BallyCara is incredibly proud of our dedicated and passionate workforce, and it brings us great joy to be able to show our gratitude to them for their incredible accomplishments!

The Staff Reward and Recognition Scheme was born in 2020 as an extension of BallyCara’s innovative Form of Hope (a form that allows staff and Consumers to show their gratitude to a staff member).

All the nominations are compiled by our Service Excellence Team, and four winners are picked by a panel of Consumers, family members and staff. Winners are picked every three months.

With the dedication of our whole workforce throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, gratitude has been at an all-time high! So the panel certainly had some hard work ahead of them…

So, without further ado… The January winners and their nominating Forms of Hope:

Tammaria Vernon – AIN, Residential Care

“Dear Tamarria,

I would like to thank you, not because of something you have done – but because of what you do every day! Your kindness and calm and unwavering positivity shines through when I witness you working, and is something that I hear on a regular basis from many of the residents that you work with.

You make a difference because, if I summarise what Residents have shared with me about their experience of you – I feel confident to say that you create a home that feels like their home; where they feel safe, respected and loved. Creating a space that feels like ‘home’ sounds so simple, but I am sure in reality for the many Residents living together (which is different to our usual concept of home) that it takes shining people like you to transform this environment to really and truly feel like home. Keep being the shining light and I hope you take a moment to feel how cherished you are and recognise that you make a difference.”

Kathy Stevenson – Emergency Response Team, Village

“I would like to thank you because if it weren’t for you, I’d be dead. You came when I pressed my buzzer and got me help. I thought I’d be fine, but I was having a heart attack. You ‘know’ when I’m not okay, even when I say I’m fine.

You make a difference because even thought I said that I’d be fine you went ahead and did the right thing and called the ambulance – which saved my life. I will be eternally grateful to you. You’re lovely, helpful, pleasant and do a good job. Thank you.”

Roz Mackie – AIN, Residential Care

“I would like to thank you for the personal time you dedicated to write the Christmas Poem and hand deliver Christmas cards and lollies to the staffing group.

You make a difference because you are so incredibly generous to share your creative outlet and put into words how we are all feeling with love and humour. Thank you for the smile you brought to everyone at the end of a really hard year.”

Elise Edwards (née Hoyer) – Exercise Physiologist, Gold Coast

“It has also been wonderful to have the incredibly delightful Elise taking care of me and helping to improve my wellbeing. She’s always a breath of fresh air!”

We can also take this moment to congratulate Elise on becoming a mum! We hope you enjoy the rest of your maternity leave with your beautiful baby girl!

Congratulations to Tammaria, Kathy, Roz and Elise! If you’d like to show your gratitude to a member of BallyCara’s staff, and enter them into the next round of the Scheme, you can find the Form of Hope here!