Five minutes with Mrs Amy Rowe
With a career spanning mining, racing, aged care and now education, Radford’s Venue Manager brings a unique blend of resilience, operational expertise and people-centred leadership to the College. From being one of the first female mine electricians in northern Western Australia to overseeing care for hundreds of aged-care residents, she has built a reputation for stepping into complex environments and making them work smoothly. Two years after joining Radford, she continues to find joy in the diverse, fast-paced, community-focused nature of her role.
What brought you to Radford, and what were you doing before joining the College?
Before coming to Radford, I was the Care Operations Manager at a large aged-care facility, overseeing more than 150 clinical staff and responsible for the 24-hour care of 420 residents from the moment they moved in until end-of-life care. I loved the people we supported and often felt quite sad when they passed. Radford offered the chance to continue doing the parts of my job I loved, while still working in a caring and compassionate environment. 2 years on, I feel very happy with my decision.
You’ve had a varied career – from electrician to Chief Operating Officer of Canberra Racing Club and working in aged care. How have these experiences shaped your approach as Venue Manager?
I was only the second female mine electrician in the company I worked for in northern Western Australia when I was 17. It was a tough environment, where women were not welcome, but it taught me resilience and problem solving. Over time, I discovered I love business operations, strong business principles and building fit-for-purpose governance structures that support organisational success. These skills have allowed me to work across diverse industries and hold both CEO and COO roles in large organisations.
What does the role of Venue Manager at Radford College involve day-to-day?
I am responsible for generating revenue from Radford’s assets outside curricular and co-curricular hours. I plan and organise functions and events, and I’ve built governance frameworks – including contracts and MOUs – to ensure all events are conducted safely and in line with statutory requirements. Safety is always my highest priority.
Internally, I support departments with access to venues to ensure there are no scheduling conflicts. This year, the Sports Department and I developed and launched a new booking system for the Cricket Centre, which keeps me busy during peak times. I recently also took responsibility for the Canteen contract services and am working with our contractor to deliver a significantly improved service for staff and students in 2026. I’m very lucky – no two days are ever the same.
What has been the most memorable event you’ve helped facilitate – or one you’re looking forward to?
In December 2023, just 10 days after I started at Radford, the College closed for the Christmas shutdown. On the first day, we received a call from the UC Capitals asking if they could use the Collegians Centre that evening for their nationally televised game against Adelaide Lightning. The venue they were meant to play at had an electrical fault, and the team would have had to forfeit the game – and pay a $50,000 fine – if they couldn’t find a replacement.
Every department head came in at 1:30 pm to prepare the space for around 1,000 spectators within just a few hours. We had never held an event in the Collegians Centre before – we hadn’t even turned on the brand-new scoreboards. By 5:00 pm, members of the public began arriving, completely unaware of the frantic effort behind the scenes (I even lost my voice from talking so much). Not only did we pull it off, the UC Capitals also won! The College Executive, Sports, Communications and Facilities teams worked tirelessly to make it happen, and that was the moment I knew I was going to love working at Radford. Teamwork makes the dream work.
People would be surprised to know …
In 2001, I was part of the 4-person team that wired the explosives used to scuttle H.M.A.S. Perth off the coast of Albany, Western Australia. For 3 days, we climbed all over the ship (I was the smallest, so I had to crawl into some very tight spaces), wiring detonators and long runs of detonation cord under the guidance of pyrotechnics expert Gene Kelly, who worked on the Rocky and Die Hard movies. The Perth sank in just over 3 minutes, settling upright in the mud with its crow’s nest still a metre above the water. It is now a popular artificial dive reef.