Helping others comes naturally to Erindale Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) Area Coordinator Bronwyn Pederson.

At 15 years of age, Bronwyn began working as a comptometrist using a mechanical calculator with South Australian Railways. Two years later, she followed her older sister’s path by becoming a travel agent.

“My sister, Diedre, was already working as a travel agent at the time and she encouraged me to get into the industry,” Bronwyn said. “She thought I’d enjoy it and she was right.”

“It was a job where you were interacting with people all the time and helping them do something.”

Bronwyn spent seven years at Kings Travel and more than a decade with Air India, before making a change and working as an electorate secretary for senators and members of parliament.

“As an electorate secretary, you were out in the community and people would come to you with a problem, often quite big,” Bronwyn said. “You would then try and solve the issue by going to the relevant organisations or ministers.

“After doing those sorts of jobs, I didn’t want to give up that knowledge of how to solve problems, so that’s probably what brought me to Neighbourhood Watch.”

In the early 2000s, Erindale NHW was at risk of closing if the group failed to find new volunteers.

Bronwyn joined the group and quickly became secretary, putting her administrative skills to good use.

“I remember after the millennium drought, the group helped organise a very successful fire safety seminar up at the Burnside CFS Station,” she said. “I believe it’s events like these which probably have the most lasting impact on the community.”

“I’ve never wanted to let go of my work with Neighbourhood Watch because I think of all those people who worked so hard to start the group early on,” she said. “I believe we owe them a bit.”

Bronwyn hasn’t quite let go of her involvement with the travel industry either. These days she works as a tour guide, picking up busloads of tourists from Outer Harbor and taking them to attractions such as Hahndorf and Cleland Wildlife Park.

“As a guide, you actually learn a lot about your city and become quite proud of where you live,” Bronwyn reflected. “Often we’ll drive past the Adelaide Railway Station on North Terrace and I’ll mention that I used to work as a comptometrist in that building.”

Bronwyn’s passion for supporting others has also seen her work with Resthaven and St John’s Community Care.

“After I retired, I got a bit bored so I applied for a job at Resthaven and worked in housekeeping,” Bronwyn said. “Starting at 4pm, I would pick up and serve the food, set the tables, wash the dishes and mop the floors. You were supposed to be finished in two hours but I never was, I’d talk to the residents too much.”

Bronwyn said she felt a sense community at Resthaven – just as she does through Erindale NHW.