Profile piece on Melinda Boxall-Forsythe | Personal project | 2020

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“I told my career counsellor I was interested in sociocultural anthropology and she said ‘I don’t
know what that means’ and pulled out a booklet on nursing.”

Not surprisingly, Melinda Boxall-Forsythe never became a nurse. But she didn’t become a
sociocultural anthropologist (someone who studies people and communities) either.

The 50-year-old with blonde hair and a youthful face has been circling her real passion for
writing and people ever since she left school in the ‘80s. Following a myriad of jobs and a decade
of motherhood to daughters Milly (9) and Georgia (5), she’s only now dusting off her notebook
with a plan to become a freelance writer and pen a historical non-fiction book.

Why has it taken her so long to get to this point? The thing is, she had no plan for her career or
life. Not really. In her time Melinda has followed a few passions. She studied jewellery design at
the prestigious Central Saint Martins in London. Another passion was hotels, the vision realised
with her own B&B in an historic house, a mid-century classic car picking guests up from the
train station. Apart from dreams however, she’s also made some strategic decisions to bring
money in.

Brisbane-based workplace career and leadership solutions provider Lee Hecht Harrison is
where she’s currently bringing it in as a Business Development Manager. When businesses let
people go, they’ll engage someone like Melinda to help their former staff find new roles. Even
though she sells this service for a living, she doesn’t describe herself as a natural salesperson,
and won’t sell a solution if she doesn’t believe it’s the right fit.

Money isn’t everything, however. She’s much more reflective than that.

“We don’t have the biggest house, we’ve got a little 3-bedroom house in Bellbowrie, but we’re
happy, because all these big houses and big careers end up owning you… and when that
happens it’s much harder to leave them.”

Belinda shares this modest house with her daughters and husband Mick. She met Mick when she
was 24 and had come back from a stint overseas (this time as an au pair in Austria) to work at
The Lodge on Lizard Island in far north Queensland. Mick was the dive instructor.

And before the leather boots she’d foolishly brought with her were devoured by a thick layer of
humidity-driven mould, they were an item. Mick and Melinda were married within the year.
Describing raising their children as a distinct privilege, Melinda notes it’s also a huge
responsibility she doesn’t take lightly.

“You’re responsible for their happiness. I would like to see more emphasis put on parenting as a
way of making the world a better place.”

“As a society we kid ourselves into thinking what’s important.”

What’s important for her now, following 10 years of dedication to motherhood, is getting to
work on that writing dream.

“I just think if you’re a writer, you’re a writer and you love getting better at it, whereas I don’t
love getting better at doing a sales presentation. I’d love to write that (historical non-fiction)
book one day.”

Now THAT sounds like a plan.