Life beyond Radford
Rodney Quiggin
- Bachelor Degree, University of Wollongong, Sydney Business School Pty Limited, Laws, 2011-2015
- Masters, The Australian National University, Legal Practice, 2014-2015
- Solicitor, RMB Lawyers, 2015-2017
- Associate, Backhouse Legal, 2017-2018
- Government Lawyer (Contractor), Attorney-General’s Department, 2018-Present
What does life look for you now?
After a few years away in Wollongong studying I’m back working and living in Canberra. I’m engaged to lovely lady named Anne, and we have a big white fluffy dog named Gandalf. I work as a contractor to the Commonwealth Government with the Attorney-General’s Department practising in insolvency law. In my spare time, when I’m not down at the park with Gandalf, I volunteer my time with Scouts ACT and Scouts Australia as a board member for each organisation.
Tell us what you are passionate about?
I’m very passionate about my work and the law generally. I think it’s fascinating, though I accept that not everyone thinks the same, particularly for insolvency law.
When you were young, what were you hoping to be when you grew up?
When I was young, I wanted to be an engineer like my Grandfathers. Unfortunately, I didn’t love maths as much as English and History, so went a different direction after high school. I don’t regret it for a second though: law was the right choice for me.
What is your favourite Radford moment?
It’s very hard to single out one moment. I had a fantastic time doing productions with the Tech Crew, hiking on Year 9 Camp, and getting involved in a number of the sports the school ran. Most of all, my favourite moments were defined by the friends I made through school at Radford.
Do you have a particular role model or inspirational figure from Radford or now?
I had a number of really exceptional teachers throughout my time. Mr Akhurst, Mrs Blanch, Mrs Wallace Richards, Mr Walsh, Mrs Milligan, Mr Leyshon and Richard Browning were standouts, and the lessons I learnt from them have carried with me.
How easy was it to decide what to do in life?
Not easy at all. When I finished Year 12, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, and I took a gap year to try to work that out. In the end, I decided law might be interesting and that if I didn’t like it I could change after the first year. I never looked back.
Did your further study or career go exactly as you'd planned?
I’ve moved around a bit within my profession, particularly when I moved from Wollongong back to Canberra. I’ve kept a pretty flexible attitude with what I practice in, and that’s made changing roles and learning new skills much easier.
What do you know now, that you wish you'd known when you were at Radford?
I wish I’d known a bit more about how scaling works in the ATAR, and that it’s ok not to know all the answers about what you’re going to do when you leave school.
What advice do you have for current students?
Enjoy your time at Radford. Sometimes the assignments can be tedious, but it’s all worth it in the end.
