Theodora – known by her many work friends as Dora – has worked on several Baillie Lodges teams around Australia both as an undergraduate and now as a graduate of the Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School.

Dora arrived in Australia from Indonesia keen to follow a career in hospitality, while learning some skills, meeting new friends and having great adventures along the way.

Dora landed an intern role in housekeeping at Longitude 131° in the Aussie outback as part of her practical experience at the hotel school, and would never have imagined that just two years later she’d return to Baillie Lodges as a graduate, this time to Southern Ocean Lodge on the wild coast of Kangaroo Island. At Southern Ocean Lodge Dora joined the Food & Beverage team. The team there sponsored her on a Restaurant Manager training program, where she would spend two years learning the role of a Restaurant Manager.

When the bushfires destroyed Southern Ocean Lodge in January 2020, Dora was flown with many other evacuating staff to the balmy tropics of Queensland’s Daintree Rainforest at Silky Oaks Lodge. The lodge closed in 2020 for a major refurbishment and is set to reopen in spring 2021.

Meanwhile, Dora has returned to her desert home at Longitude 131°, where she has rejoined the F&B team as a supervisor where she is continuing her management training.

Dora says, ‘I started my journey with Baillie Lodges in 2015 at Longitude 131° and until this day, I am thankful to have restarted my journey at Southern Ocean Lodge in 2017. There, I became part of the family. And here I am now, still part of the Baillie Lodges family, learning, improving and kicking goals.’

‘Throughout my career in hospitality, these guests’ comments are engraved in my mind and always motivate me to give my best; ‘When I’m here I feel like I’m home’ and ‘You should be proud of what you are doing’,’ she said.

‘And my most important principle behind every achievement is that ‘Little details and efforts, make a huge difference’.’