Council's Community Care team celebrated

Published on 31 October 2023

Gannawarra Shire Council has thanked its Community Care staff on providing many years of support to residents through various aged and disability service programs.

Council hosted a reception for its Community Care staff at the Kerang Bowling Club on Friday, 27 October, with the event marking the end of an era following Council’s decision to cease providing Aged and Disability Services from today.

“I would like to commend all members of Council’s Community Care team for their ability to provide a high quality of service to our Community Care clients during what has been a difficult time. The way our staff have delivered these services with kindness, compassion and care is something they all should be proud of,” Council Chief Executive Officer, Geoff Rollinson said.

“It is little wonder that the 80-member team has provided a combined total of 581 years of service to our residents, which has led to the development of strong relationships between staff, clients and family members.”

Local governments, including the Borough of Kerang, Shire of Cohuna and Shire of Kerang, had been providing Commonwealth-supported Home and Community Care services to hundreds of residents for the past 35 years, with these services coming under Gannawarra Shire Council’s management following the amalgamation of the three municipalities in 1995.

Council’s Aged and Disability Services expanded in 2019 after Council became an accredited National Disability Insurance Scheme provider, resulting in an expansion of employees and the number of residents who benefited from Council’s services.

“On behalf of my fellow Councillors, I would like to thank all of our Community Care team members for their efforts in supporting our residents through the Community Care services they provided,” Mayor Charlie Gillingham said.

“No matter how long our staff have been a part of the Community Care team or their role, they have helped improved the lives of many of our residents.”

ABOVE: Community Care team members, Council directors and Councillors marked the end of an era on 27 October with a farewell event for Council's Community Care team.