The gazette february march 2016

Gazette THE

Monthly Newsletter February/March 2016 Volume 7 No 1

TAFE helps turn teen around

At the age of 15, Evelyn Weldon was a disengaged high school student who mixed with the wrong crowd, skipped school – and discovered she was pregnant.

Just 15 months later, Evelyn is a likeable, responsible, well-presented and articulate young woman with a seven-month old baby and a strong commitment to making a good life for herself and her son.

After the announcement of her pregnancy in 2014, she suffered abuse from her boyfriend and endured police interviews and court appearances to obtain a restraining order.

She was facing tough times at a tender age, but rather than giving in to adversity

Albany teenage mother Evelyn Weldon continued to study for her TAFE course after the birth of her son Ashton. and sinking deeper, Evelyn gained the strength to turn her life around, and she admits those difficulties brought her to her senses.

“I wanted to get my life together, save some money and provide everything for my child,� Evelyn said.

Continued on page 2

2

TAFE helps turn teen around

From page 1 “I sold my clothes – which were too small for me by then – and my shoes, and I made and sold bath salts to get extra income,” she said.

Evelyn recognised the importance of continuing her TAFE course to gain the qualifications to lead to a good career.

She continued to live with her parents, who encouraged her to be independent and take control of her situation while giving her invaluable support.

They also agreed to look after her baby for an hour each evening to give Evelyn a chance to study.

At the start of 2015, Evelyn enrolled in the Certificate II in Community Services, a VET in Schools program, at Great Southern Institute of Technology.

Just three weeks before the birth of her son Ashton in July 2015, Evelyn started a threemonth break from lessons at the campus, but did not give up her studies.

She took advantage of her parents’ babysitting offer and her son’s sleeping time to brush up on her classwork and complete assignments.

“I spread my books out on the kitchen table and carried on working,” Evelyn said.

Returning to the institute in September, she left Ashton at the Rainbow Child Care Centre adjoining the Albany campus, visiting him frequently to continue her breastfeeding program. Evelyn worked hard for the rest of the year and completed units towards her qualification.

Since her remarkable turnaround, she has made clear plans for the future.

The first step was enrolling this year in the Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care at the institute, with the intention of progressing to the Diploma.

She plans to study for the Diploma parttime over two years, allowing her to support herself and her son in the meantime.

Once she has the Diploma under her belt,

The Gazette – February/March 2016 Evelyn would like to take a Bachelor degree at university and eventually operate her own day care centre.

To kick-start this plan, Evelyn has set herself realistic goals for this year.

“I want to stand on my own two feet,” she said, explaining her son’s wellbeing and her own health take priority.

To boost her income, she is also trying to secure part-time work – ideally at the child care centre to fit in with her son’s routine and to gain experience to reinforce her studies.

I spread my books out on the kitchen table and carried on working.

A hip-hop dancer for several years, Evelyn has continued with her dance classes, where she met her supportive new partner. She dreams of taking a camping holiday with Ashton and her partner at the end of the year.

Child Care Lecturer Anne Parker has been impressed by Evelyn’s commitment to her studies as well as her determination to improve her life and that of her son.

“She has her feet firmly on the ground, and she works very hard to do the right thing by her family,” Anne said.

“She has really stepped up to the mark,” Anne said.

Evelyn clearly cherishes her mothering role, taking responsibility for Ashton’s development and happiness.

“I love being a mum – when I had him, it was love at first sight,” Evelyn said.

“The midwife told me I had grown up overnight,” she said.

The Gazette – February/March 2016

3

Women sink their claws into language

CSWE students Piew Keogh, Francesca Nichele, Mei Qin and Malisa Grant prepare to go crabbing in Princess Royal Harbour.

Enrolling in Certificate in Spoken and Written English (CSWE) courses to brush up on their language skills brought a group of students much more than they bargained for.

The four, all with English as their second language, quickly became friends and discovered a regular fun activity – and a gourmet treat into the bargain.

Piew Keogh, originally from Laos, Malisa Grant from Thailand, Mei Qin from China and Francesca Nichele from Italy quickly hit it off in the classroom.

Piew then introduced her friends to crabbing, and now the four make regular night-time trips to the shores of Princess Royal

Harbour to hunt for the tasty crustaceans.

But probably the most valuable aspect of their time together is the development of their language skills.

A good evening’s catch of blue swimmer and mud crabs in the esky.

CSWE Lecturer Sara Lembo said the crabbing had been a social as well as a practical activity which had strengthened the friendship bond between the students.

“It is definitely stimulating their English language use, as it is the only common tongue they can use while out together,” Sara said.

The lively group clearly enjoy each other’s company, and chat easily in their new language.

They have invested in the necessary gear such as waders, lights and scoops, and they are as enthusiastic about their new pastime as they are for divvying up the bounty at the end of the night.

Continued on page 5

The Gazette – February/March 2016

4

FROM THE

MD’s Desk

The institute has had a busy start to the year, and it is pleasing to see that enrolments overall are higher than at the same time in 2015.

A strong local marketing campaign and the state-wide TAFE Choices promotion have helped to boost student numbers, as have new courses and better targeting of students as exemplified by the ‘GETSTUCKIN’ program which has increased entry-level enrolments in primary industries.

The $1.2 million library refurbishment is now completed and outsourcing of the café, construction of a covered walkway linking to the health and community block and sundry minor improvements to the external areas have led to the creation of a vibrant ‘Learning Resource Centre’.

A successful sundowner was held at the new Mount Barker campus in late January with managers and staff attending along with shire representatives and staff from the Mount Barker Community College.

On 2 March, the institute welcomed the Minister for Training and Workforce Development the Hon. Liza Harvey and the Minister for Housing, Racing, and Gaming the Hon. Colin Holt, to officially open both the Mount Barker campus and the Learning Resource Centre.

My particular thanks go to all staff who have worked so efficiently to get these two facilities operating in time for the 2016 academic year, and to the students and staff who made the opening ceremonies such a success.

I’d like also to recognise Treasy Woods and Graeme Simpson for their memorable ‘Welcome to Country’ at the opening of the Learning Resource Centre.

Investment in capital works continues

at Great Southern Institute with a $0.84 million refurbishment of the hairdressing and beauty salons starting in March to be completed in time for Semester 2 delivery.

In the interim, beauty therapy delivery has been moved to George’s to ensure students have a suitable training venue while refurbishments take place.

The replacement of Virgin Airlines with Rex on the Albany route will provide more convenient and affordable flight schedules.

The first flight now leaves Albany at 6.30am and the last flight departs Perth at 7.30pm, so staff will no longer need to stay overnight in Perth. This will provide savings in staff time and reduce the risk associated with staff spending long hours on the Albany Highway.

In Semester 1, the institute will be piloting a driver safety and awareness program for staff who drive in the country.

The Public Sector Commission provides comparative data through HRMOIR. Of note is that over the 12 months to September the staffing establishment for the institute decreased by 8.3 per cent compared to an annual increase of 0.5 per cent FTE for the WA public sector as a whole, and median salaries for the institute were $71,919 compared to $80,930 for the WA public sector.

The public sector recruitment freeze announced just prior to Christmas will continue until 30 June. With a workforce of our size and complexity, this has obviously created difficulties in delivery, and I would like to thank managers and lecturers who have worked to ensure that our students have not been disadvantaged.

In late 2015, the Commonwealth advised changes for eligibility for VET FEE-HELP. Continued on page 5

The Gazette – February/March 2016

5

FROM THE

MD’s Desk From page 4 My thanks to staff who operated under tight timelines and ensured our students were not disadvantaged by these unforseen changes in eligibility requirements.

To improve efficient use of resources, the institute has adopted the CELCAT scheduling software. Software installation on our servers has now been completed, a working group established, and the first training program has been scheduled for week one of the April holidays, in preparation for going live in Semester 2.

The recommendations of the Training Sector Reform Project were announced on 24 February with confirmation that structural changes within the vocational education and training sector will be progressed.

As part of implementing these recommendations, Cabinet has approved the closure of Great Southern Institute of Technology and the establishment of South Regional TAFE with effect from 11 April 2016. South Regional TAFE will include the South West and Great Southern institutes along with the Narrogin campus of CY

O’Connor and the Esperance campus of the Goldfields.

Following the establishment of the new college, new organisational structures will be put in place with new positions to be created.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all staff who will be affected by these changes for their professionalism and encourage them to participate in the change processes and raise any issues of concern with me or the HR Manager.

On a more sombre note, Sandy Farrell the part–time clerical support officer at Katanning died unexpectedly just before the Christmas shutdown. Several staff travelled to her funeral which was held in Perth on Christmas Eve. On 24 February a remembrance morning tea was held at the campus and a tree planted in Sandy’s memory.

Finally, the institute’s annual Award Night will be held once again at the Albany Entertainment Centre on 10 March and I encourage staff to attend to show support for our highest-achieving students from last year.

I wish all staff and students every success for the year ahead.

Cheers, Chris

Women sink their claws into language From page 3 “Sometimes we catch a lot, and we share them with our other friends,” Malisa said.

The blue swimmer and mud crabs are transformed into the women’s favourite Laotian, Chinese, Thai and Italian dishes, which they also sometimes eat together.

Malisa said they kept an eye on the tide tables to plan their outings, and in the off-season in winter, they would go fishing instead.

“But we don’t go if it’s raining!” Mei said.

Francesca Nichele, Mei Qin, Piew Keogh and Malisa Grant take a break from crabbing to pose for a selfie.

Want to get your Ad campaign gets TAFE noticed Builder’s Registration?

6

The Gazette – February/March 2016

Pathway: Builder’s Registration (WA79) Associated course: CPC50210 – Diploma of Building and Construction (Building) This qualification is designed to reflect the role of first-line managers or advanced technical workers in the building sector. It can lead to registration as a builder after the required time in the workplace.

24-month course Starts 29 April 2016 Delivered in a workshop with regular The state-wide marketing campaign TafeChoices is supported byformat, TV and press tutorials supporting delivery. advertisements and a dedicated website. Above is a still from one of the TV ads.

A nationally recognised of of our All 11 state training providers have and the straps alongStatement the bottom Attainment willads be issued on our completion. collaborated to produce a multi-media newspaper to align own brand with

AMA2290

advertising campaign designed to boost the campaign.

This program is delivered subject to numbers. the TAFE brand throughout Western Research andinterest preparations tookplace. place Please register your to secure your Australia. over several months last year, when a The campaign, which was launched in Perth advertising was 8781 contracted For more information phone the Trades officeagency on 9892 January, has been well received, and we to design media, organise promotions and FREECALL 1800 675 781 expect to reap the benefits of the raised manage the TafeChoices website. www.gsit.wa.edu.au awareness of TAFE training now and in the You can view the two 30-second TV ads RTO Code: 2056 future. on our YouTube channel here and here: TAFE TV You may have seenYour the regional TafeChoices The TafeChoices website, which links to ads featuring the ‘Make your name’ tag, our own site, is here.

TafeChoices straps, like the one above, appear on printed promotions and ads.

Want to read The Gazette in another format?

To access this newsletter as a PDF by email or for a printed copy, phone 9892 8888.

To download a PDF, visit the website www.gsit.wa.edu.au. The Gazette is on the Publications page under the ‘About Us’ tab.

The Gazette – February/March 2016

7

Glen Crotty and Bec Gibbs are the new operators of the Albany campus café, which they have named Food for Thought.

Fresh and healthy Food for Thought Since the Albany campus café reopened in January, staff and students have been making a beeline there for the great coffee and tasty food.

Now operated by Glen Crotty and Bec Gibbs, the busy café has been named Food for Thought, a fitting moniker for an eatery in a learning institution, where nourishing the brain is as vital as feeding the body.

Glen and Bec are on a mission to offer healthy options using fresh produce.

Perennial favourites such as pies and sausage rolls, beef and vegetarian lasagne, soups, burgers, salads and sandwiches are all on the menu – and freshly made.

In addition to the regular menu of hot and cold food, chef Glen cooks up daily specials with such tempting offerings as stir-fries, curries, fish and wraps.

For something lighter, there is a decadent array of cakes, biscuits and slices to enjoy with a cup of Naked Bean coffee.

To save customers time during their precious coffee or lunch breaks, Bec

welcomes email orders in advance, but she also ensures there is a selection of ‘grab and go’ food for those who have not preordered.

Food for Thought also caters for internal functions.

A chef for more than 20 years, Glen has a diverse background which includes working offshore on ships and oil rigs and in local restaurants.

Bec has worked in hospitality for more than 10 years and now leads and trains the customer service team.

The couple, who have two young children, were attracted to the café business for the flexibility of operating hours fitting in with the school timetable.

Bec said the first few weeks had been busy as they settled in and established trading patterns, but she and Glen were enjoying the challenge and the opportunity to work together.

To order food or coffee, email foodforthoughtcatering@outlook.com.

8

The Gazette – February/March 2016

Mt Barker campus arrives in style It seemed like all roads led to Mount Barker last month, when the spotlight fell on the relocated campus and the courses on offer.

The first event for staff of the busy campus was a stand at the local IGA, when Campus Coordinator Karine David and her team were on hand to give out information to prospective students and promote the courses to be delivered this year.

On January 27, the team hosted an open day, allowing interested community and business people to look around the new premises, which include classrooms, offices and a lunch room.

An out-of-hours sundowner the following evening gave others a chance to view the building and facilities while socialising over refreshments.

Sharing a building with the Community Resource Centre allows students to take advantage of the excellent neighbouring facilities, including the town library and the resource centre itself.

This is a fitting location giving students easy access to facilities for research, study and leisure.

See the report of Minister Liza Harvey’s official opening of the Mount Barker campus on pages 8 and 9.

Jenny Brass and Campus Coordinator Karine David at the IGA stand.

Rebecca Green discusses courses with Primary Industries Manager Neil Binning at the open day.

Children’s Services Lecturer Mandy Harris talks to visitor Rosemary Dufty at the open day.

The Gazette – February/March 2016

9

Mt Barker campus arrives in style

Bob Olsson and Karine David at the open day.

Jan Auld, Janelle Greeney and Karine David at the sundowner.

Louise Moreau and Michelle Harris have fun at the sundowner.

Kevin Ford and Andrew Fraser at the sundowner.

Access All Areas with Wendy Macliver

Study support for students Great Southern Institute provides study support to help all students be successful.

If you would like some help with your course or have study or access needs due to a disability, medical or mental health condition, come and see me at Customer Services, Mondays,Tuesdays Thursdays or Fridays. Phone 9892 8741 or email wendy.macliver@gsit. wa.edu.au.

As the Study Support Coordinator and Disability Officer at the institute I can

help arrange the support you need.

Assistance may include books and learning materials in electronic format or large print, learning support such as tutorial or in-class assistance, ergonomic chairs or equipment, computer access or literacy software, or regular contact to track how you are going.

Appointments can be made for students at our regional campuses.

All enquires are confidential.

Let us support you to be successful.

The Gazette – February/March 2016

10

Minister opens our new buildings The institute held a double celebration on Wednesday 2 March, when the Hon. Liza Harvey, Minister for Training and Workforce Development, opened the Mount Barker campus and the Learning Resource Centre at the Albany campus.

Minister Harvey chatted with students and staff of the Mount Barker campus before the official opening ceremony, at which she spoke of the excellent facilities and the broad range of services for students at the new centre.

After refreshments, the Minister drove back to Albany, where she jointly opened the Learning Resource Centre with the Hon. Colin Holt MLC, who was representing the Hon. Terry Redman MLA, Minister for Regional Development.

Addressing the gathering of about 150 people, Great Southern Institute of Technology Governing Council Chair Scott Leary said he appreciated the generosity of the Department of Training and Workforce Development and the Royalties for Regions program, which had made the centre’s refurbishment possible.

Minister Harvey responded by acknowledging the institute’s reputation gained over 40 years, and its high student satisfaction rate, which is consistently higher than the state average.

“The learning centre will allow the institute to ensure we develop people with the appropriate level of skills and qualifications to meet the local demands of industry,” Minister Harvey said.

She then took part in the second part of the Albany ceremony, which was the presentation of scholarships to 22 students, and talked with students and staff over morning tea.

The Hon. Liza Harvey, Minister for Training and Workforce Development, with Governing Council Chair Scott Leary at the Mount Barker campus opening.

Graeme Simpson on didgeridoo and Noongar Elder Treasy Woods perform the Welcome to Country in Albany.

Minister Harvey and Minister Holt jointly open the Learning Resource Centre.

Scholarship details and photographs on pages 12 and 13

The Gazette – February/March 2016

11

Governing Council Chair Scott Leary, the Hon. Colin Holt MLC, Acting Managing Director Chris Jones and the Hon. Liza Harvey MLA at the end of the celebrations.

Safety First With Rick Muller

Five tips for using a computer mouse

The following tips should help you avoid a mouse-related musculoskeletal injury.

1. Mouse grip – don’t throttle your mouse (it’s already dead)! Hold the mouse gently to move it over a mousing surface.

2. Mouse from the elbow – don’t skate or flick the mouse with your wrist.

Make controlled mouse movements using your elbow as the pivot point and keep your wrist straight and neutral.

3. Optimal Mouse position – sit back in your chair, relax your arms then lift your mousing hand up, pivoting at the elbow, until your hand is just above elbow level. Your mouse should be positioned at this point.

4. Protect your wrist – if you look at the anatomy of the wrist it is curved away from any contact surface (you can easily see this by resting your hand/arm on a flat surface you’ll see light under the wrist and can probably even pass a thin pen under this). The forearm is shaped liked this for the wrist to remain free of surface pressure contact.

5. Don’t use a wrist rest – yes, that’s right, research has shown that using a wrist rest doubles the pressure on the wrist. Wrist pads are only to rest the palm on during micro breaks.

12

The Gazette – February/March 2016

Scholarships ease the way to study

The Hon. Liza Harvey, Minister for Training and Workforce Development, with the group of scholarship recipients.

During her visit to open the Learning “We appreciate your commitment to Resource Centre at the Albany campus, the rewarding educational effort and helping to Hon. Liza Harvey MLA, Minister for Training remove barriers to academic success,” he and Workforce Development, was called told them. upon to present scholarships to Semester 1 Scott wished the recipients well in their recipients. future endeavours and said he hoped the Governing Council Chair Scott Leary, who sponsors’ significant assistance would help conducted the scholarship ceremony, said them to make a positive contribution to the the scholarships supported students to community through their chosen career reach their goals. paths.

“They will provide valuable assistance with The Albany scholarship presentation course fees and other study costs,” Scott ceremony was followed the next day by said. He thanked the sponsors for their another presentation at the Denmark generosity. campus.

Richard Grist, representing sponsor the Jack Family Charitable Trust, and Minister Harvey congratulate Sahara Carbajosa on her scholarship.

Richard Grist and Minister Harvey with scholarship recipient Sonia Swatek.

The Gazette – February/March 2016

13

Scholarship recipients Semester 1, 2016 Jack Family Charitable Trust 20 scholarships of $500 each awarded to: • Peta Woodhams • Sonia Swatek • Layla McPherson • Joshua Dean-Overington • Shian Stewart • Sally Roberts • Katherine MCallum • Lisa McLennan • Patricia Johnston • Sahara Carbajosa • Melanie Smallacombe • Clinton Cann • William Ovens • Tahnee Manley • Emilian Roman • Marianne Tutt • Aaron Ugle • Isobelle Mead • Karlee Berry

Grist Family Scholarships Three scholarships of $500 each for certificate-level music students: • Miranda-Jane Clohessy • Tanya Garvin • Tai Plummer Plus one scholarship of $1500 for a diploma-level student: • Peter Zuks Albany Chamber of Commerce and Industry Two scholarships of $500 each to students of accounting, business or information technology: • Kate McBride • Jonathan Sofoulis Denmark Music Foundation One scholarship of $500 for a student of the Diploma of Music: • Terence Mackintosh.

At the Denmark campus following the scholarship celebration are Terry MacKintosh, Peter Zuks, Music Lecturer Tony King, Richard Grist representing scholarship sponsors the Grist Family and the Jack Family Charitable Trust, Tai Plummer, Miranda-Jane Clohessy, Tanya Garvin, Sally Roberts, Denmark Campus Coordinator Sue Dybing and Music Lecturer Mark Tupman.

The Gazette – February/March 2016

14

Life goes swimmingly for Mark It’s no wonder Mark Licastro is rapt with his new life on the west coast.

Every working day, he heads for the beach and Bunbury’s iconic Dolphin Discovery Centre, where he is employed in customer service.

Having completed Certificates III in both Tourism and Business at Great Southern Institute of Technology last year, Mark moved to Bunbury.

Two weeks after his arrival, he landed his ideal job at the busy centre, guiding visitors to the various attractions and booking dolphin swimming tours and boat cruises.

“I’m over the moon about working here,” Mark said.

“Everybody is happy, there’s a positive vibe and people are excited to see the dolphins,” Mark said.

The work is widely varied and Mark enjoys the contact not only with tourists who flock there from all over the world, but also with his colleagues, including marine biologists, dolphin trainers and numerous volunteers.

He said in addition to the dolphins and string rays in the ocean, the centre’s aquaria were popular attractions.

“Injured fish and other marine life are also brought here for rehabilitation,” Mark explained.

“And because it’s a not-for-profit organisation, the funds go back into the centre and for researching marine mammal and animal life,” he said.

Putting into practice his knowledge gained in the institute’s classrooms has been another thrill for Mark.

“The qualifications helped me get the job and the skills I learnt during my studies gave me confidence once I started working here,” he said.

“I’m indebted to the lecturers and the other staff at TAFE,” Mark said.

Former business and tourism student Mark Licastro waits for three dolphins swimming to shore to greet him.

Mark is clearly passionate about his work and happy that his training led to it.

“I find it really fun – it’s demanding and busy but it’s rewarding and you learn lots of different skills on the job,” he said.

The Gazette – February/March 2016

15

Governing Council tours campuses

Katanning

Acting Managing Director Chris Jones hosted a tour of the regional campuses for Governing Council members in early March. The group visited Denmark, Mount Barker and Katanning, where they viewed the facilities and spoke with students as well as administration and lecturing staff.

Denmark

Mount Barker

The Gazette – February/March 2016

16

Reconciliation Action Plan In launching its Reconciliation Action Plan in October 2014, Great Southern Institute of Technology demonstrated its commitment to working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people so that together, real benefits can be achieved for the wider community.

To highlight Indigenous issues and track our progress as defined by the plan, The Gazette publishes an article every month.

This month, we look at the benefits of a new program combining practical computing skills with health education, which has been delivered to a group of Noongar women in Katanning and Tambellup.

Bytes on the menu for Noongar group An innovative program for Noongar people has given the participants practical skills to enhance their health and lifestyle – and an excellent opportunity to learn together.

Healthy Computing, a mix of computer lessons and wellbeing workshops run by Lecturer Wendy Hayward in November, was held over three days in Katanning and Tambellup, where the students – all women – learnt about a wide range of topics.

Guest speakers talked to the women about

diabetes, physiotherapy and children’s health, as well as general healthy living themes including eating, exercise and the impact of smoking, obesity and having high cholesterol and blood pressure.

The kitchen was a hive of activity as the women cooked up nourishing meals such as chicken stir fry and rice followed by banana smoothies, or steamed fish, rice and salad with a dessert of fruit salad.

Continued on page 17

The students tuck in to the lunch they cooked as part of their program.

The Gazette – February/March 2016

Bytes on the menu From page 16 They also heard about the community services

available to them for expanding their knowledge on health issues and learning new skills for the workforce.

In the computing classes, the women took a series of photographs, which they used to produce calendars

17 using Microsoft Word and Publisher, and polished their skills in emailing and use of the internet for research.

The students all agreed the lessons had been useful and enjoyable, and plan to put their new-found knowledge into action.

Four of the students celebrate their new computer skills.

The students listen to a presentation by one of the guest speakers.

The Gazette – February/March 2016

18

Easy habits for a healthy life We can all make small, simple changes to our behaviour that can turn into healthy new habits.

Initially, trying something different may feel uncomfortable or inconvenient but soon enough, the changes are just part of our normal daily routine.

4. Healthy snacks. Eat a variety of fruit, vegetables and whole grains to increase uptake of vitamins, minerals and fibre.

Substitute unhealthy snacks with healthy ones. Try snacking on a handful of nuts, fruit or chopped vegetables such as carrots.

Ways to eat better

1. Take phone calls standing. Stand when you answer the telephone and if you take a call on your mobile, move around while you talk.

1. Home-made lunch. Prepare your lunch for the next day while you are making the evening meal. Chop extra salad or cook an extra portion of your meal and your lunch is sorted with minimum fuss.

Ways to move more and sit less

2. Re-think meetings. Encourage attendees to stand up and stretch when required. If you spend a lot of time sitting in meetings, try walking meetings for shorter discussions or build in an activity break such as a 30-minute walk for longer ones.

3. Use the stairs. If you usually take the lift to your floor, try taking the stairs instead.

2. Workplace pantry. Keep emergency supplies in your desk drawer or workplace fridge. If you’re too rushed to eat breakfast or prepare your lunch, you’ll still have some healthy options on hand, such as nuts, tinned tuna or low-salt wholegrain crackers.

3. Re-think the sugary drink. Break the habit of buying sugary drinks from the vending machines and stay hydrated with water instead. Try including slices of lemon and ice blocks to transform your water into something refreshing.

4. Face to face. Instead of emailing colleagues and friends about simple things, where possible, walk over to their desk and chat about it. This has the added benefits of improving your relationships, strengthening your networks, keeping your inbox manageable and resolving minor issues quickly.

Challenge yourself to try some or all of these. Introduce them one at a time and when your new habit sticks, move on to another one.

Information for this article came from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia.

This column courtesy of Great Southern Population Health.

For more information, phone 9842 7500 (Albany) or 9821 6287 (Katanning).

The Gazette – February/March 2016

19

HR News

With Paula Pattinson

Positions Advertised A recruitment freeze announced during the Christmas Shutdown period is in place until 30 June 2016. As a result, two positions were withdrawn from the advertising process and three selection processes were placed on hold.

• Desktop Support Officer – closed 9 November, selection process not finalised, on hold until freeze is lifted • Lecturer Community Services – successful applicant was Tony Norment • External EOI Casual Lecturer Media and Design – successful applicant was Andy Dolphin • Lecturer Nursing – closed 2 December, selection process not finalised, on hold until freeze is lifted • Lecturer Dental Assisting – advertisement withdrawn • Lecturer Information Technology – position cancelled • Principal Lecturer, Health and Community – advertisement withdrawn • Internal EOI Learning Resource Officer – successful applicant was Tracey Jones • Internal EOI Portfolio Support Officer, Commerce – no applicants, Wendy Jackson placed temporarily • External EOI Casual Lecturers Health and Primary portfolios – selection process not finalised, on hold until freeze is lifted • Internal EOI Principal Lecturer, Commerce – successful applicant was Gillian Hazel • Internal EOI Casual Clerical Officer, Skills Development Centre – not filled/not required at this stage.

New Staff A warm welcome is extended to new or recommencing staff (appointments finalised before the recruitment freeze was announced or existing public sector employees) • Bronwyn O’Flanagan, Casual Lecturer Business • Toni Gunning, Casual Lecturer Nursing • Zita Boyle, Casual Lecturer Business and Tourism • Andy Dolphin, Casual Lecturer Graphics/Design • Sarah Johnson, Casual Lecturer Education Support • Jane-Mary Richardson, Casual Lecturer Visual Art Katanning • William Haynes, Casual Lecturer SDC Earthmoving • Natalie Galantino, Casual Lecturer Nursing • Beverley Collier, Casual Lecturer Fitness.

Staff exiting • Jay Rowles, Lecturer Aquaculture and Agriculture – finished 5 February.