KEEP IN TOUCH
(07) 3105 7800
Turrbal and Jagera Country
Level 4, 348 Edward Street
Brisbane QLD 4000
Happy New Year! I hope you all had a restful break over the festive period and are looking forward to another year full of possibilities. 2022 had its share of challenges but many wins also in striving for optimal health workforce in Queensland's communities. You can read up on some of the activities and outcomes in the 2021/2022 Annual Report which was released in December.
The HWQ Board held its annual strategic planning session, Board meeting and Annual General Meeting in late November 2022. The AGM saw the re-appointment of Dr Ross Maxwell and Mrs Jane Williams to Director positions. Dr Ross Maxwell was appointed as Board Chair for 12 months.
The Board and staff enjoyed a gathering to celebrate the year and to acknowledge Staff and Director service awards. We celebrated the following staff and Directors who have reached a number of milestones, including Mr Daniel Learoyd, Corporate Services Manager and Mrs Edna Reid, Administration Officer who have both contributed 20 years' service. The Staff and Director Service Awards are:
Daniel Learoyd, Corporate Services Manager - 20 years
Edna Reid, Administration Officer - 20 years
Renee Masters, Training & Events Coordinator - 15 years
Sandra Bukumirovic, Health Workforce Solutions Team Leader - 10 years
Emeritus Professor Rob Stable, Director - 10 years
Evelyn Eteuati, Future Workforce Coordinator - 5 years
Melissa Brimelow, Data & Evaluation Support Officer - 5 years
The year also finished strong with the SARRAH, GP22 and IAHA Conferences all in November. You can read about these in more detail below, including a great presentation on allied health practice sustainability by our Health Workforce & Service Planning team.
HWQ were proud to be a sponsor again for the QAIHC Awards for Excellence and I had the pleasure of presenting the QAIHC Leader of the Year Award to Theresa Simpson, CEO of Mookai Rosie Bi-Bayan. These awards celebrate the successes of Queensland's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community-Controlled Health Organisations over the past year and it is vital to acknowledge the hard work in this sector. Click below to read more about the awards evening.
The HWQ team kicked up our heels (and gold suits) together at our Christmas party held in "BrisVegas". Won't say too much more about that, though there are some interesting photos to have a laugh at.
2023 is a significant year for Health Workforce Queensland as it is our 25th year of operations as a Rural Workforce Agency. We'll reveal our plans to celebrate this milestone as the year progresses.
In the meantime, we are straight back into it for a full year of activities ahead, from attending to the important challenges facing the remote and rural health workforce, presenting these realities to conferences, providing professional development workshops, providing scholarships to support your professional development and running student immersion programs, to finding you your perfect role, or filling those vacancies in your beautiful rural and remote communities, and so much more. We look forward to working with you this year.
Chris Mitchell
CEO, Health Workforce Queensland
