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Natalia Onoprichuk: Leading From the Front, Serving From the Heart

 

It started as a two-week holiday.

Natalia Onoprichuk was 13 when she and her mother left Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, to visit an aunt in Melbourne. They didn’t speak English. They packed light. And they weren’t supposed to stay.

"Mum said we were going for a two-week holiday," Natalia says. "More than twenty years later, we're still here."

 

The early years weren’t easy. Language was a barrier and so was culture. But Natalia's mix of curiosity and quiet confidence helped her push through. “I’ve always had a bit of cocky confidence,” she admits. “I just want to know stuff, ask the hard questions, nosy around."

She thought about law. Nup. Then she tried retail and hated it. What she found instead was hospitality.

 

Finding Flow

 


Natalia’s first real job was at Coorparoo RSL, waitressing at 16. "I just loved it," she says. "The conversations, the food, the service. It all just flowed."

From there, she set a goal: work at the casino. So she did.

 

At 18, Natalia joined Treasury Casino, starting with drink service and working her way up to bar supervisor. She was living out of home, studying part-time, and juggling a second job at the Stones Corner Hotel. That’s where she got her first look at ALH Group.

 

What was it about ALH (Australian Leisure and Hotel Group) that appealed?

 

"They had structure, progression, and different areas to grow into. That mattered."

So it wasn’t surprising that she left the casino and went all in with ALH. And quickly, something clicked.

"I found that I thrive in environments where I have greater control over strategic direction. This led me to pursue leadership opportunities, anticipating a more unified approach to objectives." Within five years, she was a venue manager. One of the very few women in the role at the time.

 

"I was single, no kids, no responsibilities. And I made sure that I put my hand up for every promotion. That meant smaller venues, struggling venues. You'd go in, turn them around, and move on."

 

Over 15 years, she managed eight or nine hotels. Bellbowrie, which she opened in 2013, stands out. "We won best hotel at the QHA Awards. That one was special."

 

Reset and Rebuild

By 31, Natalia had her first child. A few years later, her second. She was on maternity leave when she received the call from one of her earlier mentors.

"We worked to gather on a number of projects and he over saw my role with in the ALH Group, as he said… Nat, its time for a change

 

The job was at CSI Ipswich, part of HCS Group, which manages clubs facing some financial and operational challenges. No surprise she said yes.

 

"I walked into a panel interview with nine board members. All older men, ex-servicemen, mostly retired. I've never been part of a panel interview before."

 

And in line with the traditional culture, Natalia found the shift from corporate pubs to community clubs was at first, jarring. "It was like chalk and cheese. Women would come up and say, 'Isn’t it lovely to have a woman in that role?'" Then came the assumptions. Are you married? Still trying for kids? Surely your husband stays home.

"No," she told them. "We both work full time. We both raise our kids. We both pay the mortgage."

 But she also revelled in being a role model – for women everywhere.

 

Changing the Conversation

 

The club was in debt when COVID hit and everything shut down.

"It was a huge reset," Natalia says. "The old strategies didn’t work anymore."

 

She looked at what the Club was doing for the community. Not much, it turned out. "We were doing our core role in helping and supporting past and present veterans as well as their families, however unfortunately there was nothing for local community looking after charities, schools or sporting organisations. That had to change."

 

She started showing up. Personally.

She and her head chef began volunteering at Tivoli State School, (a suburb of Ipswich, just outside of Brisbane), serving breakfast twice a week. The team started handing out fruit trays, socks, shoes, hampers, and more. They founded their own charity: Helping Our Future Today.

 

"We didn't want to write cheques. We wanted to do the work. To show up."

 

That mindset reshaped the entire club. And very soon, people noticed.

They won the Clubs Queensland award for community. She was named Club Manager of the Year, and then Business Person of the Year by the Ipswich Chamber of Commerce.

"The mayor said, 'You're the first non-business owner to ever win this.' That hit me. I'm not technically a business owner. But I run this place like I am."

 

Why It Matters

Natalia has three kids, a full-time partner, and still occasionally manages two clubs at once.

"I love where I work," she says. "And the people I work for. That’s rare."

 

She researches what other clubs are doing, not to copy, but to ask: what are we missing? How can we do better? Are there ideas out there we could try?

 

"For me, it’s about breaking the cycle. Whether it's kids without shoes or schools without resources. If we can show them what success feels like, maybe they'll chase it."

 

She remembers a Year 6 graduation where she bought each kid a cap and trophy. “One girl said, ‘So this is what graduation feels like.’ And I told her, remember that. Remember it when you graduate from high school. From University. Whatever comes next."

Key Takeaways

  • Leadership is action, not title: Natalia leads by showing up, not by delegating.

  • Progression matters: She’s built her career by always looking for the next step forward.

  • Culture is personal: She reshaped an RSL not by policies, but by conversations, visibility, and trust.

  • Community means work: No big cheques. Just boots on the ground, fruit in the schools, and honest help.

  • There is always more to learn: "The day you stop learning is the day you go find something else to do."

Closing

 

Natalia doesn't preach. She acts. She listens. She shows up.

Her story is not about luck or grand plans. It's about doing the work, asking better questions, and never settling for a version of life that feels incomplete.

"If I can help someone make a left instead of a right, that’s what matters," she says.

Sometimes leadership is a trophy. Sometimes it's breakfast at 7:30am.

 

Either way, Natalia is all in.

 

 

 

 
 
 

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