The UPco team is made up of all sorts of characters, and every one of them has a story. This time, we’re taking a peek into the life of Jacqui, our inimitable Office Manager.

What’s your name, and your role at UPco?

Jacqui Cottrell. I’ve been handling all things admin at UPco for a good few years now, and more recently have stepped into the role of Office Manager. I also wear a second hat of ‘VCAT liaison’, so I spend a fair bit of time dealing with councils, residents and community members.

What do you like most about your job?

Every day is different. I never know what to expect when I walk into the office each day. Long before I joined the corporate world, I used to work in hospitality, which had the same degree of unpredictability – and I love the variety, it keeps me on my toes.

What’s the greatest adventure you’ve ever had?

The 12 months I spent backpacking around India, Eastern Europe & South America. There were too many highlights to recount. Trekking on camels through the Thar Desert in Rajasthan, India for 3 days, including Christmas day. Witnessing Manikarnika Ghat (the process of bodies being placed on wooden pyres and cremated in open-air ceremonies) on the banks on the Ganges in Varanasi. Wandering the Bazaars of Istanbul. Waking up in Tiwanaku, Bolivia at 2:30am to raise our hands with the entire village to welcome the new year as the sun came up. The list goes on!

Any lowlights?

Not many… unless you count my travelling partner getting kidnapped in Santiago, Chile but that’s a long story!

What’s your favourite building in the whole wide world?

The Taj Mahal took my breath away. I wasn’t expecting to feel so awestruck when I first saw it, but it really is incredible.

What’s one surprising fact about you?

I lived in South Korea for a year teaching English. I was inspired by my sister, who’d done the same thing in Japan, so I did a TEFL course and found a job online in a Hagwon, which is a private English school. I lived by the beach in Busan and tried to fully immerse myself in the culture – the people were really friendly and always happy to help. I loved it so much, I’ve been back 6 times to visit friends (…and also to eat as much 순두부찌개 as I can!).*

Hang on – does this mean you can speak Korean?!

Like a lot of waygook (foreigners) in Korea, I learnt the essential words and sentences to get by, and I also taught myself to read Hangul (the Korean alphabet) by watching kids’ YouTube videos in between my classes.

What’s one thing that’s high on your bucket list?

Well, Korean remains my favourite food (you’ll always find kimchi in my fridge). And there is a Korean restaurant called Chae that I am hanging to try. It was opened in 2019 by a Korean-born chef (named Chae) who wanted to give diners a really unique experience where cooking was the sole focus. The restaurant initially operated from Chae’s one-bedroom apartment in Brunswick, so it really was different to the traditional restaurant setting. Chae has since moved to Cockatoo, but it still only seats six people per sitting. You need to enter a lottery to get a seat – I keep trying but haven’t won yet.

What are you currently watching, reading or listening to?

I can’t get enough of the Handsome Podcast, which is hosted by three comedians: Tig Notaro, Fortune Feimster and Mae Martin. In every episode, the hosts tackle a different random question – it’s laugh out loud funny.

What are you obsessed with?

My two dogs. Milo is my 5 year old Lab and Maisey is my 3 year old Beagle. Absolute troublemakers but life would be so boring without them. Everyone needs a bit of chaos.

What’s your secret superpower?

Give me a location, and I can tell you where you can find the closest pint of Guinness.

* For the uninitiated, this translates to Sundubu-jjigae, a Korean dish made with freshly curdled extra soft tofu, vegetables, sometimes mushrooms, onion, gochujang or gochugaru (seafood or meat are optional). Jacqui assures us it’s delicious but warns it may have addictive qualities.

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