Gowrie Gazette | Summer 2025

Tassie Mums – 'Season of Giving' Campaign

A huge THANK YOU to our community for your generous donations to our Tassie Mums ‘Season of Giving’ campaign! It was incredible to see our children, families and staff come together to support Tasmanian babies and children in need.

Suzie Jones had the pleasure of handing over the donations to Tassie Mums last week. Madeleine Glover and Clair Harris, Co-Founders of Tassie Mums, were thrilled to receive the donations which included a $2000 donation for the purchase of new prams and countless children’s toys, socks, underwear, clothes, pyjamas and books.

The work undertaken by Tassie Mums and their passion for supporting babies and children in need, closely aligns with Lady Gowrie Tasmania’s purpose of putting ‘Children First’ in all that we do. If you would like to learn more about the incredible work undertaken by Tassie Mums and how to donate items, please follow the link below:

https://tassiemums.org/

Thank you again, it is wonderful to know that so many Tasmanian babies and children in need will benefit from the overwhelming kindness and generosity of our community.

Celebrating Education & Care

Woodworking at Uni North LDC

At Uni North, the educators support many opportunities for children to play, learn and discover. Recently, the children in the Woodland Room have been engaging in woodworking experiences with our volunteer, John.

John worked as an educator at Uni North for many years until he retired. Since retiring, he has been visiting the service as a volunteer every Tuesday and Thursday to bring his passion and knowledge of woodworking to the children.

The children adore working with ‘Johnny’ and are so excited every time they see him chaining up his bike at the front gate. His latest project has focused on building storage boxes with the children that can also be used as a seat and a chalkboard.

John works with each individual child to find out what colour they would like to paint their storage box and which material they would like for the seat. He then helps them to use the drill to screw the pieces together, paint their box and glue and staple the material on the seat.

The projects are worked on over a couple of weeks with each child, and when finished, they can take them home. John shows great patience, talking with the children throughout the process and guiding them to use the tools safely and effectively.

The children are so lucky to have John working with them with his caring manner, and we feel so grateful to have such a wonderful person engaging with the children and teaching them important life skills.

From the OSHC Team at Uni North LDC

Staff Updates

Christmas Closure

All Lady Gowrie Tasmania services, programs and offices will close for the Christmas break at the usual time on Wednesday 24^th December, 2025 and will re-open on Monday 5^th January, 2026. This year’s closure dates provide everyone with a well-earned 11 day break.

Pay Date – 31^st December 2025

Due to the Christmas closure, payslips for pay date 31^st December 2025 will be emailed to staff on 24^th December 2025. The pay will be processed on 24^th December 2025 with funds being transferred to staff bank accounts on 31^st December 2025.

Community Of Practice

Educators are invited to join the Community of Practice which is a private online collaboration and shared learning space that connects centres and educators across the organisation using the Storypark platform. For more information, please speak with your Service Manager.

Employment Hero Update

Thank you to everyone for your engagement with Employment Hero so far. We really appreciate the time you have taken to log in, complete tasks and provide feedback. We are doing this work with you and your input is helping us improve how the system supports you.

At the moment Employment Hero is being used for:

Recruitment and job applications
Onboarding for new starters
Leave requests and approvals
Securely sending and storing key employment documents

Over time, we will continue to expand how we use Employment Hero to make everyday people processes simpler and more consistent.

We have a dedicated team member Employment Hero help page available here: https://gowrie-tas.com.au/people-and-culture-internal-use/

More guides and resources will be added in the new year as we roll out additional features.

REMINDER: If you are having any trouble logging in or accessing Employment Hero, please contact the People and Culture team and we will be happy to help.

Thank you again for your patience and support as we continue to improve our systems together.

Employee Assistance Program – AccessEAP

Throughout the festive season, Access EAP will continue to be available 24/7 to support you and your family.

To make an appointment please phone 1800 818 728 or follow login details below:

Website: www.accesseap.com.au/employees/
Username: Lady Gowrie Tas
Password: accesseap

AccessEAP provides confidential counselling, advice and support when you need it, at no cost to you. Book your appointment in the way that works best for you.

The AccessEAP App is also now live! The App delivers quick, access to confidential counselling, 24/7 phone support and practical wellbeing resources.

You can download the AccessEAP app here:

Download for Apple

Download for Android

For more information about support provided by AccessEAP visit: Home – AccessEAP

Pay Less Tax with Salary Packaging

Salary packaging is an easy way to give yourself a pay rise! All part-time, full-time, permanent or fixed-term employees of Lady Gowrie Tasmania are eligible to receive salary packaging.

Salary packaging means you can use some of your salary to pay for everyday expenses before income tax is calculated, meaning you pay less tax and have more money to spend.

Enjoy the convenience of having all your salary packaging information at your finger tips. The AccessPay mobile app provides you with secure and convenient access to your salary packaging account anytime, anywhere.

Download for Apple

Download for Android

To find out more about how salary packaging works please visit:

https://accesspay.com.au/salary-packaging/

Our Commitment to Child Safety

Lady Gowrie Tasmania has a zero-tolerance policy for child harm. We take all concerns seriously and follow up with appropriate action, including reporting and investigation. As part of our regulatory and ethical obligations, any concerns must be reported promptly and accurately.

We remind everyone of your mandatory requirement to report any concerns relating to the safety of children to your direct Manager, email the Quality Team quality@gowrie-tas.com.au or phone Strong Families, Safe Kids Advice and Referral Line on 1800 000 123. If a child is in immediate danger, please call 000.

Have Something to Share?

If you would like to share any personal or professional news, celebrations or achievements in the Gowrie Gazette please contact the Marketing and Communications team via email communications@gowrie-tas.com.au or phone 6230 6861.

Staff News

We are pleased to share all the exciting staff news and announcements for this Summer edition of the Gowrie Gazette. In this section you will find staff welcome and farewell lists, anniversaries, graduations, births, engagements, weddings and other news.

Thank you to everyone for sharing your special news and announcements with us so we can celebrate with you! If you would like to share any special news or announcements in our upcoming Gowrie Gazette please email communciations@gowrie-tas.com.au or share with your Manager.

Welcome to New Staff

We extend a warm welcome to the following new permanent and contract staff who have commenced working for Lady Gowrie Tasmania this year:

Education & Care
Dhiraj Ghimire (ECT – Alanvale), Cara Dadis (ECP – Battery Point), Sinthia Pervez (ECP – Battery Point), Joeanne Jackson (ECP – St Therese), Maria La Pietra (ECP – St Therese), Bina Makaju (ECT – Uni North), Xuan (Zoe) Zhao (ECP – Alanvale), Nasrin Aktar (ECP – Alanvale), Sujan Kandel (ECP – Norwood), Bandana Shrestha (ECT – Battery Point), Anoopjeet Kaur (ECP – Bowen Road LDC), Shital Bhandari (ECT – George Town), Joanne Brittain (ECP – Battery Point), Runnata Sharma (ECT – Oatlands), Sandesh Thapa (ECT – Oatlands), Ellie Piuselli (ECP – Oatlands), Roxanne Zhou (ECP – Uni South), Shreyasi Shukla (ECT – Midway Point), Ashleigh Briggs (Campbell Street – Assistant Manager), Yihan Mao (ECP – Uni South), Aruna Limbu (ECT – Pedder), Emma Kirkhope (Cook – Norwood), Kiranmai Sappa (ECP – Pedder), Mingma Sherpa (ECT – Midway Point), Dinidu Arunod (Cook – Pedder), Katharine Hancock (ECP – Richmond), Puja Das (ECP – Integrated Centre), Nicole Hill (ECT – Acton), Ishara K C Adhikari (ECT – Acton), Rachana Khadka (ECT – South Hobart), Anika Lockhart (Alanvale – Manager) and Tamika Temple (SSO – Battery Point).

Corportate
Brenna Viney (Finance Manager) and Lan Nguyen (Finance Officer).

We also extend a very warm welcome to all new casual staff who have commenced this year.

Celebrating Anniversaries

To the people who have reached significant anniversaries at Lady Gowrie Tasmania (LGT) since the last Gowrie Gazette was published, thank you for your passion and dedication to the children, families, clients and learners in our services and programs. We truly value you and your commitment to our organisation.

5 Years
Antesh Antesh (ECP – Bowen Road LDC), Emma Jackson (ECP – Campbell St), Hailee Harris (ECP – Alanvale), Hanna Duggan (Inclusion Professional), Helen Neocleous (ECP – George Town), Hiba Ali (ECP – Uni North), Jingmin (Nancy) Li (ECP – Uni South), Kathleen Castle (ECP – Swansea), Kylie Bailey (ECP – Uni North), Laura Donnellan (ECP – Uni North), Li (Lily) Fang (ECP – Uni South), Moya Dias (ECP – Richmond), Ratti Sagar (Finance Officer), Rebecca Weicks (Glenora – Educational Leader), Sally Blythe (ECP – Swansea), Surakchhya Dhakal (ECP – Uni North) and Tara Hall (Norwood – ECP – Norwood).

10 Years
Ashleigh Harris (ECP – Midway Point), Christina Giameos (ECP – Battery Point), Gemma Leighton (ECP – Acton), Helen Attree (ECP – Acton), Jodi Splann (ECP – Bowen Road LDC), Jodie Penwright (Uni South – SSO), Kate Chequer (ECP – Norwood), Kellie Guard (Glenora – Regional Manager OSHC), Sebastian Riedl (ECP – Alanvale), Shannon Gall (Glenora – Manager Pedagogy and Practice) and Taylee Polley (ECP – Kingston).

15 Years
Kate Chequer (ECP – Norwood).

20 Years
Ashleigh Harris (ECP – Midway Point), Christina Giameos (ECP – Battery Point), Jodi Splann (ECP – Bowen Road LDC), Sebastian Riedl (ECP – Alanvale), Shannon Gall (Glenora – Manager Pedagogy and Practice) and Wendy Hargreaves (ECP – Norwood).

*NB – Anniversaries are calculated on employment commencement dates and do not reflect long service leave entitlements. Anniversary letters and vouchers are distributed at the end of each quarter i.e. end of March, June, September and December.

Staff Farewells

Education & Care
Chelsea Driessen (ECP – Lansdowne Cres ASC), Chorladda Noogaew (ECP – Midway Point), Eka Kissy (ECP – Pedder), Gabriel Tams (Alanvale – Manager), Hui (Carina) Zhao (ECP – Bowen Road LDC), Jessica Oates (CP – Uni South), Kylie Hall ( ECP – Rosetta OSHC), Lauren Bassett (Cook – Norwood), Li Wang (ECP – Kingston), Nan Lin (ECP – Bowen Road LDC), Ping Xue (ECP – Uni North), Sarah Tinning (ECP – Acton), Tamara Whyte (ECP – Youngtown ASC), Tsz Ki (Mav) Leung (ECP – Midway Point), Weili (Melody) Jiang (CP – Alanvale), Xuan Hoa (Scarlett) Nguyen (ECP – Battery Point), Yi (Anna) Xu (ECP – Alanvale), Yingyi (Winnie) Liang (ECP – Uni South) and Zheyi (Ken) Jiang (ECP – Battery Point).

Corporate Services
Catherine Hughes (Inclusion Professional), Joanna Canavan (RTO Manager) and Katie Brighella (Finance Manager).

Graduations

Congratulations to the following employees who have completed their qualifications in Early Childhood Education and Care through Lady Gowrie Tasmania’s RTO (45602).

We value and appreciate your dedication and commitment to supporting children, families and your professional development.

CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care
Olivia McKay (Acton), Bella Upston (Midway Point), Zoe Vander Does (Richmond), Annabelle Knott (Weld Street), Jessica Stacey (Battery Point), Nikita Denman (North OSHC), Kate Johnston (Campbell Street), Mia Long (Richmond), Amelia Duffy (Norwood), Katee Smith (Integrated).

CHC50121 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care
Kumjoo Kim (Kingston), Hiba Ali (Uni North), Tammy Scanlon (Oatlands), Janelle Browning (Campbell Street), Skylah King (Gordon Square), Brianna Jeanneret (Campbell Street).

Congratulations also to Ranjana Shrestha (University North) who completed a Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education and attended her graduation ceremony at Victoria University in Melbourne recently.

2025 Tasmanian Youth Volunteer of the Year Award

Congratulations to Kira Robertson (Educator from Midway Point LDC) on winning the 2025 Tasmanian Youth Volunteer of the Year Award! We share Volunteering Tasmania’s announcement below:

“Shakira (Kira) Robertson is the co-founder of the Butterflies and Boots Gala Ball, a volunteer-led initiative supporting women and children impacted by domestic and family abuse in Tasmania. Drawing on her own lived experience, having lost her mother to a tragic act of domestic violence, Kira’s volunteering is compassionate and innovative.

The inaugural ball held in May this year welcomed over sixty Tasmanian women with lived experience of domestic abuse. A day of pampering and empowerment, culminated in a joyful evening of celebration. Several attendees described the night as ‘life changing’ and momentum is building to make the event an annual fixture.

Kira is a powerful role model, showing how lived experience can become lived leadership. Through her volunteering, Kira fosters broader awareness and sparks vital conversations. She is working to establish a support network for survivors and advocates for legislative reform. Her commitment goes beyond organising events, as she works towards systemic change and reshaping narratives.”

Kira, this is an incredible achievement and your passion and commitment to helping others is truly commendable. Congratulations from everyone at Lady Gowrie Tasmania – we are so proud of you!

Other News

Kate’s European Adventures

Recently, during my long service leave, my best friend and I spent six weeks exploring Europe, visiting ten different countries. It was incredible to experience such contrasts—from 40-degree heat to -1 degrees and snow—all within the same continent. My favourite destinations were the United Kingdom and Greece; both were vastly different but equally stunning, with breathtaking views and iconic landmarks. Visiting Mauthausen and learning about World War II was particularly fascinating, offering a deeper understanding of the history of Germany, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands, and already wanting to go back and explore the world more.

KATE BECKETT
Education and Care Manager – Norwood

Meet Our Staff

Kym Young – Service Support Officer at Norwood

I have worked at Lady Gowrie for nearly 2 years and feel fortunate to be able to work here. I like the variety and flexibility of my role.

The children and parents put a smile on my face, and I love greeting them as they walk in every day. I feel very supported and work with great people who enjoy what they are doing.

In the past, I have mainly worked in accounts payable/receivable, payroll and some HR/recruitment, mostly with in-house training in the transport and building industry.

Weekends are spent with family, friends, and my dog. I enjoy watching movies but also getting outdoors as much as I can.

My favourite exercise is walking, yoga and gardening. I am interested in cooking and learning new recipes because I love yummy food and eating at restaurants!

Brooke Cooper – Education And Care Practitioner at Norwood

I began working at Sushi to Go from the age of 14 to 17 before becoming a mum to my first son, Cove, at 18. A year later, I started in OSHC at Norwood, where I spent most of my time before moving into a Team Leader role at West OSHC. Eventually, I made the shift to Norwood LDC full time, and during this time I welcomed my second son, Coltn.

As a family, we love being outdoors, going on day trips, and exploring new places. This has influenced my children’s strong interests in their natural and outdoor environment, something I really value in early childhood education too.

Over the past three years, I’ve been privileged to work closely with families, caring for many children from the baby room through to now in the 2–3 year old room. Watching them grow and being part of their learning journey has been such a rewarding experience.

One of the things I appreciate most about working at Gowrie is the supportive and respectful culture created by our managers. Their leadership is reflected in the positive relationships we share as a team, and I feel lucky to work alongside such dedicated and passionate colleagues.

Jacqui Willis – Quality & Safeguarding Lead

I started out in the world of art, completing a Bachelor of Art History and Curating at Monash University. After graduating, I moved back to Tasmania and took on a role at MONA. It was a great experience, until COVID-19 forced the museum to temporarily close, like so many other places at the time.

That pause led me somewhere I didn’t expect: the not-for-profit sector, working in Quality & Safeguarding. What began as something of a sidestep turned out to be a longer-term pivot. Since then, I’ve worked across various areas of quality management, including compliance, investigations, and continuous improvement. I recently stepped into the role of Quality Lead with LGT, where I’m continuing to build on that work in a new context.

Outside of work, most of my time is spent with my husband and our dog, Cheddar-Bob. I’m also currently studying Strategic Management through UNSW, which keeps things interesting (and busy).

It hasn’t been a straight line, but the common thread through all of it has been an interest in how things work, how people navigate them, and how they can be made better.

Staff Q&A

Shannon Gall – Pedagogy and Practice Manager

What do you love most about your job?
Championing quality practice and pedagogy to support educators to reflect upon practice and support the very best outcomes for children.

What would your perfect weekend look like?
Camping with family and friends at the beach, sitting around a campfire star gazing!

What is the best thing that has happened to you this year?
Getting to go to ECA conference in Perth, exciting to bring back new learnings and see Perth as I have never been before.

Do you have any pets and what are their names?
I have the most beloved rescue staffy, Thor, who is found on my lap most nights or hasling anyone for pats. I also have 6 fish tanks and breed tropical fish as an excuse to explore another way to own plants!

Skylah King – Education & Care Practitioner – Gordon Square

What do you love most about your job?
I love creating fun and engaging environments and experiences for children to enjoy and explore. I love being a safe space for all children.

What would your perfect weekend look like?
Spending time with family and friends, going to the beach in the warmer weather, or relaxing at home watching Netflix.

What is the best trip you’ve ever been on and why?
I participated in a cultural exchange program with Thailand, where my exchange partner stayed with me for two weeks, and then I spent two weeks living with them in Thailand.

What is one thing you can’t live without and why?
Caffeine!!!!!!!!!!

Helen Mounster – Inclusion Professional

What is your role at LGT?
Inclusion professional

What do you love most about your job?
I love visiting services and building genuine relationships with educators and children. It’s incredibly rewarding to coach educators toward their goals and then see them confidently put new strategies into practice. Watching children respond, learn, and grow as a result of those changes is what makes my work so meaningful.

What is the best thing that has happened to you this year?
My dear friend and her family have migrated to Australia and will be living in the same suburb as me. My daughter loves her daughter and many play time ahead…

If you could pick any superpower, what would it be and why?
I would pick the power of healing, healing from inside out, healing from young to old, as this broken world needs healing and restoration.

What is one thing you can’t live without and why?
I can’t live without love — without it, I’d be nothing more than an empty sounding board.

Celebrations & Events

Campbell Street Children’s Art Exhibition

Our Campbell Street Education and Care Service Manager, Bridget Shea, shares her reflection on their 2025 Children’s Creative Arts Exhibition:

‘There was great excitement at our service recently as children, families, valued members of our community and educators attended our annual Children’s Creative Arts Exhibition.

The exhibition featured amazing artworks by children utilising every possible medium from woodwork to painting, fabric, clay, and collage from all programs that were respectfully displayed throughout the service for all to see. Alongside each of their displays, artist statements and children’s voices were included to capture each child’s genuine creative process and highlight the importance of recognising each child’s voice.

It was such a delight to see the children proudly share their masterpieces with their families and explore the other children’s artworks on display. Each year we are overwhelmed by the support from our local community and families, not only in their attendance, but additionally from their dedication to support the exhibition by coming together to gather resources such as natural and recycled materials that we are able to share throughout the service.

In addition to art based creative experiences, we also collated a short slideshow to highlight the creativity that has been expressed through music, dance, and play experiences from throughout the year, which was also enjoyed by those who attended on the evening.

Heartfelt thanks must go to our wonderful educators who worked so hard to support the creation of each art piece and collaborated on the art exhibition concept to display all the creative pieces so respectfully.

Thank you to all our families and members of our community who came along to share the children’s excitement and to show your appreciation of the play and learning opportunities offered to your children within our programs. Our close-knit community of children, families, educators and support staff is a very special one and that was very evident on the night.

Please enjoy these photos which showcase just a small sample of the incredible children’s artworks on display at the exhibition.’

Congratulations to all the team at Campbell Street on yet another beautifully curated Children’s Creative Arts Exhibition!

Educators’ Day Celebrations

What an incredible week it was celebrating Educators’ Day the care, dedication and professionalism of our educators in their vital work with children! Educators’ Day is celebrated nationally to say thank you to educators for the vital role they play in supporting children’s safety, wellbeing, learning and development.

At Lady Gowrie Tasmania, we broaden the focus of this special day for our educators to include everyone in our team who support our educators in their work with children – our ancillary, administration, corporate, project, training, inclusion and management teams.

Please follow the link below to view a snapshot of the beautiful messages from families and children and photos from Educators’ Day celebrations across our services and programs:

https://gowrie-tas.com.au/early-childhood-educators-day/

Thank you again to all our wonderful educators and support teams and in the words of a family from our Richmond Education and Care Service – ‘You are seen. You are heard. You are valued’.

Celebrating Our Staff

Suzie Bevan – Celebrating 25 Years with Lady Gowrie Tasmania

It’s hard to believe I’m celebrating 25 years with Lady Gowrie!

My journey began at University Community Child Care (now Lady Gowrie University South), where I started doing lunch covers after early morning shifts at Woolworths. My Mum would drive me there, and so I had my first experience working with children every day from 9.30am until 2.30pm. Uni South still holds a special place in my heart.

A four week secondment to Bowen Road opened my eyes to the possibility of working across different Lady Gowrie services. Soon after, I was offered a position at Battery Point, where I was lucky to work alongside management and gain a deeper understanding of the behind the scenes work that keeps a service running smoothly.

When a leadership role became available at the new Fahan site, I jumped at the chance. Being part of the school environment was incredibly rewarding and felt like a true partnership. After the birth of my son, Lucas, I returned to Battery Point, eventually finding my place in the Secheron Room, a space that now feels like my professional home.

Over the years, I’ve witnessed so much growth, not only in the children, but within myself and in the field of early education. It’s been inspiring to see how far we’ve come in supporting children’s learning, wellbeing and inclusion.

I’ve been fortunate to work alongside so many dedicated and passionate educators who have supported and inspired me. I’m especially grateful to the mentors and leaders who helped shape the educator I’ve become.

What keeps me here, even after 25 years, is the joy of being a part of children’s lives, comforting them when they’re unsettled, sharing in their joy and supporting their learning and development. There is something incredibly special about that connection.

It’s amazing to now see children I once cared for returning with children of their own, though I must admit, that does make me feel a little old!

Lady Gowrie has truly been more than a workplace for me – it’s been my community, a second home and a huge part of my life. I’m so proud to have been a part of its story for the past 25 years.

Naomi Reynolds – Helen Stephen Memorial Scholarship Recipient

At our recent Annual General Meeting, Nic Stephen (Lady Gowrie Tasmania Board member and son of Helen Stephen) had the pleasure of announcing Naomi Reynolds as the recipient of the 2025 Helen Stephen Memorial Scholarship.

Nic shared a heartfelt reflection about Helen’s commitment to children and their learning, then shared Naomi’s announcement:

‘Naomi is a dedicated and experienced early childhood educator with over 16 years in the education and care sector. Since joining Lady Gowrie Tasmania in 2009, she has progressed from a casual employee to a permanent team member and now serves as Room Leader at the University South service. Naomi holds a Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care and is currently completing her a degree in Early Childhood Education.

Naomi’s passion for working with children led her to pursue formal qualifications, starting with a Certificate III and progressing to her Diploma. Naomi is known for her leadership, mentoring of colleagues and students, and her commitment to fostering positive outcomes for children. She actively supports her team through role modelling, guidance on child behaviour and promoting safe practices aligned with national standards.’

Helen Stephen was the Kindergarten Teacher at our Battery Point Education and Care Service for 25 years and during this time she played an important role in the lives of many children and their families. She also influenced the pedagogy and practice of many early childhood professionals with whom she came into contact.

To honour this legacy, we provide an annual scholarship in Helen’s memory to an educator who has committed to undertake study towards an early childhood degree qualification. We thank the Stephen family for their attendance at the AGM each year in support of the scholarship, further testament to the rich history between Lady Gowrie Tasmania and the Stephen family.

Congratulations Naomi and we look forward to following your professional learning journey at Lady Gowrie Tasmania over the coming years.

Past Scholarship Recipients

Hui Yuan, 2024 scholarship recipient

Kate Beckett, 2023 recipient

Rebecca Weicks, 2022 recipient

Paula Innes-Brown, 2021 recipient

Sophie Barwick and Stacy Dare, 2020 recipients

Jodie Hayes, 2019 recipient

From Cindy

Mental Health Week

Lady Gowrie Tasmania participated in National Mental Health Week from the 4-12 October with many of our services and sites embracing the theme: ‘Appreciate the little things – one little act of kindness matters to mental health and wellbeing’.

It was fabulous to see our community (children, families and employees) being intentional, noticing, capturing, appreciating and celebrating the acts of kindness that occur every day. We noticed the difference these acts of kindness made to our mood, provided a boost and helped to strengthen our mental health and wellbeing.

Mental health and wellbeing information, resources and daily messages were widely shared and importantly, the week provided the opportunity to remember that like our physical health, we all have mental health too and it’s so important that we actively take measures to bolster and care for our mental health the same as we do our physical health.

Further information about mental health can be found at: Beyond Blue www.beyondblue.org.au

The Festive Season & Wellbeing

For some, the upcoming festive season is a joyous time for celebration and connecting with family and friends but for others, it can also be a challenging time.

Lifeline have also created a practical support guide with great tips on how to look after yourself during the festival season. To learn more please visit:

https://www.accesseap.com.au/accesseap-resources/learning-materials/personal-wellbeing-resources/self-care/

Throughout the festive season, Access EAP is still available 24/7 to support you and your family. You may find these self-care resources useful as well:

https://www.lifeline.org.au/get-help/support-toolkit/techniques-and-guides/mental-wellness-during-the-holiday-season

Should you or someone you know wish to seek mental health support, a great place to start is by talking with your GP.

Farewell

I will be retiring at the end of this year, so if you need wellbeing support moving forward, please don’t hesitate to:

Contact AccessEAP by phoning 1800 818 728
Contact AccessEAP online by following login details below:

Website: www.accesseap.com.au/employees/
Username: Lady Gowrie Tas
Password: accesseap

Speak to your Manager
Contact the People and Culture team on 6230 8808 or email peopleandculture@gowrie-tas.com.au

I would like to take a moment to say a fond farewell and a heartfelt thank you. I am proud to have been a part of the Lady Gowrie Tasmania community and to finish my working life where it first began many years ago.

I will be forever grateful to have been part of such an amazing organisation that supports Tasmanian children and families and I will treasure every memory of my time here.

Take care,

Cindy Woolley
MANAGER – EMPLOYEE WELLBEING

From Miffy

Dear Colleagues,

I feel very proud of the achievements of our teams and the celebration of our work with children and families highlighted in this Gowrie Gazette.

2025 Early Childhood Australia Conference: Universal Not Uniform

Lady Gowrie Tasmania was well represented at the recent Early Childhood Australia 2025 National Conference with a small group of our staff travelling to Perth to attend.

The conference was an opportunity for our sector to come together and shape the future of education and care and the legacy we leave for the next generation of children.

Keynote speaker, Stacy Benge, emphasised the value of integrating practical, real-world perspectives into early childhood education. She shared her conviction that children thrive when engaged in simple, genuine experiences. A strong proponent of child-led play, Stacy highlighted the critical role of play-based literacy in fostering children’s development.

A presentation from Cathrine Neilsen-Hewett introduced the attendees to the ‘6Rs Framework’ and supporting educators in responding to, and de-escalating behaviours that challenge. The 6Rs speak to the significant role of regulations, relationships, routines, respect, responses and reflection.

The staff who attended the conference have been sharing their valuable professional learning insights with their teams via staff meetings, staff notes and in-person mentoring sessions and this will continue into 2026.

Please reach out to your Regional Manager if you would like to know more about the conference and the presentations highlighted above.

Assessment & Rating Update

A huge congratulations to the following services for completing their Assessment and Rating process and achieving the following National Quality Standards ratings:

A huge congratulations to the following services for completing their Assessment and Rating process and achieving the following National Quality Standards ratings:

John Paul II OSHC – Exceeding

Midway Point LDC – Meeting (with three quality areas rated Exceeding)

We are incredibly proud of these teams for their dedication to providing high quality, inclusive and safe education and care.

A heartfelt thank you to our Education and Care Leadership Team, Service Managers, Educational Leaders and Educators for their ongoing commitment to creating nurturing and engaging play and learning environments where children can thrive.

Reward & Recognition Recipients

Educators across our education and care services have recently been nominated by their peers as Reward and Recognition recipients. From July to September 2025, we received several worthy nominations and the recipients were:

Excellence in Our Work
Leadership for Children
Wonder, Investigation, Connection and Possibilities

From July to September 2025, we received several worthy nominations and after review, the recipients are:

Sean Pu (Glenorchy OSHC) – Excellence in Our Work

Mia Long (Richmond LDC) – Excellence in Our Work

Zoe Upton (Norwood OSHC) – Excellence in Our Work

Dom Pennell (Norwood LDC) – Wonder, Investigation, Connection and Possibilities

Congratulations to all our award recipients and we hope you enjoyed receiving your professional resource hamper!

To find out more and to nominate a colleague for an award, speak with your Service Manager or follow the link below:

Reward & Recognition Nomination Form

Thank you to everyone for your ongoing commitment and passion this year and I looking forward to seeing the continued growth and passion in 2026.

Wishing everyone a safe and restful Christmas break.

Many thanks,
Miffy Wedd
GENERAL MANAGER – EDUCATION AND CARE

From Suzie

Dear Team,

There has been so much to acknowledge and celebrate across our services and programs recently.

We welcomed staff from St Therese’s OSHC program, celebrated Battery Point’s Art from Trash Exhibition, Book Week, Educators’ Day, Tasmanian Training Awards Finalist Award, Mental Health Week, Holi and Campbell Street’s Children’s Creative Arts Exhibition.

I would also like to acknowledge the incredible work undertaken in our services every day to provide quality, safe and inclusive education and care. Thank you to our educators for their professionalism and commitment, and all those in our team who support them in their work with children and families.

Celebrating our Work

Our recent 2025 Annual General Meeting (AGM) was a time to acknowledge and celebrate the remarkable work undertaken in our services and programs by our passionate and dedicated teams. To view our online 2024-25 Annual Report please visit: https://annualreport.gowrie-tas.com.au/2024-25/

A highlight of the meeting every year is the announcement of the Helen Stephen Memorial Scholarship recipient. Congratulations to this year’s recipient, Naomi Reynolds, and we look forward to following Naomi’s professional learning journey over the coming years.

Valuing our People

The AGM was also a time to acknowledge and thank our people who have achieved the significant milestone years of dedicated service to children, families, learners and our organisation. To view the full list of significant milestones of our people in 2024-25 please visit: https://annualreport.gowrie-tas.com.au/2024-25/our-people/

As part of our ongoing commitment to recognising and rewarding the contribution of our valued workforce, we were pleased to pass on the second Worker Retention Grant wage increase to eligible employees on 1 December, 2025.

Voting for our new Lady Gowrie Tasmania (LGT) Enterprise Agreement 2025 (EA) also closed with 84% voting YES. This means that we have a substantial majority, and the EA will now be submitted to Fair Work Commission for approval. This may take up to 6 weeks and then our new EA takes effect.

However, LGT has committed to apply the first instalment of pay increases earlier and these will be reflected in pays on 14^th January, 2026. Over the coming months, we will work through implementation of the changes including any policy, process and system changes and will provide more information as it affects you.

Child Safety Updates

Children’s safety continues to be a strong focus of the work that we do every day. Thank you to everyone for your continued cooperation since we strengthened the safety of all children in our care in line with the new ACECQA child safety guidelines that came into effect in September, particularly with staff mobile phone/device usage in licensed areas.

From 27 February 2026, everyone will be required to complete mandatory national child safety training. This training is free and will be available on Geccko, the Australian Government Department of Education’s online learning platform for the ECEC sector. More information on training content and requirements will be made available early next year.

For more information on Geccko and how to register please visit:

https://www.education.gov.au/early-childhood/about/quality-and-safety/mandatory-national-child-safety-training

I hope you enjoy reading through this Gowrie Gazette with stories about play and learning in our services, our recent celebrations and events, the Tassie Mums ‘Season of Giving’ campaign, staff profiles, graduations, anniversaries and staff news – to name just a few!

On behalf of the Board and Senior Leadership Team at LGT, we take this opportunity to thank you for an amazing 2025 and wish you and your loved ones a safe and happy festive season.

We look forward to working with everyone next year as we strengthen our focus on providing quality, safe and inclusive services and programs and developing our workforce.

Until next time,
Suzie Jones
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER