism and into announcing,” she says.

It’s a job that somewhat defined who she is, and also has had its share of unforgettable moments.

One was setting the record for the longest  Mexican wave for the Give Me 5 children’s medical fundraising campaign.

“We had people holding hands from Alex surf club to Mooloolaba surf club. It was brilliant. We couldn’t believe we pulled it off,” she says.

Caroline has stepped aside from her role in radio and is embarking on a new venture.

“I will always love radio, and now I’m enjoying my new life,” she says.

“I’m working with my girlfriend Lisa Rowe (former CEO of the Wishlist hospital charity) and launching a PR agency called Our Shout.”

Brett Higgins with a skydiving client

Brett Higgins, 57, skydiving instructor – As a young child, Brett grew up on a farm in the Hunter Valley,  New South Wales.

“I thought I’d end up a farm boy,” he says.

Instead, he swapped milking cows for a tradie’s toolbox, moved to the Central Coast and became  a mechanic.

His life changed when a workmate suggested a tandem skydive.

“I thought, ‘Why not? Just for the hell of it’,” he says.

“I’d always wondered what it would be like jumping out of a plane.

“It was a bit surreal, but I wasn’t nervous at all.”

A few years later, after an 18-month stint travelling overseas, Brett watched cult movie Point Break, which features Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze skydiving.

“I called Drop Zone the next morning and booked the course to become a skydiver,” he says.

It wasn’t long before Brett was hooked.

He now teaches skydiving and enjoys taking people on tandem jumps.

“I love it. Everyone’s different. Some people are very nervous; others are laid back,” he says.

Brett’s also broken a few Guinness World Records along the way – among them, the largest canopy formation jump, with 99 other skydivers.

He’s amassed a staggering 13,562 jumps over 32 years, and he’s not hanging up his parachute any time soon.

“I’m getting a bit older. My body’s not as nimble as it used to be, but I’ll be doing it for as long as I can,” he says.