How Mayor Kim O'Keeffe was raised by her own community

The Strength of Us

When Councillor Kim O’Keeffe was re-elected as the Mayor of Greater Shepparton in October 2021, it came as no surprise to us here at The Strength of Us podcast.
At 4 years old, Kim moved from Sydney to Shepparton, lived in what can be referred to as public housing or commission or government housing and had a large family. Her father suffered mental health issues and both parents were alcoholics.
By the time Kim was 14, she had moved out of home and it was her siblings and the local people who supported her by putting a roof over her head and provided her with employment.
One of Kim’s first jobs was at the local store Focus Cards and Gifts and then as the Estée Lauder counter girl at Werner’s Pharmacy in Shepparton. Part of her role was to do the make-up for people appearing on the Jan Dean Show on the local network GMV6 TV and for years, Kim had been saving her money to go to Melbourne and do a hairdressing course. On the podcast, Kim reflects, “Isn’t it incredible how one thing can change your life?” Kim chose to stay in Shepparton and did an apprenticeship in a beauty salon and by 25, opened her first salon as a young mother which appears on the website Liveyem featuring make-up named after her two daughters, Olivia and Emily.
Over the next few years, Kim built up her business to include a training school and created opportunities for those locals who couldn’t get to Melbourne. It became Shepparton’s first beauty school. “I love being a part of someone else’s success, their career and their life journey.” Kim was then appointed the National Education and Marketing Manager for The Salons Group.
As Mayor, Kim knows what her community has done for her and many of these individuals from her past have moved away, some have passed on but many are still living in Shepparton. This is what makes Kim the humble and community minded person that she has always been.

We saw it all over the news when Shepparton became a Covid 19 hotspot in August 2021 and poor Kim had to deal with it with her leg in a cast from breaking her ankle. The outbreak had got into the local schools and spread like wildfire. “We had close to 20,000 people in isolation. It was a crisis.”
During this podcast episode, Kim thanks her local community and those that got in touch to help out. There were medical and food support groups such as Shepparton Food Share and local businesses providing meals such as Azem from Lutfiyes Shish Kebab and medical aids delivered and former residents, such as Olympian Louise Dobson and Chocolate Starfish frontman, Adam Thompson.<