Article
March 19, 2025
Message from Eileen Van Iersel
The NBPU TIS team has been incredibly busy over the past month reviewing the performance reports we’ve received. A huge thank you to all the teams who submitted on time or reached out for an extension. As some of you may know, there were discrepancies in the due dates this round due to an error, however, both the Department of Health and Aged Care as well as DSS, were generous in extending the deadline to ensure everyone had ample time to submit. If you have any questions about your reporting or the Health Data Portal, please don’t hesitate to contact your Program Officer. They’ll be happy to assist or put you in connect with the Health Data Portal team for any technical issues.
We’ve also had an exciting month of recruitment! I’m thrilled to introduce Telita Goile, our new Executive Officer, who you’ll meet in this edition. Additionally, over the next two weeks, we’ll be welcoming two more fantastic team members to the TIS family here in Adelaide: Ronald O’Brien, who will begin this week as the SA/VIC and TAS Program Officer, and Astrid Innes, who will join us as our Communications and Marketing Manager starting in March. Be sure to look out for their welcome in the next newsletter! We also have some sad news as we farewell Clarkie our long-term Program Officer. While we farewell him from the NBP family we are happy to know that he will be staying in the TIS space.
Recently, the NBPU TIS team held a two-day planning workshop, providing a valuable opportunity to meet face-to-face, prioritize our goals, and strategize for the next six months. We also had a fun and productive team-building exercise at the Hijinx Hotel, where we tackled a series of challenge rooms together. It’s always inspiring to see how our diverse skills and communication styles combine to succeed under pressure.
Team Building at the Hijink Hotel Adelaide.
Back row: Brittany Peacock (People and Culture Manager), Kerindy Clarke, Onike WIlliams, Mel Donohue, Eileen Van Iersel, Maxine Turner, Sonette Johnson. Front row: Telita Goile, Kelly Franklin
I had the privilege of accompanying our WA Program Officer last week on site visits to TIS teams at the South West Aboriginal Medical Service, Derbal Yerrigan, and the Geraldton Regional Aboriginal Medical Service. It was fantastic to connect with the teams and hear about all the impactful activities they’re leading within their communities. I was also in attendance this week at the NSW Aboriginal Tobacco and Vaping forum hosted by Cancer Institute NSW and AH&MRC, keep an eye out for a more detailed report on the WA trip and forum in our next edition.
Lastly, I’d like to highlight the upcoming TIS National Workshop, which will be held in Larrakia country on June 11th and 12th. Last week, your TIS Coordinators should have received an expression of interest form to share your promising practice stories at the workshop. We strongly encourage you to submit your stories, as feedback from past events consistently shows that team presentations are some of the most valuable and popular sessions. We’ll also be hosting a poster competition with a team prize pack, so start brainstorming and showcase your amazing teams!
We can’t wait to see you all in June!
Eileen Van Iersel
Manager – National Best Practice Unit Tackling Indigenous Smoking