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Meet Queensland's only female roadside assistance mechanic

Paula Wilkinson is a road side assistance mechanic for RACQ in Queensland. The 42-year-old from the Gold Coast is the only woman in RACQ history who has been hired to do the job full time. Yahoo7 found out why...

“When’s he showing up?” It’s a phrase Paula Wilkinson is used to hearing.

But even after nine years on the road as a roadside assistance mechanic for RACQ, she never gets tired of responding with “you got me”.

Paula (also known as P) is RACQ’s only full time female patrol officer, and she’s the only woman they’ve ever had.

But she said that wasn’t the fault of her employer, it’s just a job not many women want to do.

“I have seen females who have tried to get into automotive and it hasn’t worked for them,” she said.

“I’ve got the bits but I’m not really all that girly... Honestly, handbags, nail polish and high heels don’t cut the mustard. You have to fit in, they haven’t fit into me in this job, I’ve fit into them. There’s a demeanor about who we are and what we do, I’ve earned the respect”.

“I think women are interested in doing it but I don’t think that they think they can. It’s either ‘too technical, too dirty or too heavy’”.

It’s a lonely life out on the road as an RACQ officer. Much of the day is spent alone, driving across the district attending to emergency calls.

“The average day is anywhere between 10-20 jobs in a ten hour shift. Sometimes we can travel up to 200km a day,” Paula said.

Covering the Gold Coast in Queensland, Paula’s helped drivers from Coolangatta Airport to Helensvale.

“There’s a lot of breakdowns, the average per month would be 200 jobs. There’s not a lot of sitting around”.

Paula, also known as 'P' is RACQ's only female roadside assistance mechanic. Photo: Contributed.
Paula, also known as 'P' is RACQ's only female roadside assistance mechanic. Photo: Contributed.

A lot of her day is also spent dealing with crisis management.

“You’ve got to be pretty hardened as you come across the drunks and drug users. You’ve got to watch your back.

“We also see a lot of babies and animals locked in cars. That really gets to me big time, it’s the worst thing to get called out to, now that I’ve got kids of my own it’s more of a struggle. I do get a bit angry afterwards.

“I think there are some situations that just don’t need to happen. On the Gold Coast you could lose a child or an animal locked in a car real quick, yet we get at least two a day”.

Fortunately Paula said she doesn’t mind playing the hero on the job, no matter how big or small.

“When I leave (a job) I want that person to remember me forever for a good thing. I want them to feel awesome and at ease,” she said.

Despite playing ‘car doctor’ since she was a teen and mastering her craft, she said she found almost every customer was surprised to see a woman jump out of the tow truck to rescue them.


“Every person I go to I have to explain what I am, what I do and what my experience is,” she said.

“When we do the courtesy call before we arrive I say hi I’m from RACQ… and they often ask ‘where is he?’ When I say I’m here they get excited that I’m a woman.”

“A lot of people are surprised, being female and not big and beefy, I’ve got to own my presence really quickly”.

“When I walk out on a job and they’ve got doubt in their mind to start with, I guarantee there’s no doubt about me when I leave”.

But don’t let her petite features fool you. She’s rough as guts and she owns it.

Paula first realised she wanted to be a mechanic in 1989.

She was living in New Zealand at the time and was fed up with school so she wandered down to her local servo and asked for a job.

“They said to me ‘you don’t want to work on the pumps, why not go and work in the workshops?’”

She was offered a mechanic apprenticeship and was trade qualified by the time she turned 19.

By 28 years old she was a service manager but decided it was time for a sea change and took a trip with her girlfriend to Australia.

Paula has been working on cars since 1989. Photo: Contributed.
Paula has been working on cars since 1989. Photo: Contributed.

The couple liked it so much they decided to stay and Paula got her first role at RACQ as a contractor.

“Eventually a staff position came up, there’s only 17 of us on the Gold Coast”.

In the last nine years Paula’s worn many hats; working as a team leader, national auditor, complaints investigation officer and taking part in mentoring and coaching programs with RACQ.

But for now, while she decides her next step, she’s back on the road as a senior patrol officer while she raises her two young children.

All the while still maintains the title of the only woman in RACQ history to work on staff patrol.
“I’m their one percent,” she joked.

“It’s a good place to work, there’s a sense that you know you’ve got a job forever,” she said.

But at 42, Paula said she did have big dreams to have a workshop of her own one day.

“I’ve always wanted my own one. If I won a lot of money I’d open one up tomorrow,” she said.


She also had advice for those looking for a mechanic

“When you walk into a workshop and you feel uneasy or edgy, walk away.
“If you feel something isn’t right it wont be”.

She also encouraged women to give it a go if they wanted to become a mechanic.

“I think I’ve opened the door up for other women too, they didn’t have to take me on but I’m grateful they did. I’ve set a precedence of who and what you’ve gotta be.

“You’ve gotta be a certain type of person to be a patrol doesn’t matter if you’re male or female.