December 2022

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View this email in your browser December Issue Welcome to the latest issue of the Greater Whitsunday Communities E-Newsletter.  Greater Whitsunday Communities acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands on which we live, and work and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and future. We are proud to announce that we have finalised our Strategic Plan for the 5 years 2022 - 2027. This plan builds on the strengths of the 2021 transformative program to review the structure and leadership of the organisation whilst setting targets to hold in our core objective of participatory community development. Our comprehensive planning process included horizon scanning, SWOT analysis and captured the honest and bold feedback from our Members, Board and Staff, which provided valuable insight into our purpose, foundation mission and vision. Our Strategic Plan defines our priorities for the next five years. Whilst Participatory community development is core to our work, financial sustainability through fee for service programs will support bridging the gap for us to achieve work that otherwise would not be possible. We recognise the importance the role of individuals, communities, the Greater Whitsunday Council of Mayors, their respective councils, State and Federal Government, business, and industries (Mining Equipment, Technology and Services (METS), Tourism, Construction, Agriculture, Health and Allied Services and Education) will play in achieving many of the strategic pillars outlined in this strategic plan. Looking into the future, our commitment to the socio economic and environmental wellbeing of the Greater Whitsunday region is unwavering. A formal launch of our Strategic Plan is planned for early 2023, but in the meantime, we would like to share the key elements that defines the way we work and sets the benchmark for the way we will work in order for us to achieve our vision See these here > At the end of November, we held our Annual General Meeting with 14 of our Board and General Members. We would like to extend a huge thanks to the outgoing board members: Carmel Daveson, Cale Hutchinson and Anne Butcher. You have all provided a wealth of knowledge and support to the Board and staff during your time on the Board. We would also like to thank our Board and General Members for their continued support, without you we wouldn't have been able to do the work that we do. The Greater Whitsunday Communities team looks forward to new beginnings with the launch of our 5-year Strategic Plan in 2023. Access a copy of our Annual Report by visiting our website to see our activities for the 2021-2022 period. Carol Norris, Executive Officer Update | Greater Whitsunday Council of Mayors Suicide Prevention Taskforce Project After the June Co-design for the Greater Whitsunday Council Of Mayors Suicide Prevention Taskforce Project, our team has been crunching data and working to compile a model and final report. Developed through collaborative communication, the model embraces the voices of the Lived Experience community, Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Australian South Sea Islander people, people who identify with the LGBTQIA+ community, people who live in local rural and remote communities across the Greater Whitsunday region.  Read more > Update | Better Together Housing GWCommunities have re-signed with the Better Together Housing (BTH) program for another 12months carrying the work through until the 30th June 2023. Over the past few months, we have been utilising our community partners, Soroptimist International Mackay Group to develop innovative ways to inform women about the program Read more >  New Funding | Clermont CONNECT Congratulations to the Clermont CONNECT Board who have secured seed funding to establish & bring Clermont Connect to life. A generous contribution from Glencore Coal Assets Australia has enabled the appointment of Catherine Wilkes as Project Worker to build community memberships, secure sponsorships, establish operating procedures & be the community face of the organisation. Read more  > Information session | Granny Flats and Shared Housing  Through the Better Together Housing Program we have been hearing from women who are considering sharing part of their home that navigating the systems involved were confusing and overwhelming. So on the 1st of December, GWCommunities partnered with Better Together Housing, and local professionals to deliver an information session targeted at women over 55 on Granny Flats and Shared Housing. Read more > Update| Building Community and Economic Legacy   Two forums were held in November in Proserpine and Moranbah, as part of the Building Community and Economic Legacy in the Greater Whitsunday Region Project to explore and raise awareness of the concepts of inclusive growth in the region. Read more > Exciting New Project | Leading Australian Regional Communities (LARC) Program Greater Whitsunday Communities has recently been selected as a Group Coach for the Leading Australian Regional Communities (LARC) program, to support program participants from Charters Towers and Townsville achieve their program goals and projects. LARC is funded from the Australian Government’s Building Resilient Regional Leaders Initiative, which is a pilot to support current and emerging regional leaders to further develop their leadership and resilience skills so that they can become strong local voices in local change and in times of crisis. Read more > New Local Initiative | Greater Whitsunday Housing Project The Greater Whitsunday Housing Project kicked off with its first deliverable being a Housing Roundtable that took place on 6 December. The intention of the Roundtable was to understand the housing issues in the region better and develop the strategic themes to be addressed at a Summit in 2023. Read more >   Community Connections | Nebo & Glenden Health and Community Information Day  Greater Whitsunday Communities once again partnered with the Isaac Regional Council (IRC) to conduct what is now our fourth Community Health Day in the Isaac region- Nebo & Glenden Health and Community Information Day. This event was held in September during Women’s Health Week and was supported with a small grant from Jean Hailes for Women’s Health activities. Read more > Update | Disaster Resilience Maturity Approximately 12months ago, CSI partnered with us and five other organisations across six regional areas to develop an online scorecard that could empower senior leadership and boards across community services organisations to understand and grow their resilience maturity. Through this partnership Disaster Resilience Maturity Suite was developed. Read more > Building Capability | Recent Work Greater Whitsunday Communities continues to support organisations and community groups with their Governance and Managment capability across the region. Recently, GWCommunities partnered with QCOSS to deliver a series of webinar sessions to assist new committee members coming into their executive roles. Read more  > New Resource | Disaster Preparation Social Media Tiles In 2021, GWCommunities developed a suite of tiles through the Queensland Government - Flexible Funding Grants Program as part of our Peer-to-Peer Business Continuity project to assist community groups and organisations in preparing for natural disasters.  Mobilise your community through customising these tiles through Canva to suit your own community and needs with local images and text Read more > Auspice Support | Nebo Community TRAIC program Earlier in 2022 GWCommunities were approached by members of the Nebo community to utlise our Auspice service after receiving funds through The Queensland Government Tackling Regional Adversity through Integrated Care (TRAIC) Program. Read more >   Completed Project | Whitsunday Regional Council Community Plan The new Whitsunday Regional Council Community Plan 2022 – 2032 was adopted on 13 October 2022.  Greater Whitsunday Communities was engaged by Council over a 12 month period, to support the planning process, undertake community consultation, provide Council briefings and assist in formatting the plan. Read more  > Family Fun | Six Ducks and a Yarn  Where: Nebo Sport and Recreation Showgrounds, Bowen St Nebo When: Saturday 4th February 2023 What's happening: Family Fun Day - COMMUNITY CRICKET CARNIVAL with Day/Night matches. Cost: FREE to attend, Register your team now via the ticket link on the Facebook event page GWCommunities 2023 Events Greater Whitsunday Housing Summit  Isaac Youth Forums  GreaterWhitsundayCommunities www.greaterwhitsundaycommunities.org.au Copyright © *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|*, All rights reserved. *|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|* *|LIST:DESCRIPTION|* Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.