It is coming to the end of the first year at the NCDA. We have appreciated how the advocacy sector is willing to come to engage with the team and participate in activities organised by the NCDA. Many of the activities we are doing are new and it will take time to work out what will be beneficial to advocates and your organisation. It is our hope that our work in enhancing the advocates’ work will not become another burden to the already hectic workload.
The team is going to come together this week to plan activities for 2024. When you have a team who live along the East Coast from Brisbane to Gippsland, it is nice to see each other face to face rather than on a screen. During our time together, we hope to have some fun as we celebrate the end of the year. We will be farewelling Kerry Golding who has been part of the team for the past few months. Kerry has decided that working in the remote online environment is not for her, and she is looking to deliver training in her local community. Kerry brought great expertise in mental health which enabled her to organise a great webinar in November. Kerry – thank you for your contribution to the NCDA and we wish you all the best in the future.
In addition to having some fun, we also be purposefully planning for 2024. We want to develop a program of webinars, peer networks, and short courses that will be challenging and resourceful for the sector. We are excited to what 2024 brings and look forward to continue to connect with advocates across the country.
Australia is currently being impacted by another wave of COVID-19. It has already impacted a couple of members of the NCDA team. The big difference to this wave from past waves is the lack of information and advice from the government. Do not get me wrong, I do not miss the daily press conferences and lockdowns. What is important is that we have risk plans in place to keep ourselves, our organisations and our clients safe. This is not the time to be complacent about COVID. It is the time to review your plans and keep everyone safe. The Government’s Disability provider alert can be found here.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe and relaxing end of year. This is a time to relax and spend time with family and friends. I would like to acknowledge that for some of us, and the people we work with, this can be a lonely and difficult time of the year. If Christmas and New Year are difficult for you, we would like to let you know we are thinking of you.
Yours sincerely,
Martin Butcher
NCDA Manager
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