Forensic Scientist

We spent 24 hours with forensic scientist and mother of three Sharon Neville-Stewart.

If you thought an episode of CSI was action-packed, then a day in the life of forensic scientist Sharon Neville-Stewart might just have you on the edge of your seat. Like the characters in the popular television series, Sharon has dedicated her life to helping to solve major crimes, but unlike her TV counterparts she has to fit in a whole lot of ‘real life stuff’ as well.

The 42-year-old mother of three from Sydney’s Maroubra juggles her demanding role as team leader in the major crime section of the NSW Health Department’s division of analytical laboratories with raising her growing family, completing a masters degree in science management, and maintaining an exercise routine that saw her lose 22 kilos last year. This is how she does it…

5.45am: Sharon is up and at ’em. “I’m always ready to go in the mornings,” she says. “I don’t find it too hard to get out of bed, but I think that comes from having children because I wasn’t like this in my youth!” Her day begins with an hour-long walk, a routine she started last year as part of her commitment to losing the weight she’d gained through having children. “It creeps up on you slowly, but before you know it you’re overweight,” she says. “I decided I was going to change my lifestyle and now I’m committed to going for at least one walk every day and eating healthily.”

Sharon also uses this time to think about work and family matters. “I don’t listen to music while I walk, so it’s a good time to relax and plan my day and just think.”

7am: Sharon returns from her walk refreshed and energised. “I always feel better afterwards. It gets me ready for the day. I don’t think exercise is tiring; I think it’s rejuvenating,” she says.

Sharon’s husband David is up by now and he makes breakfast smoothies while Sharon prepares lunch boxes for their three children – Adam, 14, Alanah, 11, and Lachlan, five. This is one of the rare times of the day that Sharon and David are together without the children. “I think that little bit of time in the morning is when we do most of our chatting. It’s probably the only time that we’re alone and not asleep!” reflects Sharon.

7.30am: The children start to get up, and Sharon helps Lachlan get ready for school. The kitchen is buzzing as everyone grabs breakfast and prepares for the day ahead.

8.30am: The family is out the door… David heads off to his role as ANZ bank’s trustee services manager for NSW and ACT. He travels to Canberra for work once a month and occasionally to Melbourne and the Gold Coast. Adam catches the bus to school, but Sharon drops off Alanah and Lachlan before making the 45-minute journey to her laboratory in Lidcombe, an outer western suburb of Sydney. The trip to work is the only chance she has to catch up on the day’s news. “I don’t have time to read the paper or watch the evening news, so the car radio is the only way I can keep up with what’s going on,” she explains.

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