Natural Selection Group Blog

This was: a million reasons to celebrate

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 05:53:20 GMT

This is: a million-dollar moment

When we set out to build NSG, we knew we wanted to do things differently. Not just connect great tech talent with great businesses — but use our work to create real, lasting impact.

That’s what led to our March to a Million. And as of October 2025, we did it.

$1,011,294.38 donated across 26 charities.

We celebrated the only way we know how - by bringing together the people who made it happen. Clients, contractors, charity partners, and the NSG team. All in one room, raising a glass to what we’ve achieved together.

The night delivered:

Matt Tilley from FightMND shared a message that hit home
Sammy the percussionist turned the dancefloor up
Our showgirls greeted guests in full glam
And a few well-deserved awards were handed out, including some based on glowing client feedback

And in true NSG fashion, we couldn’t announce the milestone without some fl air. Cue the gold streamer cannons!

The March to a Million may be complete, but this isn’t a finish line. Giving back is embedded in how we work — and the next chapter is already in motion.

Don't say. Do.

wow@shazamme.com (Default Author) — Fri, 17 May 2024 02:07:28 GMT

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We were thrilled to be part of the action at this year's Big Freeze 10 launch for FightMND at THE LUME. Through our engagements with Bunnings and Asahi Beverages, we’re proud to have donated over $100,000 to our charity partner, Fight MND. We can't wait to sport this year's beanies and continue to support the fight against MND. 'It's not what you say, it's what you do'.

This was: celebrating 2023

wow@shazamme.com (Default Author) — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 23:56:34 GMT

Thank you for those that were able to join us in celebrating 2023 at an unforgettable end of year party.

In addition to inspiring speeches from Professor Paul McMurrick from Let’s Beat Bowel Cancer and our Director, Leanne O’Connor, there were lip-syncing drag queens, politically incorrect bingo, dancing and prizes!

We have achieved over $855,000 in charitable donations and we are on our March to a Million $ by 2025. You will hear more about this exciting initiative in 2024!

This is : Bringing our A-game

natalie.rodriguez@naturalselectiongroup.com.au (Natalie Rodriguez) — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 00:17:21 GMT

This week the Natural Selection Group team and a small selection of clients attended 19th annual Let's Beat Bowel Cancer (LBBC) Golf Classic at the world class Kingston Heath Golf Club.

We’re an exceptionally proud platinum sponsor of the event over the past 6 years, which is vital to support LBBC and Cabrini Hospital’s early bowel cancer intervention and research programs.

All players were tested on Australia’s best golf course and enjoyed the on-course cocktails, oyster bar and sausage sizzle. A delicious 3 course dinner followed with very special talks from Professor Paul McMurrick and a very brave and grateful patient. Our Leanne loves a microphone, so she was up there again this year to speak as a sponsor!

Thanks LBBC for another great event, we look forward to celebrating the 20 year anniversary of the event in 2024!

This is: Airlie Beach Adventures

wow@shazamme.com (Default Author) — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 04:21:05 GMT

What an incredible time we had at Airlie Beach during our annual NSG staff trip! It was a perfect blend of team bonding, relaxation, and thrilling escapades.

We kicked off our adventure with a luxurious day trip on a mega yacht. The azure waters of the Coral Sea provided a stunning backdrop as we soaked up the sun, enjoyed the ocean breeze, and bonded as a team. But the real highlight was the majestic whales that graced us with their presence!

On the yacht, we also had the amazing opportunity to take the tender to Queens Beach and along the way, we were treated to the delightful sight of turtles, gracefully swimming in their natural habitat.

After our yacht day and a relaxing time by the pool and cabanas, we set off for an exhilarating helicopter ride. The flight took us over the breathtaking Whitsunday Islands and the iconic Heart Reef. The view from above was absolutely mesmerizing, giving us a new perspective on the beauty of our surroundings.

With the weather at a delightful 25 degrees, every moment was pure bliss. A huge shoutout to our awesome team members who made the experience.

Here's to creating more cherished memories together! ��✨

This was: celebrating 2022

wow@shazamme.com (Default Author) — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 03:31:20 GMT

Thank you for those that were able to join us in celebrating the end of the year last week. It was so great to have new and old faces there to celebrate what has been a very successful year.

This was: an un-fore-gettable day!

wow@shazamme.com (Default Author) — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 02:17:48 GMT

Last week the Natural Selection Group team and a small selection of clients attended 18th annual Let’s Beat Bowel Cancer (LBBC) Golf Classic at the impeccable Kingston Heath Golf Club.

We’re an exceptionally proud sponsor of the event which this year raised an incredible $300,000 in vital funds to support Cabrini’s early intervention and research programs.

All players were tested on one Australia’s best courses and enjoyed the on-course cocktails, oyster bar and sausage sizzle. A delicious 3 course dinner followed with some very special talks about the Colorectal Research helping tackle bowel cancer and an impromptu speech from Leanne O’Connor that brought the house down.

Thanks, LBBC for another great event, we can’t wait until the next one!

This is: the catch up

wow@shazamme.com (Default Author) — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 04:58:33 GMT

Thanks to our contractors, clients and charities who braved the cold to join us for some overdue drinks and canapes at the Garden State Hotel.

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This is : Lunching for a cause.

wow@shazamme.com (Default Author) — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 05:35:34 GMT

The ladies of the Natural Selection Group team and some of our wonderful long term contractors attended a long overdue ladies lunch for the Mirabel Foundation. It was the perfect opportunity to dust off the heels and frocks and enjoy the Melbourne sunshine, stunning venue and fabulous company, all for an incredible cause.

We were treated to a delicious 2 course lunch, listened to an inspiring interview between Jane Rowe, Mirabel CEO and Jacob Cremen-Darkin, a former Mirabel child and aspiring Paralympian , enjoyed music by singer, Adelaide Clarke and DJ Emma Peters and topped it off with some bubbles.

What an amazing day to unite, raise funds and talk about another C word other than COVID - Children!

Mirabel assists children who have been orphaned or abandoned due to parental illicit drug use and are now in the care of extended family. They do this by providing advocacy, referral, research, practical and emotional assistance to the children and their kinship carers. The Mirabel Foundation is one of our founding charity partners and we have donated over $200,000 to Mirabel through our Recruitment, Contractor Management and Permanent placements.

This was: a tee-rific day on the course

wow@shazamme.com (Default Author) — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 05:05:21 GMT

Motorised golf caddies, oysters, cocktails and beers. This years' Let's beat bowel cancer (LBBC) Golf classic was tee-riffic!

Elton Kelly (NSG Principal Technology Consultant) and Leanne O'Connor (NSG Director) joined a handful of our clients in raising funds for LBBC, a not-for-profit initiative of Cabrini Health on the golf course.

Played at Melbourne’s impeccable Kingston Heath Golf Club players were treated to 18 holes of golf at the premier course coupled with exceptional hospitality.

Out of the 26 teams, our two teams came 6th and 22nd (not all men are created eagle) and although we didn't come home with the trophy, Grant Cameron did have success, winning the Beat the Pro prize at hole 5!

Australia has one of the highest incidence rates of bowel cancer in the world, and bowel cancer continues to be a major Australian public health issue and the reason early intervention and research programs remain so vital. As one of Australia’s largest bowel cancer treatment centres, Cabrini and LBBC continue to play a significant role in the front line battle to beat this disease.

We were thilled to be able to sponsor the event again after the cancellations due to Covid and continue to support this worthy cause.

It pays to have friends.

wow@shazamme.com (Default Author) — Wed, 13 Oct 2021 01:49:37 GMT

Do you know a great person?

Send them our way and we will send you a $500 Prezzee voucher!

Terms and conditions.

Must be a candidate we have not spoken to before about the role.

Referred candidate must not have applied themselves via SEEK, reached out through LinkedIn, website etc.

We place the candidate for the role they were referred into.

The $500 Prezzee voucher will be sent 30 days after the candidate starts.

This is: new office feels.

natalie.rodriguez@naturalselectiongroup.com.au (Natalie Rodriguez) — Mon, 12 Jul 2021 02:09:46 GMT

Change is good.

We've moved offices and we are loving it.

Visit us at our new address, Level 5, 447 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000.

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This was: 2020

wow@shazamme.com (Default Author) — Thu, 31 Dec 2020 12:13:00 GMT

What a year! Although 2020 had it's c hallenges, there were some definite highlights - check them out below.

The Side Hustle FEAT. Mandy Hooper

wow@shazamme.com (Default Author) — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 12:31:00 GMT

Meet Mandy Hooper, who is such an outstanding Project Manager, we didn’t just place her once, but twice! – firstly with Wilson Group and now Mandy works in her rewarding and busy role with Bunnings.

Mandy is the author of Incremental Health, a book for busy professionals, to help bring health and good habits into everyday living. And what great timing this read is as we head out of a challenging year and into 2021.

In our second Side Hustle, we are celebrating our people and what they do outside their traditional work commitments, so we caught up with Mandy to find out more about her inspiring Side Hustle.

What is your current role and what company do you work with?

Service Delivery Manager, Bunnings

How long have you been working with NSG and how has your experience been with us so far?

I first started working with Bridget in April 2019. My experience with NSG has been nothing but exceptional. I have found the team to be incredibly helpful, both as a candidate and a customer. I have been so impressed with the service I have received;

I have recommended Bridget to friends and family for their own recruitment and to hiring managers looking for recruitment support.

Tell us about your side hustle

Incremental Heath is a book designed to bring joy and health to the lives of busy professionals. Designed around

nine pillars and underpinned with habits and the pursuit of happiness, Incremental Health provides information and helpful tips for better sleep, hydration, eating clean, exercise, relationships, mental stimulation, soul food, managing stress and beauty and skin care. It’s the one-stop shop to help you take small, meaningful steps towards greater health and wellbeing.

Where did you draw inspiration for Incremental Heath?

I have always loved writing. I find it simultaneously cathartic and creative. When my Dad’s health began to decline, I’d write him short stories to keep him entertained. It was this small act that led my Dad to encourage me to write about one of my long-term passions, health.

Incremental Health was the result! It was a labour of love that I worked on before and after work for nearly two years and self-published in June 2020.

Tell us about your journey.

What started as a bit of entertainment for my Dad, quickly formed into a solid piece of work. I drew up a framework of the information I wanted to share with busy people and crafted the book to deliver this in a light-hearted and non-judgemental way.

I had already done the bulk of the research for myself, as I transitioned out of a failed marriage and started to focus on my own wellbeing, so the work was in pulling the information together in a meaningful way.

I designed Incremental Health to allow people that were short on time to be able to pick up a chapter and work on an aspect of their life that needed some attention. That’s how the nine pillars were established. While the book has been written so that it flows logically from one pillar to the next; enabling the reader to build on the foundations of work from previous chapters, it can also be used and abused to get some quick gains in any area that may need a little extra attention.

Once I’d written the first draft, I meticulously edited the manuscript until I had taken it as far as I could myself. I then engaged a professional editor. Deb polished my rough diamond into something I am truly proud of.

I am honoured to have my son’s artwork featured on the front cover with internal graphics produced by Alline from The Infologist .

It is really important to me to support local, so I engaged the services of Green Hill Publishing in South Australia to help me turn my hard work into a beautiful, marketable book.

What's next for you?

I will continue to add content to the blog on the website regularly.

I am currently studying a Diploma in Sport Nutrition and plan to commence work on the next book in the Incremental Health family early in 2021 – Incremental Health at Work.

Where can we learn more about Incremental Health?

Website - http://incrementalhealthbymandy.com/

Buy the book - https://amzn.to/2WmSoeo

Instagram - https://bit.ly/38bOASO

The Side Hustle FEAT. Rachel Whittaker

wow@shazamme.com (Default Author) — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 14:22:00 GMT

This is: the best use of quarantine

wow@shazamme.com (Default Author) — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 19:46:00 GMT

There’s never been a better time to update your resume.

It is our intention to provide as much support to our network of clients, candidates and charity partners during this time.

Our experienced consultants are now offering a free video consultation to provide a CV health check. We will discuss how to create the BEST version of your CV.

Think: A CV which is relevant, concise, clear for clients to identify your suitability AND a CV you are proud of and confident in.

Included with our free consult is a blank resume template we have created for you to fill in the blanks, and, our top ten resume writing tips.

If you would like some guidance in planning and executing a relevant and attractive CV, click on the link below to schedule a time with one of our consultants or email Bridget La Ragy for more information.

bridget.laragy@naturalselectiongroup.com.au

Schedule online

This is: Ladies who lunch

wow@shazamme.com (Default Author) — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 20:43:00 GMT

Leanne and Richelle were lucky enough to attend the 5 ^th Mirabel Ladies Lunch on Friday afternoon.

Mirabel is one of our founding partner charities. We proudly donate a percentage of our fee to Mirabel. To this day we have donated over $100,000 to the foundation and almost 180 tutors have been provided since we partnered 3 years ago.

Mirabel assists children who have been orphaned or abandoned due to parental illicit drug use and who are now in the care of extended family.

Mirabel supports children aged 0-17 years and works at restoring a child’s sense of self-worth, belonging and hope for the future in order for them to reach their full potential as young adults.

Mirabel believes that investing in children is the most compassionate and economic investment they can make.

Mirabel provides advocacy, referral, research, practical and emotional assistance to the children and their kinship carers.

The Mirabel Ladies Lunch is an annual event and is a fantastic day for women to unite for an incredible cause.

About 400 women attended the lunch on Friday afternoon, all chipping in to purchase raffle tickets and bidding in an online auction with all proceeds going towards Mirabel. The goal was to raise a quarter of a million dollars.

One of the highlights of the lunch was hearing Dylan’s story, a former Mirabel child. His parents struggled with drug addiction before he was born; his grandparents were granted custody and he has not seen his biological parents since he was 6 years old. Mirabel supported Dylan since he was 8, he is now 22 years old and a professional dancer. Dylan’s story touched the whole room and really put into perspective of why we were all there.

Thank you so much to the Mirabel Foundation for such an amazing event. We are so honoured to have attended to support such a great cause.

This is: talent manager Bridget La Ragy becoming Bridget Wagner

wow@shazamme.com (Default Author) — Thu, 27 Feb 2020 21:40:00 GMT

Our talent manager Bridget got married to the love of her life last week and we couldn’t be happier for her.

A couple of her work wives flew over from Melbourne to New Zealand last week to celebrate with Bridget, her family and friends.

It was a fairy tale wedding – guests were picked up from Picton pier by boat and dropped off at a private beach, greeted with champagne. The guests walked along the beach and then up to the family home. The ceremony was held on the back deck which overlooks the beautiful Marlborough Sounds.

Of course, there was not a dry eye in the room during the ceremony.

After the ceremony, a second boat collected all the guests and cruised around before dropping them off at the reception.

Speeches from the bridal party were beautiful, and the celebrations afterwards was full of lots of singing & dancing.

We are so lucky to have been a part of Bridget & Jamie’s special day/weekend of celebrations and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for the next chapter of their life.

You can read more about Bridget here.

This is: the 2019 Recruitment Leader of the Year

wow@shazamme.com (Default Author) — Tue, 19 Nov 2019 01:57:00 GMT

The SARAs celebrate the people and recruitment businesses striving for excellence in the industry. The awards recognise the dedication and innovation of recruitment professionals from across the country, as chosen by a panel of expert judges.

The News | Qtr1 1819

wow@shazamme.com (Default Author) — Thu, 22 Nov 2018 03:06:00 GMT

Welcome back Natalie

wow@shazamme.com (Default Author) — Sun, 11 Nov 2018 23:19:00 GMT

We are thrilled to announce that Natalie has returned from maternity leave after having her beautiful baby girl Poppy.

For any contract, contractor management or onboarding related queries, you can contact her on 03 90884113 or natalie.rodriguez@naturalselectiongroup.com.au

It's a wrap!

wow@shazamme.com (Default Author) — Thu, 21 Dec 2017 22:00:00 GMT

2017 has been a very successful and busy year for the Natural Selection team. We were able to reach some very important milestones and have been able to quickly cement the Natural Selection Group name in the IT recruitment and contractor management industry.

Our business model allows us to donate a percentage of our fee for every day that our contractor works, to either our partnered charities or a charity of our client’s choice. Thanks to the hard work of our contractors and the engagement of our clients, we have been able to donate almost $30,000 to 13 different charities this year.

To put this into context, through our partnered charities, we have been able to donate enough funds to help the Mirabel Foundation support 56 tutors to help children who have been orphaned or abandoned due to parental illicit drug use and are now in the care of extended family, help Fareshare provide 16,325 meals to disadvantaged Australians and help the Jodie Lee foundation spread the word about bowel cancer with 341 Bowel cancer screening kits.

We would like to thank our clients and contractors for working with us and trusting us with their recruitment and contractor management needs, allowing us to use business as a force for good. We’re looking forward to kicking more goals in 2018!

See you soon Natalie! Welcome Lauren!

wow@shazamme.com (Default Author) — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 01:00:00 GMT

Natalie Rodriguez, our Relationship Manager will be leaving for a short time to embark on the adventure of motherhood from the 22nd December. Although we are sad to see her leave us for a while, we’re so excited to meet the tiniest member of our team in 2018!

We are also very excited to welcome Lauren Riley. She joins the Natural Selection Team as a Candidate Manager who will be looking after all contracts, timesheet queries and general administration here in the office whilst Natalie is away.

Lauren loves administration and procedures and is keen to apply her organisational skills to this new role to improve systems and processes and assist the team in their day-to-day tasks.

You can reach Lauren on;

E: lauren.riley@naturalselectiongroup.com.au

Ph: 03 9088 4113

Volunteer day at FareShare

wow@shazamme.com (Default Author) — Mon, 29 May 2017 10:00:00 GMT

Drawing inspiration from the recently celebrated volunteer week, we decided that we would put our Master Chef aprons on and volunteer at the FareShare kitchen. FareShare are one of our charity partners so it was a good opportunity to see firsthand how they are helping our community with the donations we provide on behalf of our clients and contractors.

On Thursday 25 ^th May we arrived at the kitchen with our corporate caps in hand and were escorted to a quick briefing session by the CEO, Marcus Godinho. Marcus spoke to us about the work the FareShare are involved in and how they have helped the community.

He also explained that it is FareShare’s mission to rescue surplus high-quality food that would otherwise go to waste and use it to prepare meals for Victorians doing it tough. They cook and distribute the food to food charities who then provide them to people in need.

There are 2 million Australians that will go hungry every year and at the same time, we waste over 200kg of quality food for every person in the nation. Knowing this, it’s easy to understand why Marcus and the FareShare team are so passionate about food waste. Even if we rescue a portion of that quality food, not only would we be feeding those Australians that may otherwise go without, we would also be saving food from landfill, and do our bit for the planet by helping to cut methane pollution and reduce the demand for new food products.

After the briefing, Marcus then led us into the kitchen to ‘scrub up’, with the help of Rosemary (Manager Volunteer Programs) and made sure we were all sanitised and raring to go.

Rosemary introduced us to Polly, our head chef who showed us how to make sausages rolls (a first for all of us) and away we went. With the help of the other volunteers, we made just over 1000 sausage rolls, packed quiches and filled trays with pastries for the next volunteer group to fill.

The staff and volunteers at FareShare were very committed to ensuring that all the food was prepared to the best standard possible. We had to ensure every sausage roll was packed with meat so no one would go hungry, every quiche was packed correctly and every tin we lined would be completely covered with pastry so they wouldn’t fall apart. It was great to see the dedication and passion in the team.

Learning about the FareShare values and how they have managed to make over 370,000 meals by rescuing surplus was inspiring, to say the least. It was very rewarding knowing that doing our bit to help FareShare would provide such joy to someone by something as simple as a sausage roll.

Contact us for more information on how we help FareShare and other charities through our IT Recruitment and Contractor Management services.

The 2017 Mirabel Ladies Lunch

wow@shazamme.com (Default Author) — Sun, 30 Apr 2017 10:00:00 GMT

The Natural Selection Group team and some friends had the pleasure of attending the 2017 Mirabel Ladies Lunch at Glasshouse with a roomful of glamorous and inspirational ladies.

The day was to raise funds for the Mirabel house which will help Mirabel provide a wide variety of innovative programs for children who have been orphaned or abandoned due to their parents’ illicit drug use.

The definite highlight of the event was Heaven’s story, a former Mirabel child who told of her struggles due to her mother’s drug addiction and the support Mirabel gave to her and her grandmother who was looking after her during that time. It was a story that touched the whole room and really put into perceptive why we were all in attendance and supporting the foundation.

The lunch was an enormous success and managed to raise over $120,000.

Thank you to the Mirabel Foundation, for such a well organised event. We are so glad could be there to support such a great cause.