Maggie Baillie - Administrative Officer, Dartmouth Town Council
“I was born in Dartmouth, number 19 Lake Street, went to school in Dartmouth at St John The Baptist School, behind the church, just two classrooms, and enjoyed many happy days growing up in Dartmouth with lots of family, two sisters, cousins and friends.
After a short time living in Glasgow. it was back to St John the Baptist School until I went to the big school, Marist Convent in Paignton. After leaving school I worked for Bishop and Fleming, Telefusion and my first stab at working with the Council. It was then that I started my attempts at getting qualified, and went to the old Torquay Technical College evening classes, gaining O and A levels, Hotel and Catering Qualifications and Accounting qualifications and an Open University Degree. I worked at the Council Offices until, with my sister, we moved to Vancouver in British Columbia, to work as nannies.
On my return I was offered a job with the Council and willingly accepted where I stayed for another couple of years before going to work at BRNC where I stayed for many years. On leaving BRNC I then moved to South Devon College as the Personal Assistant to the Vice Principal and Deputy CEO, a challenging job which I enjoyed for six years. I then went on a secondment to Newton Abbot working with NEETs, that is young people not in education or training. Again challenging but never a dull moment. When the job at Dartmouth Council came up I was lucky enough to be appointed so have gone full circle, back to where I started from.
I am now able to walk to and from work, love exercising, especially the Zumba classes at the Leisure Centre, love doing up my house and spending lots of time in the garden.
Over the years I have met many, many people and made lots of friends and do try and keep in touch as a lot of them - they are spread around the world now from New Zealand to Germany, from Canada to Scotland, but they all still consider Dartmouth as home.”
First published October 2013 By The Dart
