Hi Members,
I can hardly believe December is upon us and that Christmas is just around the corner. I’m sure all of you are busy getting ready for the holiday season and make sure you are on Santa’s nice list. Summer has also arrived too bringing her warm sunny days. I also send out my prayers to those effected by the QLD bush fires.
A lot has happened this year that has kept the board busy and working hard. From the Draft Aged Care Standards to the Four Corners report on Age care facilities and the announcement of a Royal Commission into Aged Care. The DRTA Board has been working hard to ensure our members voices are heard and recognised. This is ongoing and we will continue to make sure we continue to be represented in this arena. A huge thank you goes out to our VP2 Kim Bromley for all her hardwork and leadership in this area.
This years conference was held in Melbourne at the beautiful Caulfield Racecourse and was 3 days jam packed of learning and networking. I had a great time catching up with friends and loved meeting new people. It was great to see so many people attend conference, not just for their own professional development but to support their colleagues. What I love about our association is how much support we give to each other. Congratulations to all our award winners and recipients of their PD awards. We also had a number of international guests join us. They were Orquidea Tamayo Mortera, President of New Zealand Society of Diversional and Recreation Therapist, Takiko Serizawa, President of Diversional Therapy Association Japan, Anne Richards, Executive Director of NCTRC (National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification) and Robin McNeal, Director of Credentialing at NCTRC. It was wonderful to catch up with old friends and new from across the world and look forward to continuing our relationship with all.
The biggest news to come out of conference is the DRTA moving towards credentialing. This is going to be a huge focus of the association moving forward and will be important with the up coming Royal Commission. While we are still working out all the details, it is important now more than ever to be a member as all current members will automatically become credentialed according to level of membership and education. We know you have been keeping up to date with your PD points, so no need to do that again. Keep your eyes and ears open for more information coming soon.
This year we held the Annual General Meeting after conference. Thank you to all those people who took the time to stay after conference and joined the teleconference to attended. We saw a couple of changes to the board. This year saw Judy Nolan retire from the Treasurer Position, this has been filled by previous Victorian state rep Daniel Gray. Hurain Khan also resigned from her position as NSW state rep before conference, and this position remains vacant. We wish Judy and Hurain all the best in their future pursuits. We had 1 nomination for the WA state rep position and we welcome Skye Harvey to the position.
I would like to say a huge thank you to all my fellow board members – Toni Wallwork, Kim Bromley, Glenda Kubler, Judy Nolan, Dan Gray and Darren Robinson. You have work hard this year and it has been an absolute pleasure to work with all of you. I look forward to all the challenges next year brings. A massive thank you and good bye to Judy who retired from the position of Treasurer. Judy has volunteered on the board for as longer than I can remember and will be greatly missed. We wish you all the best in retirement (and you will always be welcome back). And a huge welcome to Skye Harvey taking up the position of WA state rep. I am looking forward to working with you next year.
And lastly a thank you to you, the members, for making this year wonderful. On behalf of the board, I wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year. Enjoy the holiday season and look forward to a bigger and better 2019.
All the best,
Kylie Rice
President