The Golden Bay Workcentre Trust

HEARTLAND

WENDY EARLE
HEARTLAND SERVICES CO-ORDINATOR

I have lived in Golden Bay for nearly 15 years. Initially working as a midwife at the Community Hospital and for the past four years in my current position as Heartland Services Co-ordinator.

Heartland Services, funded by the Ministry of Social Development and under the umbrella of the Workcentre Trust, provides a link to all government and community agencies and organizations to make them accessible to members of the community.

"My role includes hosting and making appointments for the various agencies who visit the Bay including Community Law, IRD, ACC, Community Probation, Career Services, Immigration, Internal Affairs to name a few. I hold many forms, such as those for IRD and immigration, and can download any that I don't hold from the Internet.

I also work as PA for the Workcentre which involves a variety of tasks from NZQA searches, production of CVs and formatting of unit standards to typing up minutes of meetings, to name a few of my roles.

Last year I took on the role of co-ordinator of the BeWell Project. Funded by Nelson PHO this is an initiative to promote health and wellness in the community and includes a questionnaire card to help people identify health issues, free health checks and support to help people overcome barriers to good health and a large range of resources and information regarding health-related issues.

Heartland Services is often the first port of call for those unsure where to go for answers to their questions with the result that I get some unusual and interesting questions to answer and problems to solve. With the variety of roles I fill for the Work Centre the job is varied with a constant flow of people and phone calls and never any opportunity for boredom. I never know what I will be doing in five minutes time which I find both stimulating and interesting. Multi-tasking ability is an essential pre-requisite for the job!

The Workcentre is a vibrant and progressive asset for the Golden Bay Community. The variety of courses running at any one time is extraordinary and the opportunities offered for the youth of Golden Bay who might otherwise miss out on social and educational opportunites is amazing. It is a privilege to be associated with such and energetic and stimulating group of people".