Pride, humour and self-motivation: Why Toula chooses Canterbury League Club
Receptionist Toula Papoulidis always brings her best.
Since joining our team in 2017, her bubbly sense of humour and willingness to go the extra mile have made her invaluable. When she’s not at the front desk, you can find Toula working with the Marketing team where she brings that same positive energy.
Toula has found a career at Canterbury League Club that fits in with her life. She’s been able to shape her work hours around caring for family and still finds time to pursue her passion for horticulture too!
Creating memories (and a lot of laughter)
It’s 6am, light is streaming through the club windows, and Toula Papoulidis is prepped and at Reception, ready to give the club’s gym-going regulars some schtick.
“I love my morning banter with the members who attend the gym. We have a little conversation, I’ll applaud them for being up so early and we’ll have a laugh for good measure!”
Every shift, Toula injects a healthy dose of good humour into the club, whether she’s at Reception, calling out the winning Bingo numbers or working her regular weekly shift with the Marketing team. Toula brightens the day for staff and guests alike. She truly is a gem, going out of her way to make everyone feel just that little bit better.
“You spend a lot of time at work and it really helps to have great working relationships with the people around you. You may not know people’s stories, but laughter is a language everyone knows.”
Toula is the daughter of hard-working migrant parents. Her mother was a machinist for Oroton and her father was a labourer. Toula finished school unsure of her career path. She wanted to study art but was gently encouraged to attend business college instead. After graduating, she worked as a legal secretary and spent many years in this field before changing tack to work with doctors specialising in gastroenterology and dermatology. She has since studied horticulture as a mature-age student. But
By 2017, Toula was looking for a new opportunity.
Toula already knew Canterbury League Club well. It’s where she’d meet up with her cousins and friends for dinners.
“The club’s staff were friendly when I came in as a guest. Knowing this helped make my decision to apply here an easy one. In my role at legal firms, I used to go home stressed-out thinking of all the deadlines before a case went to court. But here, you can leave the workday behind. Tomorrow is a new day – all you’ve got to do is make sure you give great customer service!”
Finding connection and community
As a Receptionist, Toula is skilled at keeping her finger on the pulse of what’s happening at the club. It’s no easy task when you consider the number of events, shows, functions and competitions we host! As the central touch point for so many guests, an essential part of Toula’s role is to create a friendly experience. And she’s proven willing to go the extra mile to do this. In return, Toula’s found a workplace that gels with her warm, cheerful nature.
“Why do I choose to work at Canterbury? The one thing that sticks in my mind is that I feel a sense of family when I walk in. There’s genuine friendliness, no matter which department you work in. At Reception, people from the gym will walk by and ask if I’d like a cup of coffee – they genuinely care that you get your morning caffeine hit! You get to know your regular members on a personal level too.”
When she first started with Canterbury, Toula discovered a helpful tactic. Employees are encouraged to greet members and other staff on sight. It helps break the ice, and Toula thinks it’s one of the best things we do to encourage connection.
“It becomes a habit. So, when I visit Bunnings or Flower Power I go around greeting everyone and the response is great!”
Toula contributes enormously to fostering a sense of community within the club. She’s also played her part in connecting us to the wider community by frequently participating in our work with the Maronites on Mission. Toula’s made many bus trips with other Canterbury League Club team members to serve food to homeless members of our community.
“It’s a great project that the club’s involved in, and it’s so nice to give back to the community. It is such a humbling experience. I received an award from the club a few years ago for my attendance. You don’t do it for the recognition, but it was lovely to receive all the same.”
Create your future with us. Join an inclusive team and help us make memories. Join Canterbury League Club today!
