8 weeks, 56 days or 1,344 hours spent in Melbourne with the State Government of Victoria. I have left Melbourne with a plethora of different experiences and memories so firstly it seems fitting to thank the Saltire Foundation for sending me to Melbourne. Next I would like to thank Alan Gibb and Jason Mullen for introducing a naïve Scottish undergraduate to the world of public service and nitty gritty government policy.

No doubt all of my fellow Scholars will have copious amounts of different experiences that will benefit them in the long run and aid them in their future careers. Personally for me my time in Australia with the State Government was illuminating beyond belief: I learned the importance of public service and the good things that government does and the essential functions that it serves. 

I also had a chance to write speeches for the Minister, make recommendations to the Minister on his body language and show the government how to make itself more competitive.

Lastly, anyone who is reading this blog and is thinking about applying for a Saltire Foundation placement next year I strongly encourage you to do it. My Saltire Foundation Internship was challenging and demanding, but the experience and business lessons gleaned from my placement are invaluable.  I now know that I can walk into most interview situations and have a list of different experiences and skills that the other interviewees can only dream about – this is the all down to the Saltire Foundation.

I’ll sign off with a quote that sums up what I learned during my 1,344 hours spent in Melbourne:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?”

Lastly, thank you the blog readers for following my adventures in Melbourne. I hope they have proved to be funny and interesting and I haven’t bored you too much...