Forging strong ties between the village and the wider community
Sue Dundas, Village Manager of the Year in 2018, has a dynamic team at Blue Care’s Carlyle Gardens in Townsville, QLD.
Creating strong ties for her residents with the wider community on the state’s north-eastern coast is vital.
The Senior Village Manager, who has been with UnitingCare for five-and-half years, literally has the Townsville Mayor and Townsville Bulletin editor’s direct numbers.
She has also been instrumental in connecting residents to local charities like Kate’s Campaign for Change and Hear and Say, and residents to Annandale State School and Townsville City Council on the 3B’s campaign (Birds, Bees, Butterflies) to plant trees encouraging the growth of those animals.
See also works closely with the residents to organise the monthly Arts & Craft Market, which is open to the public and has a strong following in Townsville.
“We have a lot of residents here, and many diverse and eclectic personalities, and every single person makes a difference here in some way, whether they’re 90 or 60. There’s a difference made by every team member and every resident,” said Sue.
“When you have a dynamic team, the job really isn’t a job. And when you have a client-base, my whole life I have worked in client-focused industries, and when your client-base care about you as much as you care about them, that’s an added bonus. As I say to the residents, ‘I don’t live here, but I call you MY residents’.”
One the highlights, for Sue, is the experience of when people first become residents, particularly those who are unsure.
“Then seeing them six months after they’ve been here saying it is the best decision they’ve made in their life.”
What makes a successful retirement village manager?
“If you’ve got people skills, you are already 80% there. You can learn the financial and operational side of things, but if you understand people, the job is wonderful,” she said.
“Naturally in this environment, people go. This is the last port of call in life for many people who come here. When you’ve got people skills, you’ve got a heart. So, when we lose a resident, it can make it very challenging.”
