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Belinda - Team Leader, Events

When the pressure is really intense, one of Belinda Van Den Berg’s workmates likes to joke:

“Well, they told us working in Events would be glamorous!”

As Council’s Team Leader for Events, Belinda has responsibility for delivering everything from huge outdoor festivals like Manly Jazz or Taste of Manly to staging New Year’s Eve fireworks, to solemn public occasions like ANZAC Day, uplifting Citizenship Ceremonies, to family-friendly Australia Day barbecues – and much, much more.

Some events – such as Manly Jazz or Taste of Manly - attract tens-of-thousands of patrons, involve complex logistics, require coordinating dozens of staff and volunteers, working alongside both big and local businesses - and may run for days at a time.

Other events, like Citizenship Ceremonies, may involve far fewer people – but the memories these type of events envoke are cherished by both by the new citizens and their family members forever.

All of the events – big and small alike – are made possible by Belinda’s professionalism, dedication, hard work – and the unwavering support of her Northern Beaches Council teammates.

“My team support each other and they know how to have some fun - even when we are going through busy or stressful times,” says Belinda.

“We’ve got a bunch of very talented and committed people and I have learnt a lot from them.”

One highlight of the job is getting to work with many different teams across Council - everyone from the Mayor’s office to street cleaning, from public relations staff to gardeners, from performing -artists to visiting dignitaries, from catering staff to IT.

“It always keeps it interesting!” says Belinda.

It’s not always a picnic, of course.

“We have to deliver a huge amount of events throughout the year - and usually we work at a very intense pace to achieve everything. So, it’s rare to have downtime.”

Belinda’s team must perform a wide variety of tasks to deliver an event.

“From stacking hundreds of wine bottles into cool rooms, venturing into secret rooms hidden beneath the middle of The Corso (Manly’s main pedestrian plaza) to access electricity, to guarding Santa and getting him through crowds of excited kids, to using cable-ties to hold absolutely anything - and everything - together!”

It’s a huge, challenging job, demanding maximum attention to detail.

“I’m grateful to have worked with some really amazing people over the years at Council,” says Belinda.

“They have inspired me by how they care for others, motivate and encourage the team - and are committed to finding a solution for any problem.”

And so what is Belinda’s ‘superpower’?

“My faith inspires me to be a committed and hard-worker every day,” she says with a smile.

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