Hearing Australia

As a General Manager, what matters more to Talia is the wonderful team she has around her. Talia was recently named Senior Leader of the Year for the significant contribution she has made in the past 12 months, delivering outstanding results with a focus on collaboration and trust. Talia joined us nine years ago at a time when she was keen to take on a new and exciting leadership role. She says, “I was always looking for the next step in my leadership career which was a leader of leaders role. So when I was given the opportunity to lead the Hearing Australia team in Western Australia and South Australia, I packed my bags to move from Queensland to the West and haven't looked back! Having great people and teams around me to collaborate certainly makes working together to achieve common goals a lot easier. For my regional team, I am their voice in sharing what is happening and what is needed on the ground. So it’s important to keep them well-informed on what is coming up and what we are working on to ensure they are well supported, have opportunities to innovate and ultimately, that we work together as an organisation to achieve our goals.” Congratulations Talia! Hear from more of our people about why it matters more at Hearing Australia - https://lnkd.in/g5cXndKT

Congratulations to our Hearing Australia Board Director, Professor Sharon Goldfeld AM, on being elected to join the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. Sharon was among 31 health and science leaders elected to the Academy’s fellowship, which recognises the best and brightest minds in the field of medical and health sciences. View the announcement and read Sharon’s citation here: https://lnkd.in/gbxdnPNj

Our Audiologist Kirsten is part of our First Nations Services team and regularly travels to regional and remote communities to provide hearing services. Kirsten chose audiology because she always knew she wanted a career that helped members of the community. She says, “I believe that everyone deserves access to the same opportunities, so I wanted to work in a space that enabled this. I also love technology and wanted to be able to travel with my job. Being an audiologist ticks every one of these boxes and so much more!” And what does Kirsten enjoy most about her role? She explains, “I love meeting new people, hearing inspiring stories and learning more and more about Aboriginal cultures. I also work in such an incredible team and with inspiring communities, everyone has similar mindsets and goals.” Meet more of our talented and diverse team here https://lnkd.in/g5cXndKT Pictured: Kirsten (left) doing a hearing check

Thank you to the Hon Bill Shorten MP, Minister for the NDIS and Government Services, for joining us at our Leadership Conference Dinner to celebrate our outstanding leaders. Minister Shorten also presented the 2024 Hearing Australia Lifetime Achievement Award to founder and CEO of Aussie Deaf Kids, Ann Porter AM. Our MD Kim Terrell said “Ann has made a significant contribution to improving the lives of children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families and has actively worked with us over many years to help improve service delivery. Congratulations Ann!”

Two years ago, our Community Hearing Advisor, Annette, joined our team to help bring hearing care directly to communities and raise awareness about the importance of hearing health. In recognition of her dedication and the way she supports clients in getting the hearing help they need, Annette received our Excellence Award for Community Promoter of the Year. Annette says excellence to her means, “Being professional and knowledgeable about hearing health, being client-focused by listening to their needs and ensuring they get the help they require, and being a team player.” And why does it matter more at Hearing Australia for Annette? She explains, “It’s about making a difference in people's lives through the early identification of hearing loss and providing them with the right ongoing care to ensure they're able to live their life to the full.” Congratulations Annette! Pictured: Annette on the right, who is also a St John Ambulance volunteer, recently visited the Umoona community in Coober Pedy to provide medical kits. Annette is becoming a well-known, friendly face in the community as she also recently drove our hearing bus from Adelaide to Coober Pedy to provide hearing checks.

It matters more at Hearing Australia for our Customer Service Officer Voula because, "To be able to help all Australians and to watch the journey for our paediatric clients is so rewarding," she says. A big congratulations to Voula who recently celebrated 30 years with our team. We thank Voula for her commitment and for continuing to support our clients on their hearing journey.

Congratulations to our Senior Audiologist, Louise, on winning our Excellence Award for Specialist Audiologist of the Year! And what exactly is a specialist audiologist? Louise explains, “It’s someone who has done a lot of extra training so we can better support clients who have more complex needs. This could be clients living with disabilities like vision impairment, dementia, or a disability that affects their ability to communicate. I’ve done paediatric and adult specialist training, so I see a range of clients. For me, being an excellent clinician is going above and beyond for our clients – they really do matter and we really do care about them. They are all individuals with very unique abilities and needs.” 

While on a placement at one of our centres during her uni days, Violet was inspired by our clinicians’ expertise and care. She says, “The way I saw clinicians delivering hearing care to a diverse range of clients with a strong-client focus was what drew me to the organisation.” Violet is now approaching five years as an audiologist with our team. She was recently recognised with an Excellence Award for the exceptional care she delivers and for the way she supports clients in finding the right solution to meet their needs. Violet explains, “I mainly work with adults, including those with additional disabilities/needs. I think we are lucky to have a multilingual team which helps our culturally and linguistically diverse clients feel more at ease. What I like about Hearing Australia is the staff I’ve been fortunate to have worked with – everyone is dedicated to making a difference in our clients’ lives.” Congratulations Violet and thank you for your commitment and continued service! Learn more about why it matters more at Hearing Australia here https://lnkd.in/gA-d-a6j Photo caption: Violet (left) with her Centre Manager, Bhaveena

For seven years, our Clinical Community Advisor and proud Wiradjuri woman, Karen, has been travelling to different First Nations communities to talk about the importance of hearing health. For Karen, helping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children get access to hearing services and support and improving hearing health outcomes is what matters more to her. Karen says, “I really enjoy working with children and listening to some of the funny stories they tell. Hearing their laughter and seeing them smile really makes my day. I also enjoy working with my colleagues and making great connections and friendships within communities, and I’ve learnt so much about First Nations cultures and how proud we all are to share it. It’s great to be part of an amazing organisation that is working with so many communities to make a difference to our Mob.” Learn more about life at Hearing Australia here https://lnkd.in/gA-d-a6j

Congratulations to our wonderful Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group (RAPWG) on receiving our Excellence Award for Enabling Team of the Year! Chair of our RAPWG and proud Yorta Yorta woman, Kirralee says, “The team is passionate and diverse with a wealth of experience from across the organisation. We’ve achieved a lot in the past 12 months, including the launch of our fifth Reconciliation Action Plan, and second Stretch RAP. We're proud to work together and we're committed to being champions for our reconciliation journey."