There can be no doubt that the hard work, dedication and commitment of our aged care workers is something to be acknowledged and celebrated. Aged Care Employee Day, which falls on 7 August 2025, offers us an opportunity to truly recognise their contribution to the care, safety and well-being of our older community members.
To mark the day, we sat down for a conversation with LiveBetter Home Care Worker, Ruby Gleeson. Ruby is a vibrant, energetic, and inspiring woman. Born in Vietnam, Ruby moved to Australia as a young student, committed to making a difference. She brought with her a strong work ethic and an approach to life that is both humbling and uplifting.
Growing up in Vietnam
Growing up in Hanoi, Vietnam, Ruby learned the importance of hard work early, and by the time she was four, she was working in the family’s scooter mechanics business.
“Like any working-class family in Vietnam, family help is always needed – and expected. My parents worked very hard – about 14 hours a day, seven days a week. I think they only had two days off each year.
“My parents instilled in me those hard-working ethics, and I am very grateful for it. They also instilled kindness, loyalty, and respect.
“I loved them dearly – but at the same time, I knew that I wanted something different.
“I had this idea that maybe there was another way of doing things. A way where you don’t have to work so hard – you still have those virtues, but you can enjoy life a little bit.”
At school, Ruby threw herself into her studies. She had her sights set on a place at university, a chance to build a different kind of life.
After finishing Year 12, she was accepted into an elite institute that admits only 100 students each year. The institute, known for its rigorous standards, specialised in educating future diplomats for the Vietnamese Socialist Party.
“I wanted to do something that would make a difference, and I thought this would set me on the right track. I was hoping I would become a diplomat or work for an NGO or the United Nations.”
Ruby wasn’t far into her university studies when she began to realise there was a lot more to politics than she’d previously imagined – and much of it did not sit comfortably with a young woman who wanted to change the world through kindness.
On Moving to Australia
Ruby completed her studies but had no wish to become a diplomat. At the age of 20, Ruby arrived in Australia, ready to begin postgraduate studies in Human Resource Management.
But Ruby’s time in Australia did not start well. She was lonely, homesick, and exhausted.
“I was commuting three hours each way to university, and working about 20 hours a week in retail, so I could pay my rent and eat.
“I was surviving on two-minute noodles, frozen peas and frozen corn. By the end of the year, I had become malnourished, and I was really struggling.”
Although these were tough times, Ruby can see the positives and talks about the angels she met around this time. People who took her in and offered her a helping hand when she needed it most. People whose kindness and support she will never forget.
One of these angels, Nick, went on to become her husband.
“Nick asked me to stay in Australia – but that meant I was back to square one. I had to start from scratch.”
After completing her postgraduate studies, Ruby needed to recover her health. This took some time, but she did bounce back. And then she had some big decisions to make.
“Although I graduated, I never worked in Human Resources.”
“My idea of Human Resources was different to what it was in reality, and I decided it wasn’t for me.”
Seeking a new direction, Ruby then completed several TAFE courses, including Business Administration, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Financial Planning – she tried anything she thought might prove useful.
It was during this time that Ruby began working in the hospitality sector, a sector which ultimately led her and Nick to Orange, where they opened their own business.
On Factory Espresso
Factory Espresso is a popular café in Orange that Ruby and Nick ran together for eight years, before selling the business 12 months ago.
“We were both working about 60 – 80 hours each week, and a lot more when we first started. We devoted our time to that business.”
Running a hospitality business is always hard. Contending with the drought and then COVID tested their mettle, but it’s what happened next that made things almost impossible.
COVID was tough, but what happened after COVID was tougher. We simply couldn’t get staff. What was already a volatile, high turnover sector had become even harder, and we ended up working too many hours. Our cups just kept on being depleted, and what had once been a passion had become a grind. We could see that we needed to make a change.”
Not only did selling the business mean Ruby and Nick would have more time for their two children. It was also the moment that Ruby realised she finally had the opportunity to do something just for her.
“I turned 40, and a lot of things come up when you turn 40. I thought, ‘I’ve been giving so much. I’m depleted. I’ve got to do something that fills my cup every day.’”
It occurred to Ruby that the place she spends most of her time is the workplace, and that is where she needed to find her fulfilment.
The value of kindness that I was taught by my parents, my interest in people, and my amazement when I connect with someone new all served to drive me to think about volunteering in the community, so I applied for volunteer work with LiveBetter.
On LiveBetter
It was around this time that Ruby met Helen Miller, LiveBetter’s General Manager of In-Home Support Services & Clinical Lead.
“She said to me, ‘If you’re looking for work, we’re looking for home care workers’. And that is how it all began. I came in for an interview… and here I am.
“I love it here. Every single day is wonderful. I truly feel the joy of going to work – and it’s great fun!”
Today, Ruby works a far more civilised 30 hours each week, with the weekends free so she can go and watch her children play sport.
“This is such a crucial time for the kids. They are starting to be so influenced by their peers, and they need their parents to be available for them, to be an anchor.”
On Kindness
“Regardless of what I’ve learned throughout school, university, postgraduate studies and TAFE, it was my parents who taught me kindness. My parents did. My mother did. She had nothing, but she would always find something to give to those in need. Her kindness made a huge impression on me.”
Quick questions:
- What is the best thing about your work?
“I love the customers I work with – and I love my team. They are always so supportive – always there, just a phone call away. We all have something in common – we want to help people. And I am very grateful to be part of it.”
- What is the most challenging thing about your work?
“Finding that delicate balance between kindness – going that extra mile – and maintaining professional boundaries.”
- Top tip to manage work-life balance?
“Know that it is a balancing act, and it is something you need to keep working on – every single day.”
- What keeps you going, getting up and doing it all again, each day?
“Gratitude to be in existence – to be in life.”
- Hopes for the future? Where do you see yourself in five years?
“Essentially, I’d like to be loving what I do every day, like I do now.”
- If there was one piece of advice you could give to others who are starting in the community sector, what would it be?
“Look into yourself and find kindness…and go from there.”
