Julia Genge

“I’ve watched our members grow up and then bring their children in for driving lessons.”

Dire Straits make history in Tasmania by drawing the biggest audience ever for an open-air concert. We experience a record cold snap, bringing 8cm of snow to Hobart and isolating the city until midday. AUSSAT satellites are launched, and television can now be enjoyed by even the most remote parts of the state. It’s 1986, and Customer Service Consultant, Julia Genge has just embarked on her 37-year journey with RACT.

As our longest serving employee, it’s no surprise that Julia is a familiar face in our Launceston branch. While she enjoys being on the phone, it’s those connections she makes with our members when they’re able to pop into a branch that really makes her day.

“The customers just know you and say oh goodness you’re still here! I’ll have members come into the branch and say to me, I actually think you joined me up 30 years ago. Or they’ll say they remember me back when they were taking their driving lessons.”

Julia can still remember those early days, with the branch abuzz with people keen to protect the assets they’d worked hard for.

“We’d have people lined up from the moment the office opened until well after 5pm when we were supposed to close. We’d sometimes be in the office until 8pm at night to make sure everyone was dealt with.”

In a time where the technology we’re all now accustomed to had yet to emerge, lines of communication between the branch and our patrolmen were simple yet effective.

“We all worked on CB radios to communicate with our patrolmen. There was a red phone that was purely for breakdown, so we knew what that call was for straight away.”

Julia remembers just how exciting it was when computers were introduced. Fast forward to today and in just a few clicks you can buy anything from the weekly grocery shop to a brand-new car. Back in 1986, something as simple as getting a quote for insurance needed a certain degree of mathematical prowess.

“Back then, we had to manually work out how to calculate your insurance premium by using a points system. We had to hand write all the insurance schedules and could only take cash payments.”

Amongst the good times, Julia can also remember the times of devastation when members truly needed us most.

“We had a big flood seven or eight years ago in Ulverstone. Even my sister got flooded out. RACT were there on site helping everyone. I also remember a big fire out at St Helens. We had residents call us up to change their insurance to us because they’d seen us there on site and were amazed at how quickly we carried out repairs. They had still been waiting for their insurers to help them and after seeing how we did things; they wanted that level of service.”

We’ve spent 100 years at the heart of the Tasmanian community, with a vision to have a valued relationship with every Tasmanian - a sentiment shared wholeheartedly by Julia.

“Without the member we’ve got no job. Tasmanians love that we’re local and that every single person they deal with is right here in Tasmania. We like that too. When they call for help, we know exactly where they are.”

It’s clear to see that Julia’s longevity at RACT has a lot to do with the pride she feels in helping members.

“We’re special because of how much work we do in the community and we’re there for Tasmanians. We go above and beyond for our members. I love interacting and get a lot of satisfaction from helping people.

“I’m very proud to be a part of RACT.”

With such a long tenure, it’s no surprise that Julia feels a strong connection not only to her role, but to her teammates.

“We’re family. I probably know more about my work family than my real family. It’s heartbreaking when people leave but we still meet up all the time.”