MY STORY
From the girl who loved words to The Construction Copywriter. This is who I am.
The girl who loved words
I've always been a total word nerd.
My earliest memories are of writing — leaning over an old unused oil heater, scrawling my name before I started school.
I've always loved the way words sounded, the feelings and power they contained.
I didn't even speak English before Kindy, so I went straight into an ESL (English as a Second Language) class. Whether it was the teachers or something innate, I took to it like a duck to water. English became my best and favourite subject and played a large part in my school success.
Writing was always my thing. Another of my earliest memories is a convict diary project from when I was 10, where I got carried away and needed extra pages in the allocated booklet. Everyone else wrote a few entries — I wrote about 12. I’ve always been a lover of words.
And that little girl who loved words never stopped. I wrote letters to my local newspaper about community issues. I created scrapbooks filled with favourite words and quotes. I read them and reread them, and savoured them. I even started blogging back when most people didn't know what a blog was.
So while I may not always have called myself a "writer", I've been one for as long as I can remember.
I’m still the kid who couldn’t stop writing, just with hard hats and deadlines now thrown into the mix.
Why construction?
The union of writing and building was always a given in my life. I'm only surprised it took me so long to marry the two.
I come from a long line of tradespeople. My dad was an electrician who later started a successful electrical supplies shop. He's still the most knowledgeable and thorough electrician I know.
In my early 20s, I met my husband — a carpenter by trade who was supervising home builds. He's since moved into the office, first as an estimator and now overseeing a range of building roles.
Our shared passion for building saw us build 4 homes (and move 6 times) after we married. I love nothing better than an empty block and a sheet of grid paper. The sight of excavated land or a house frame going up still excites me. It never gets old.
Two of our three sons also have tradie qualifications — one is a plumber and the other a carpenter.
When I started writing for construction clients, it clicked. I understood what they were saying. They didn't need to spoon-feed me information, which saved them time. It was a win-win.
So I rebranded as The Construction Copywriter, and I haven't looked back.
Before Cathy Camera - Writer
Writing seemed part of my genetic makeup, but I didn't officially become a writer until 9 years ago.
Straight out of high school, I couldn't decide — law, teaching, or journalism?
I ended up starting as a solicitor after completing a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws at Macquarie University, majoring in English Literature. This is where I learned to research deeply, think critically, and craft persuasive arguments. But after a couple of years, I became disillusioned. In the legal circles I moved in, a law degree wasn't a licence to help people — it was a status symbol. That went against everything I believed. So I walked away.
And that's when I fell into teaching. I headed back to uni (The University of Western Sydney this time) and gained a Diploma in Primary Teaching. Some of my best memories are from my teaching years. I only stopped casual teaching in 2020, when COVID made me realise how much I loved this writing gig I was doing on the side.
Here's what my previous careers gave me:
From law:
The ability to research thoroughly, understand complex technical information, and present it persuasively.
From teaching:
The skill to break down complicated concepts into language anyone can understand. (Turns out, that's exactly what construction businesses need — someone who can translate your expertise for clients who don’t speak your language.)
The official pivot
One day, after years of wondering if I could and if I should, I enrolled in the Freelance Newspaper and Magazine Writing course at the Australian Writers' Centre. The course had barely finished when I rang the local newspaper and had my first story printed.
From there, I published articles across different online platforms. And I was thrilled to see my byline in Sunday Life in a story about Marilyn Monroe (who I am fascinated by for many reasons).
But much as I loved freelance writing, copywriting offered something more — the chance to help businesses succeed through words that work.
BEYOND THE BOTTOM LINE
To me, business is more than an income. It's more than flexibility and freedom. It's an opportunity to give back.
I believe every business should be contributing to the community in some way. The soul of a business is its people — who they are and what they do beyond their work role.
I'm currently supporting Share the Dignity, as they work to end period poverty in Australia and make workplaces like construction sites more equitable through their Building Bloody Change campaign.
In past years, I've also helped other charities through fundraising and pro bono work — The National Breast Cancer Foundation, Indigenous Literacy Foundation, and Escabags.
What this means for you
I want to use my voice and my words to help you get noticed. So you can succeed and, in turn, help others.
I understand construction because I've lived it. I understand business because I've studied it. And I understand how to communicate both clearly — because that's what I've been doing since I could hold a pencil.
If you're interested in working together, get in touch.
A few 'fun facts' you might not know about me
- My surname is pronounced "cam-ra" (like a photo camera), not "cam-ee-ra"
- Biographies are my favourite genre — I'm fascinated by the power of telling someone's story well
- I'm obsessed with Marilyn Monroe in all her complexity (brilliant, strategic, misunderstood)
- True crime documentaries and podcasts are my guilty pleasure — I love piecing together details others miss
- Schitt's Creek is genius, and I think the inclusivity it represents matters in today's world
- I'm a Parramatta Eels fan, which in and of itself proves I'm loyal (or crazy)
- Married with 3 sons who constantly remind me that clear communication is everything (especially when it comes to what's in the fridge)