Image: Anna second on the left.

As part of this year’s Staff Awards, we’re taking a closer look at the stories behind the nominations, i.e. the small changes that have made a big difference across campus. Stories like that of Anna Gayner, Executive Assistant to the CFO Karma Auden.

Anna arrived at UNE in September 2023 and quickly made her mark. But it wasn’t until she moved to Finance on secondment that her real superpower emerged: turning workplace doldrums into genuine team spirit.

“I felt that it was a bit flat here,” Anna recalls of her first impressions. The Finance team had been through tough times, and it showed. Anna saw potential where others might have seen problems. Her solution? Start small, think big.

First came the Christmas party that blindsided everyone in the best possible way. Staff turned up at the Potting Shed expecting the usual affair and found the space completely transformed. One colleague later told Anna it was “the best Christmas party I’ve ever been to.”

But Anna was just getting started. Office cubicles became a festive stable yard, complete with personalised reindeer faces. A tea-room tuck shop appeared. Emergency supplies materialised in the bathroom with a simple note: “Take what you need, replace when you can.”

Then there’s the baking. Anna shows her appreciation through food, regularly bringing in homemade cakes and biscuits. Friday afternoon trivia sessions in the tearoom became a thing. Jigsaw puzzles appeared for lunchtime wind-downs, and a few weeks ago a Christmas in July lunch.

When Karma turned 50 recently, Anna took advantage of her love of penguins and filled her office with them (Karma has found 47 to date).

“What I love about this team is they look at my crazy ideas and they just go, yes!” Anna says. “They embrace it wholeheartedly.”

The transformation hasn’t gone unnoticed. Anna’s been nominated for both Unsung Hero and Trailblazer awards this year, with colleagues noting how she’s lifted morale and created genuine connection.

Her philosophy is simple: “While we take our jobs seriously, we try not to take ourselves too seriously.”

Anna insists she hasn’t done anything extraordinary. Her colleagues would beg to differ. As one put it, the office atmosphere is now “the best it’s been in years.”

“Next up? A Book Week parade (today actually). Because why not?