After our recent workshop in Narrabri I was delighted to receive an encouraging amount of positive comment from the attendees. All were particularly interested in what Dr John Buchanan had to say (Director, Workplace Research centre, faculty of Economics and Business, University of Sydney).

A big thank you must go to Niel Jacobsen for securing Dr Buchanan's services as we all know how busy and in demand John is. Although Dr Buchanan's findings look a little scary for the bush, I’m sure they didn’t surprise the Make it Work team as we have already identified many of these issues as keys to our success.

Like I said on the day, a wise old man once told me that clever and driven people do well in times of adversity and I know that Make it Work is loaded with these.

I had an email from Carmel Mills, an employment consultant from Moree who was in attendance on the day, enquiring as to how her clients could be included in any future planning. Carmel’s clients consist of disability workers needing to either return to the workforce or enter it.

During my time in Job Network I had the opportunity to work with workers with physical disabilities and although the numbers are not great there may be the opportunity to look at this as part of future planning.

What a pleasure it was to hear the Todd Gordon story. Todd is a fantastic example of a bloke who has made a decision to change his life and went for it and as he puts it “if you put in the effort and you are serious about it, you can succeed”.

I can tell you that Todd only revealed a glimpse of himself on the day, not revealing the tough life he has experienced and all the genuine reasons he could have used to NOT succeed. I was fortunate enough to be the one whose office Todd first walked into for help and after reassuring me that he was “fai rdinkum” went on to prove he was.

Todd has agreed to assist Make it Work in any way he can. Todd’s current employer Craig McInnes who apologised for being unable to attend the workshop is also keen to assist in any way he can. Craig has similar story to Troy Cussens having worked for the money in the mines but recently leaving to pursue lifestyle and his own business. 

Troy’s address gave great weight and a fantastic testimony for future Make it Work Employer Workshops on our focus of Employer of Choice. Due to Troy’s extensive experience with the mining industry and his eventual pursuit of lifestyle and another challenge, Troy has found out first hand and by necessity what it takes to be an Employer of Choice, and the good news is he is extremely keen to assist with future workshops. There is nothing like having the proof in the pudding.

Although I was a little disappointed in the attendance at the work shop, we did have 68 people representing 41 different organisations including four of the largest employers of the region. I was consoled somewhat when Dr Buchannan advised that he would not have had a response as good as that if he had conducted the course in Sydney.

I did receive a number of last minute apologies from employers saying that the last minute Christmas rush had painted them into a corner; with most advising that they would be keen to participate in future workshops.

After a follow up contact with the majority of organisations attending the workshop I believe the format of future work shops could include a short interactive session for employers to sit around a “work bench” to throw some ideas around while learning from others. Each of these benches would include an established Employer of Choice and an identified mentor. The last thing we need is for an employer to leave a work shop without a clear message and the offer of an Employer of Choice mentor for future assistance, encouragement and guidance.

As I write, Narrabri has received close to 8 inches of soaking rain with most of the local watering holes ( not Pubs) filling up nicely making this an ideal time for Make it Work to be out there while confidence is on the up. I do hope rain has fallen where you are (unless you happen to be on leave on the coast somewhere).

I’m looking forward to catching up on 5March in Moree, if not before, and wish you all a great New Year. (Russell's report was produced prior to New Year).

Regards,

Russell Stewart