My Story

 

It was January 1997 and I plunged into a one week intensive, learning Swedish Massage at Om Shanti College in Canberra. The following month I began studying Aromatherapy with a fabulous pair of women from Sydney, who drove down to Canberra every two weeks to deliver a class to a small group of enthusiastic students. That was the start of my journey into the world of natural therapies, more than twenty years ago!

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From that time onwards I studied many different natural therapies - massage, crystal healing, reiki, kinesiology, tissue salts and I managed to claim a spot in Dorothy Hall's final Herbal Medicine intake before she retired. That was a real priviledge, to study with a master of her craft. She has sinced passed away but has left a legacy of hundreds of trained herbalists across the country.

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There have been a number of other highlights over the years. I set up a wellbeing centre in Chifley (Canberra) where we had three rooms devoted to natural therapies with a fabulous supportive team of therapists - massage, kinesiology, reiki and herbal medicine. There was a gorgeous sunroom at the back which we used as a waiting room, and where Susan Borstelmann ran amazing meditation classes. I've since moved on from there but have very fond memories of Holistic Therapies of Canberra.

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Then came an opportunity for me to teach Swedish Massage and Aromatherapy to students at Om Shanti College in Canberra. I thought of my students as my 'children' who needed nurturing and direction. I loved watching the changes and growth in each of them. For some it was challenging to learn how to touch and connect with a person on the massage table, but for others it was second nature. With patience and perseverance it's a skill which all can master.

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So now I've left Canberra behind and come to the Bega Valley to live and work (although I'm still up and back to Canberra monthly to see clients). I love it here. I love the green, rolling hills and the beautiful people who make up the community. I love living by the ocean.

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I'm building a practice with a focus on aromatherapy, massage, energetic healing and botanical medicine. And I'm teaching my own Aromatherapy workshops now, which I've written and prepared myself. They are really practical, and hands-on plus I'm happy to travel around to teach them.

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So why the name Vanessa's Wild Botanicals? I love plants; what they teach us and what they give to us in the form of sustenance and just pure pleasure. I've chosen this name as a name that will carry my business into the future. It is my goal to eventually set up retreat facilities on a property in this area. A beautiful place where others can come to reconnect with the natural environment and be at peace. 

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And so, my journey continues....

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Qualifications

Diploma of Swedish & Remedial Massage 

Diploma of Aromatherapy

Advanced Diploma of Herbal Medicine (Dorothy Hall College)

Diploma of Biochemic Medicine (Tissue Salts)

Kinergetics Kinesiology

Aromatic Kinesiology Practitioner

Certificate Specialised Kinesiology

Advanced Certificate of Crystal Healing

Reiki Master

Certificate Spa Body Treatments

Certificate Hawaiian Heartworks Lomi Lomi

Certificate IV in Training & Assessment