After a 50-year career working for the Queensland Police Service (QPS), Lynn Rowsell has retired.
Mrs Rowsell said she was fortunate to have led a rich and rewarding career that saw her embrace many different roles and adapt to changing times, all within the one Department.
“Coming to work for the QPS in the first place was purely a matter of luck. I simply applied for entrance to the Public Service and was allocated to the QPS — I didn’t get a choice,” Mrs Rowsell (pictured) said.
“I have stayed with the QPS all this time, despite being offered jobs in other Departments, because this organisation has been more like a family and I have felt such a strong connection.”
Her career with the QPS began on 1 October 1973, when the 15-year-old was offered a position as a stenographer at the Woolloongabba Police Station, which also served as the South Brisbane District Office.
She said work in the QPS was vastly different in the 1970s, without computers, photocopiers or even electric typewriters.
“Staff members were kept under close supervision, with permission needed to use the bathroom and time away from the desk monitored,” Mrs Rowsell said.
“Wages were paid in cash, and I cleared $72 a fortnight.”
Her duties included typing and shorthand, but whenever opportunities arose to relieve at different sections or stations within the South Brisbane District, she was the first to put her hand up.
She said embracing opportunities when they were offered was a strategy she adopted throughout her whole career.
“Taking up relieving opportunities, even when I felt unsure if I could do the job, gave me valuable experience and put me in a position to apply for other roles,” Mrs Rowsell said.
“I’ve always found that moving out of your comfort zone and starting a new job is so invigorating and helps you develop new strengths and confidence.”
A particular highlight was her involvement in the QPS Women’s Network, established in the mid-1990s.
In 2008, Mrs Rowsell was recognised by the Australasian Council of Women and Policing with a Most Outstanding Female Administrator Award.
