Emma Brillantes

Hi, my name is Redelma Brillantes, or Emma to my friends, and I am a Filipino.  I come from the Abra province, which is in the north of the big island called Luzon and I went to school in my village and then studied agriculture in college. Following this I went on to have my family.

After my husband died, I took the opportunity to work in Tokyo as a nanny and housekeeper, first for the Australian Ambassador and then the Nigerian Ambassador.  I was then offered a position working for an Australian banking executive based in Hong Kong and along with his family I toured the world visiting America, Australia, Canada, Hawaii, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and London.  I have also been to Cyprus, Spain and Portugal, but it was in London that I met Mike and when my contract ended, I came to live in Eastbourne.   My travelling experiences have allowed me to learn and become fluent in Japanese, Spanish and two Filipino dialects.

When I moved to Eastbourne, I started work at the Cavendish Hotel before joining the Housekeeping team at Chaseley.  It was whilst working in this team that some members of the senior staff suggested I should train as a carer because they felt that the skills and knowledge I had obtained over the years were transferable and key components of a Support Worker.  I had a little thought and deliberation about this and decided that I wanted to try and train through my work at Chaseley, so that is what I did, and I have now been a Support Worker for the last 18 years!

I really enjoy my job and the variety it brings every day.  As a team player I get satisfaction from the help I give and receive from the whole team here at Chaseley and what we can offer to our disabled residents to help them live better lives.

Although I turned 65 on Valentine’s day 2021, I am not looking to retire any time soon!