Prior to this it was a bedroom. On each wall are paintings either of the Territory or by NT artists.

The lounge furniture sits on a carpet which bares a pattern of desert roses. It has a blue border and on each corner is the Northern Territory coat of arms.

This is where Vicki O’Halloran AM, the Administrator of the Northern Territory receives guests.

Today Mrs O’Halloran wears a blue, yellow and white floral top and a black skirt. Her hair is pulled back with not a strand out of place. She sits with her ankles together and hands folded in her lap.

It’s as if she’s part of this room; it’s an extension of her. You could believe Her Honour had lived here forever.

Life however started in Smithton, a town on the far northwest coast of Tasmania.

“When I think back now it was a happy childhood. Everybody’s connected, we still know each other,” she says.

“We grew up playing hockey and basketball, netball and softball and that’s how you spent your weeks and weekends. When you weren’t at school, you were playing sport.”

With four older brothers, childhood was action-packed with trips to the beach and outdoor adventures around Smithton.

“We didn’t venture far as a family, it was a big outing for us to travel to the closest city,” she says.

“I suppose from a budget perspective, for us all to go somewhere was a big deal. We didn’t even travel to what Tasmania calls the ‘mainland’. We stayed on the island and I don’t think I travelled on an aircraft till I was 14.

“At Christmas time we would head to a beach close to where the town was and we’d stay there from December to February. The weather was always a bit unpredictable but we spent lots of time swimming and fishing and boating.”

Mrs O’Halloran’s husband Craig is also from the area. After their marriage the couple took a year off to travel through Indonesia and Malaysia, to France and across to London where they worked for the remainder of their trip.

“I worked 21 different positions when I was in London, as a temporary role,” she says.

“It was a great growing up exercise for me. I learnt to be very resilient, as you can imagine in those days there were no mobile phones to map how to get to your next job.”

The couple’s first visit to the Northern Territory was at Christmas in 1988.

Mrs O’Halloran’s parents retired to the Territory and her brother also lived here. The tropics were a welcome change from the cold.

“We were determined then that we’d like to live here,” she says.

“We decided we wanted to live in a warmer climate, so we moved here 12 months later in December 1989 and we’ve been here ever since.”

MRS O’Halloran has the safe, reassuring voice of a teacher.

Every word is wise and thoughtful. It’s the kind of voice people want to guide through their lives and it’s no wonder she pursued education.

“It was probably in year six in primary school that I decided I wanted to teach,” she says.

“The school I went to was a state school in the north west coast of Tasmania and I was very impressed with the teachers. I really liked school and I thought then I’d like to be a teacher.

“We had a program running just before we left primary school where you were allowed to do some community service or some work in the community for the week. I chose to stay at school and was placed in a classroom where a lot of the students were not doing well with their education.

“I was asked to go in and help. I really enjoyed myself and I think nothing else ever appealed to me. I don’t think I ever thought about anything else from them on,” she says.

Mrs O’Halloran worked in the education department in Tasmania before moving to the Territory, where she joined Somerville Community Services.

She prides herselef on her investment into rural community services — it was one of her highlights at Somerville.

“I identified Palmerston was a growing city and the outlying regions as well.

“Humpty Doo and Howard Springs were expanding and we needed more services. People shouldn’t have to travel into the northern suburbs to receive those services to I made that a project of mine.”

Mrs O’Halloran remained at Somerville for 24 years before going on long service leave in July 2017.

BEHIND where Mrs O’Halloran sits are two framed portraits, on the left Queen Elizabeth II and on the right Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

At every meeting in the Prince of Wales Room, the Queen watches over her representative’s shoulder.

Earlier this year, Mrs O’Halloran was received by the monarch at Buckingham Palace.

In the meeting they discussed their families, a favourite subject of Queen Elizabeth’s.

“She shared stories about her family, how much she enjoys her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren. She’s very happy when they’re around her,” Mrs O’Halloran says.

“We spoke about the challenges of every day work for all of us, that the importance of remaining resilient in our work.”

The Queen reflected on her time in Alice Springs. On this topic, Mrs O’Halloran had a special story to tell about a 17-year-old she met in the Red Centre.

“I wanted to share a story in particular with Her Majesty about a young lady who approached me in Alice Springs,” she said.

“She said to me ‘have you met Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II?’ and I said I hadn’t but I (was) going to visit her. She said to me Her Majesty was somebody she watches and she likes hearing her messages. I think this young lady in her way was saying to me she had a great fondness. She was a grandmother figure that made her feel good.

“I thought how wonderful for me to relate that story of a young lady in Alice Springs where the Queen had visited before. She said that was absolutely marvellous and heartwarming for her to know that young people in Australia still had an interest and that conversations were being had about who she was and what she was doing.”

Visiting remote communities is one of the main highlights of Mrs O’Halloran’s role.

“It’s an incredible privilege when elders in community take time and want to share their stories with you,” she says.

“Particularly women. Sitting down with women in communities, whether it be here or Darwin, the hand-holding and the very real conversations about their parents and their upbringing, their desires and wishes for their children and grandchildren.”

In her time as Administrator, Mrs O’Halloran aims to educate people about the role, which she says is another joy.

“One of the initiatives we have is we’re really enjoying using technology more,” she says.

“An example of that is connecting with schools and having a virtual classroom. The Education Department have been a great support in assisting our office to connect with classrooms of students in very remote areas where I can’t be everywhere all of the time.

“I ask the students to ask questions about the role, for me to tell stories about what I’ve been doing over the course of the last week or two, and for the students to showcase what they’re doing in the classroom. We can read stories and have really good robust conversations.”

Despite the her busy schedule, the dynamic of the Administrator’s tightly knit family hasn’t changed.

“We’re very connected and our daughter is treasured by Craig and I,” she says.

Their daughter, Coco, is studying a Bachelor of Arts in Melbourne.

“We miss her a great deal. We’re not doing some of the things we were doing before, primarily because Coco isn’t here but we’ve learned to make the most of our time together.”

CANDIDATES for Administrator are not aware they’ve been considered, instead the Chief Minister makes a recommendation to the Commonweath Government — someone they believe is suitable for the role.

And so, Mrs O’Halloran had no idea what she was walking into when she was invited to NT House for a meeting and told she had been selected to be the new NT Administrator.

“I was extremely humbled and shocked and overwhelmed,” she says.

“It was such a surprise and something I had never considered, it never crossed my mind. At the immediate time, even though I was in shock, I thought what a wonderful opportunity this is for me and my family to be more involved with community in a very different way and to provide leadership here in the Northern Territory.

She phoned her husband who was in Alice Springs and shared the news with her daughter when she got home from school.

“There were a few tears to be honest,” she says.

“Happy tears and overwhelming tears that our life was going to change considerably and that somebody or a number of people obviously thought I was the right person to undertake this role.

“Nearly 18 months in the position, I find it amazing people think of me that way.”

Mrs O’Halloran has spoken to many young Territorians and a few now say they aspire to be Administrator.

She urges young people to be brave, to work hard and learn from people they admire.

“I encourage young Territorians to believe in themselves,” she says.

“Really think about what it is you want to achieve. Follow your dreams while on your journey, be respectful of others, be kind to others. Work hard, it’s very important to work hard, that way you reap the rewards when they come.

“If you see people in community or in an organisation that impress you, take the time to work out why they impress you, or ask the question to the person about what it is they’re doing. Shared wisdom is a great tool. We’ve all got something to learn from each other and each other’s experiences.”

In the space adjoining the Prince of Wales Room there are portraits of past Administrators on the walls, with a picture of Queen Elizabeth watching over them all.

Mrs O’Halloran is only the second female Administrator. She hasn’t had time to sit for a portrait, it’s on her list.

But one day it will hang beside her predecessor John Hardy and join all past administrators, inspiring the Territory’s future leaders.