Kate Wood-Foye - Business Illuminate

with KATE WOOD-FOYE

THE GUTS, GRIT AND GROUNDWORK OF REMARKABLE REGIONAL ENTREPRENEURS, INNOVATORS, LEADERS AND GAME CHANGERS.

As Chief Executive of Mid North Coast Local Health District, Stewart Dowrick continues to lead his dedicated team through one of the most challenging periods of change in health care. His passion for improving health outcomes for our region is front and centre as he and the MNCLHD team work to inspire and uplift the next generation of leaders in our community through education, development, health and wellbeing.

For over 30 years you have

I had an interest in health from a very young age and started my career working parttime in stores and distribution at the former Children’s Hospital at Camperdown in Sydney while I was studying at the University of NSW.

In 1989, I secured a full-time role as a management intern after finishing University and was fortunate to be mentored by Dr John Yu AC, who was named Australian of the Year in 1996, and was then the Chief Executive Officer of the Children’s Hospital. That internship gave me a broad understanding of health as I worked across a range of disciplines including engineering, capital works, human resources, finance, and strategic planning.

After working in a range of roles for the Central Coast Local Health Service, I relocated to the Mid North Coast, where my wife’s family is from in the late 1990s.

I have been Chief Executive of MNCLHD since 2011. This role leads a team of more than 4,500 healthcare workers across seven hospitals and 12 community health centres with an operating budget of around $800 million.

Receiving the honorary award of Doctor of Health Studies in recognition of my contribution to the health sector and advocacy for health in regional communities

It has been was certainly a career incredibly highlight for me. rewarding to witness Another highlight for the changes and growth of the Local me was being appointed Chief Executive of the MNCLHD. I feel very Health District across privileged to have the past decade, and been in this leadership to play a role in the position during a expansion of services time of considerable available. change for the health care sector in NSW and across Australia. It has been incredibly rewarding to witness the changes and growth of the Local Health District across the past decade, and to play a role in the expansion of services available. Importantly, I have enjoyed working with the higher education sector to expand the

range of courses and thus the number of students undertaking health-related studies, in particular here in Port Macquarie with Charles Sturt University and the University of NSW.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my time in health has been our work towards increasing our Aboriginal healthcare workforce from 1.6 per cent to 5.6 per cent - one of the largest Aboriginal healthcare workforces in NSW. This has been important as we work towards closing the gap and improving health outcomes for our Aboriginal communities.

I have been in my current role for well over a decade and one of the highlights for me has been our partnership with the Luminosity Youth Summit, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to be involved in influencing and inspiring our local young people to be the best they can be. Our youth will be our future health workers and health leaders, and I am very grateful to be part of an event that really engages and challenges young people to set goals for their future and pursue those goals. Being a mentor to young people through my connections in junior sport, both volunteering and coaching, has been extremely rewarding, and I feel I have learned so much through those roles that I have carried into my professional life.

The past three years have been some of the most challenging times in the health sector and, in my professional career with our region facing some of the worst natural disasters in our history, and a global pandemic, which has put great strain on the health system and health workers. I am fortunate to work within a health system that is among the best in the world, and my colleagues in health and all the wonderful staff in our Local Health District have certainly proved a great support in navigating these challenges. Our healthcare

Our health care workers have shown such dedication and workers have shown such dedication and resilience over the resilience over the past few years, and I past few years, and I am so grateful to be surrounded by such am so grateful to be commitment and professionalism. surrounded by such What imprint do you hope to leave on commitment and your community? professionalism. Improving the health of our community is at the forefront of what we do, so I hope the work I have done over my career has made a positive impact to the health outcomes of the community and, of course, we know there is still so much more that we can do. The Local Health District has played an important role in the growing higher education sector and I look forward to these partnerships expanding into additional opportunities for health research. One of my passions is the wellbeing and development of young people, supporting higher education in the region, coaching, and volunteering in junior sport and providing employment and learning opportunities for many young people in the region. Thanks Stewart.

Doing more and delaying less - that’s the motto of Mayor Peta Pinson in 2022 as she shares her thoughts on a big year that has come wrapped with a Rate freeze and a Blueprint for the future.

It’s unbelievable to think that we’re now 11 months into the year - just one shy of a full first year in office for our elected councillors.

With the looming anniversary just around the corner, it is fitting that I update our community on what’s been happening throughout 2022 in the same edition that this wonderful publication prints its 200th copy.

It is an achievement for a free magazine to remain as relevant as FOCUS has in this evolving digital environment, and I think it is so important to have local voices such as this one keeping our community connected. I am grateful for your support and I look forward to seeing what the next 200 editions bring!

It’s been a refreshingly busy year this year, with considerable progress made and outcomes reached.

I would describe your Council’s focus throughout 2022 as collaborative, and we’ve taken a very proactive approach to delaying less, and doing more.

Our agenda of getting on with the job is illustrated perfectly in our $288 million budget, which was adopted in June. It has allowed us to unlock considerable funding for key projects, and core service delivery. We’ll see better roads, upgraded sewer networks and improved footpaths. We’re investing more in the maintenance of our parks and gardens and sporting field upgrades.

We have heard from many ratepayers and implemented a freeze on the ordinary rate for 2022. Little do we know just when the inflationary headwinds will ease, but I’m thankful that we’ve had the foresight possible to put measures in place to absorb some of the financial pressures facing our community. We’re now looking at ways we can ease the pain for our business community also, through a review of the Town Centre Master Plan (TCMP) levy.

The TCMP component of the Port Macquarie CBD business rate has played a role in funding ongoing improvements and maintenance for our CBD for many years.

However, we’re now undertaking an independent review of the rate model to ensure all businesses contribute fairly and our community receive the benefits of that levy in the places that matter most.

The review is also incorporating feedback regarding future options for the Port Macquarie CBD, and will explore other areas of the LGA including the Wauchope and Laurieton business centres.

On the infrastructure front, we’re about to turn the first sod on the single-largest road project ever delivered in the Port Macquarie Hastings, with the duplication of Ocean Drive. We’ll have more to say on the construction front soon, with the appointed contractor to determine the commencement date in December.

I am thankful for the investment Council and the NSW Government are making in this project and look forward to it kicking off soon.

I also want to briefly touch on our decision to acquire the Tuffins Lane sporting precinct at our October Council meeting.

I am so pleased to see these fields return to community ownership. Our region relies heavily on a strong sporting economy, so it makes sense that we should acquire the land to provide for year-round community sport, and utilise it for the purposes of bringing sporting events to the region.

In ending, I’d just like to mention the work we are doing to develop a new Blueprint. While we’ll have more to say on this soon, the Blueprint aims to consolidate a range of existing plans and policies at Council into one overarching strategic document.

The Blueprint will set the strategy for how we deliver on our actions and goals for the future, and the ways we plan to get there.

In the coming months our community will be able to engage with us on the Blueprint, and I encourage as many of you as possible to do so.

We want you to be better informed about our region and your Council’s strategic direction. The Blueprint will help to achieve this.

With the festive season almost upon us, goodness knows we all deserve a wonderful break and I wish you and those special to you a happy and safe holiday period and a positive start to a new year.

Thank you and take care, Peta.

HEARTBREAK HIGH

Netflix has recently released Heartbreak High reimagined. This series is a reimagining of the 90’s series which follows a group of friends as they navigate high school and heartbreak.

One of the original cast members, Isabella (Gutierrez) Mistry, relocated to Port Macquarie in 2018 and has a returning role in the recent Netflix hit series playing her original role, Chaka Cardenes. In the new Heartbreak High we see Chaka reconnect with her first love from Hartley High, Peter Rivers, played by original cast member Scott Major.

Bella has enjoyed a rewarding career in the entertainment industry across multiple artforms and now applies the skills and knowledge she has gained to her teaching career and role as Director of Performing Arts at St. Columba Anglican School.

I started learning violin from 5 years old and had always enjoyed the contribution I could make through performing in an ensemble on stage. At home, my family had to endure countless lounge room concerts where I would sing and dance to the entire Beatles Ballads album. In secondary school, I was introduced to drama and was learning dance outside of school. With the support of my family and teachers, I completed a Bachelor of Dance and a Bachelor of Theatre Performance and always wanted to become a drama teacher, just like the amazing drama teacher I had at school.

My university had a graduating showcase that agents and directors attended and I was recruited by a prestigious agent, who sent me along to a range of auditions in theatre and television.

After graduating in November, I landed my first big job for The Toe Truck Theatre Company and would work with them for eight months before auditioning for Heartbreak High in November 1993.

Being a part of the original pilot series was an incredible experience. We had the luxury of pre-production time to develop our characters and use improvisation to explore the depth of our characters. This process allowed scriptwriters the opportunity to incorporate colloquial language that young people in the 90s were using into their scripted narratives. We were a close-knit group of young actors who became lifelong friends.

It has been a beautiful gift to be able to bring Chaka back to her stomping ground. Scott Major called me on my birthday and explained that he had given my number to the producers of the reimagined Heartbreak High series. I was so happy for Chaka to be able to go back to her old neighbourhood. As the O.G. cast generally stayed in touch, it was lovely to be able to work alongside my mates again. Arriving on the set for my first day of filming, I was welcomed and embraced by new stars Ayesha Madon, Asher Yasbincek, James Majoos and Will McDonald. They were all so lovely, and everyone on set from the runners to the cinematographers and the wardrobe department were all so welcoming. The producers were also there to welcome me and working with Gracie Otto was wonderful. Gracie is full of energy and her approach with actors is authentic and she has mutual respect for our craft and character development.

As I breathed life back into Chaka, it all felt familiar, like going back to where you grew up. Familiarity and a sense of security in the known history between Chaka and Rivers’ characters was emotional for both Scott and I. The new and exciting part about playing the same character 27 years on, was exciting work for me to ensure I portrayed Chaka as the sum of her life experiences and journey from when she left Hartley. Being able to create the journey Chaka has had since she moved to Darwin with her family and all that happened in between, was an exciting venture. In the first season of the reimagined Heartbreak

High, there is magic and wonder in the fleeting exchange between Rivers and Chaka when they first lay eyes on each other after so many years apart.

I always intended to be a drama teacher. Inspired by my amazing high school drama teacher Julia Homfray, I wanted to complete performance degrees to fully understand the craft and techniques involved in the artforms of dance and drama. I completed my AMEB violin examinations up to Licentiate (LMusA) and continued to play in community orchestras for many years. Initially, I enrolled in the teaching degree to start in 1993, however, I deferred this as I was working as an actor and would continue to work as an actor, singer and dancer for the next eight years. I eventually went back to complete my teaching qualification at university and have been teaching across the performing arts for the past 20 years in Sydney before completing my Master of Applied Theatre Studies and moving my young family up to Port Macquarie to work as Director of Performing Arts at St

Each of our programs provides a foundation Columba Anglican of profound discovery, School. growth, and skills How does your development to enhance industry experience student confidence and help you shape experience as a performer opportunities that and best equips them for a inspire young lifelong career in the performing arts performing arts industry. students? My experience as a working performer in the Australian entertainment industry has allowed me to gain a first-hand understanding of the necessary skills needed for a successful career in the industry as well as insight into the day-today knowledge of a working performer. It’s not always as glamorous or easy as it looks. In order to be successful, you have to be entrepreneurial, a good team player, have a positive work ethic and have strong self-discipline. You have to make authentic connections and nurture relationships across the industry, including directors, writers and technical crew. Talent is valuable, but uniting this with a desire to grow and achieve is what makes a sustainable career possible.

In 2022, in conjunction with the principal of St Columba, we established the Iona Peak Performing Arts Academy, designed to offer aspirational performing arts students the support and inspiration they need to reach their potential. This year we only opened applications to current SCAS students, but for 2023 we are excited to offer this incredible opportunity to any students in the local community interested in receiving unique access to experiences and enrichment opportunities to focus their talents. They can share their passions and connect to the industry in readiness for lifelong learning and pursuits in the performing arts industry. Some of the things we offer include industry insight connections where industry professionals, local artists, celebrities and established working artists visit the Academy to share their professional insight in an intimate group setting allowing for bespoke masterclasses, small workshop opportunities, candid advice, and an invaluable opportunity to ask questions about the industry. Each of our programs provide a foundation of profound discovery, growth, and skills development to enhance student confidence and experience as a performer and best equips them for a lifelong career in the performing arts industry. Our education will ignite passion and empower students to find their deepest potential. To find out more visit peak.scas.nsw.edu.au

Now, wouldn’t that be great! We will have to wait and see...