The White Report | June 2022 | Page 51

ALLISON HEATHERINGTON
ANTHONY CIARDULLO
ALLISON HEATHERINGTON
RAY WHITE BACCHUS MARSH
Before she was a marketing executive for Ray White Bacchus Marsh , Allison Heatherington fell into a much more magical role as a kid ’ s party fairy performer .
It was originally her sister-in-law ’ s job but when she fell pregnant and could no longer fit into the fairy costume , she asked Allison to take over her position .
She was a fairy of many talents and would read fairy stories to the kids or sing along with fairy songs on tape . The job made her realise how much she loved working with kids and later went into early education and owned a day care centre .
“ I loved the kids ’ faces for sure , I loved dressing up and making the kids feel special ,” she said .
“ Most parties were in the fairy cave but one time they wanted two fairies , so I had to rope in a friend and go to a house party .
“ We had to drive for ages to get there in full costume and make up and stop for petrol , go in to pay and get snacks . We got lots of strange looks !”
ANTHONY CIARDULLO
RAY WHITE WANTIRNA
What do candles , real estate and the police force have in common ? They are all industries Ray White Wantirna agent Anthony Ciardullo has worked in .
Anthony was drawn to the police force because he wanted a rewarding job which put back into the community . He did his training through the Prahran Police Station and for anyone not familiar with Melbourne , the area is a well known nightlife and entertainment centre . Anthony said this was where he learnt the negotiation skills he now uses in real estate . He ’ s clearly not one for a desk job and loved the camaraderie and the unpredictable nature of the job .
“ It ’ s a unique job that has stressors like no other . That forms a strong bond between the police members as they are the only other people that fully appreciate and understand the nature of the ups and downs of working in that role ,” Anthony said .
“ Secondly , it is unpredictable . One minute you ’ re driving around casually , the next minute it ’ s go-time and you could be faced with quite literally anything .”
Anthony left the police force not knowing where life was going to take him next , that ’ s when he fell into candle making by chance .
“ I had no job and thought I would make some health products for personal use . I went to a wholesaler who also sold natural waxes ,” he said .
“ Not having a job , I had the bright idea of making some soy candles that seemed to be the rage at the time .
“ Needless to say I made a batch , went to a market and sold out the first day . Presto , my new stream of income .”
Just prior to COVID-19 he made the decision to move on and explore an area he has always been interested in - real estate . He ’ d shelved the idea 20 years ago but took a leap of faith . The next thing he knew he was on a path to becoming an agent with Ray White .
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