As I reflect on 2022. I am immensely proud, and in awe of, our team of caring, dedicated, individuals, led by a strong leader, who has led our organisation through one of the toughest years on record for any charity in Western Australia. 

In the best tradition of previous staff that have gone before them for 39 years, the resilience show by our organisation, is typified by our team of specialist case managers, allied health professionals and training specialists who continued to provide high quality services while managing the demands of Covid-related mandates to the workplace, and changes to program offerings, location, and staffing. This is testament to the passion of our staff in supporting the people in our community who are disadvantaged in their quest for a better quality of life.

In responding to the organisation’s needs, and the needs of our community, which has grown to encompass a wider range of locations in the metropolitan area, we initiated a relocation of our head office to Mandurah to ensure our services can better reach people who need them.

We also began the process of implementing our 5 year strategic plan by achieve one of several objectives designed to invest in the long-term viability, survivability and sustainability of the organisation,  by purchasing a 210 SQM Office in Rockingham city centre with a view to being able to provide services from there in the future as required.

Another of our strategic objectives was to achieve a complete refresh of the organisations Branding, collateral and website. For nearly forty years we’ve been making a positive impact in our local community. And as we looked forward to the next forty years, we wanted a fresh new look that would truly represent the diverse range of programs we offer and the people we help. The new Brand has been designed to reflect the diverse range of people Bridging the Gap helps (varieties of colour), our holistic approach to services (wrap-around look), our past (stylized bridge image) and the essence of what we do – bridging whatever gap is preventing clients from achieving their full potential.  We even considered changing the organisations name (to some peoples absolute horror), but ultimately, through many hours of careful deliberation, could not find a better name to succinctly explain what we do in the community.

At the heart of all we do is providing opportunities for people who are disadvantaged to achieve stable employment and income security. This year our dedicated team provided services to 878 jobseekers, 50 at risk parents, 90 employers, and trained and mentored 468 young people, while also furthering the Bridging the Gap ethos by attending job fairs and expos, workshops, and participating in advisory groups and committees.

This doesn’t happen by accident and I would like to thank our operational team again, led by Kary Macliver, along with our Management Accountant Renu Dahiya and Program Manager Laureen Weyell. 

From a board perspective, we welcomed three new members this year – Trish Botha, Eileen Heath, and Mike Arnold. Every one of these new board members brings a unique set of skills and many years of experience to the board, ensuring that Bridging the Gap continues to be governed by a dedicated team of individuals determined to put in place the strategies to ensure that our organisation is making a positive community impact for many years to come. We deliberated in over 23 hours of board meetings and 8 hours of additional committee meetings.

This year we will farewell two members, Mark Chaston (3 Years’ service), and Wayne Miles (11 Years’ service).  I would particularly like to thank Wayne for his 11 years of service in every position including Chair, and thank him for his measured, considered, and dedicated contribution to the organisation.  Its rare in these times to find an individual that give so much of themselves over such a long time and his contribution and counsel has been enormous.

I would like to personally thank, Trish our VP, Tom, our secretary, Mark our outgoing Treasurer, and all our board members past and present for their ongoing commitment and support of myself, as Chairperson.