Video transcript:
I have the honour of leading Mambourin which gives me a front seat view of the many wonderful things that happen across our fine organisation over a year. And what an incredible year 2021 has been.
This time last year, we were celebrating the fact that we had survived the pandemic of 2020, and I said, ‘as the heavy veil of restrictions lifts, the weather warms up, people return to services in huge numbers, and with vaccinations available, the future is looking bright.’
Little did I know what was in store for most of 2021!
More lockdowns.
More restrictions.
More closures of hubs.
More people stuck at home when all they wanted to do was to be with their friends. Staff on heavily reduced hours for long periods. Deep cleaning, notifications, PPE, isolations and quarantine. The list goes on.
Thank you most sincerely to each and every member of the Mambourin community for your adaptability and understanding.
I know many people who were deeply impacted by COVID and who did it really, really tough.
I know people who lost their jobs, who got sick with COVID, and even some who lost loved ones to this horrible disease.
But through all of this grief and anguish, your indomitable spirit has shone through.
Thank you to our staff who continued to make do, continued to show up, and continued to put the person first and make a real difference in many hundreds of people’s lives.
Thank you to the family members and carers who bunkered down, supported their loved ones as they always do, putting them first and making sure their needs were met.
And thank you to the people we support who, even though they missed their friends, missed the services that they enjoy so much, have stayed positive, adapted and learnt new things, and looked forward to the day when we could all be together again.
And I am very pleased to say that that day has finally arrived. Our hubs are open, our warehouses and garden teams are ready to do business, and our after-hours and weekend activities are back in full flight.
Recently, our board and our senior managers met at the Wyndham Civic Centre to discuss Mambourin’s plans for the next three to five years. From this, we will produce our next strategic plan. This plan will include continuing to strive to deliver our purpose which is to connect people to every opportunity and support them to get what they want out of life. It will be underpinned by our determination to stay true to our values, and our roots. It will include plans for new services which will create new opportunities for people.
The strategic plan will involve embracing new technologies, which will in some cases help us to reduce costs like producing invoices automatically, and in other cases could potentially be absolute game-changers for people with disabilities. The plan will include a continuing focus on improving the quality of services we provide through investing in our staff to be the best that they can be. I look forward to sharing the strategic plan with you early in 2022.
I’d like to take this opportunity to wish every member of the Mambourin community a peaceful and relaxing festive season, and a Happy New Year.
And bring on 2022!
If you’d like to contact Rohan Braddy, please call: 0409 136 157 or you can email: CEO@mambourin.org