The Magic at North Head
Anyone who has visited our North Head Wastewater Treatment Plant (NHWTP) will be familiar with Magic Armani.
Magic has worked at North Head for over eleven years and is the friendly face that greets approximately 140 visitors to the plant each day.
While his official role is Security Officer, Magic is best known for caring for the North Head community and advocating for its furry and feathered residents.
"I just do a tiny bit", Magic said.
"However, as population growth and urban sprawl increase, it is up to everyone to help care for the environment and its natural inhabitants," he said.
Magic is our Security Officer at our North Head Wastewater Treatment Plant (NHWTP)
It's impossible not to recognise Magic's love for all creatures, great and small. His philosophy of care reflects in everything he does, but it's particularly evident at his stand-alone office, situated at the entrance gate of the North Head Treatment Plant.
As you approach his office door, you find yourself standing next to a large perch Magic has forged using fallen branches. This shady resting place is rarely unoccupied, a popular spot for visiting birds such as brush turkeys, cockatoos, kookaburra, crows, magpies, and rainbow lorikeets.
Just a few of the feathered visitors Magic tends to at North Head
Adjacent to the perch, Magic has set up two buckets filled with water, the perfect hydration station for thirsty visiting wildlife, which often includes furry friends like possums and bandicoots. He smiles as he recalls the Mother and baby Echidna that stopped by, eating ants and drinking water from the buckets provided.
Even with a simple gesture of care such as this, you can see the careful thought behind it; the tubs are just deep enough to hold plenty of water but shallow enough to allow for an easy exit if a critter accidentally fell in. His enthusiasm is contagious, inspiring three contractors from our delivery partners, Baccico and San Marcos, to also place trays of water in their backyards for thirsty wildlife.
Thirsty wildlife are grateful for Magic’s hydration station, particularly on a summers day
When asked what his favourite part of his job was, Magic replies, "the people''. He says that along with greeting visitors and recording driver details, Magic assists members of the public who wander or cycle down to the gate. In most cases, these people have gotten lost, and he is glad to provide directions and help them safely return to the public road.
The emergency box and mailbox Magic championed
Magic also advocates for continuous improvement and is always looking for better ways of working.
Recently, he took the initiative to upgrade the plant emergency box after the housing for critical safety documents rusted through. Determined to ensure the safety documentation was accessible while protected from the elements, Magic designed a new weatherproof box and had one of our contractors make and install the innovation.
Similarly, after learning that it was challenging and time-consuming for Australia Post employees to deliver mail to the plant, Magic devised a simple fix. He installed a bright red post box at the plant's entrance, saving postal workers from driving into the plant to drop off mail.
Magic is a valuable asset to NDT. He lives our values daily, and we are lucky to have him on the team. Please stop and say hello next time you visit North Head, and perhaps you'll get lucky and meet a furry or feathered visitor as you pass through.
