Julie’s Jots

Last Thursday’s Business Networking Breakfast delivered interesting insights into the challenges faced by those working from home, remote from their work office (see below), as well as the benefits. It also attracted what was possibly a record attendance.
Last Thursday I attended the monthly meeting in Moruya of the Carer’s Accommodation committee for the new Eurobodalla Regional Hospital. The Hospital’s construction is on track and the committee is looking at new ways of raising money to fund construction of the Carers’ Accommodation.
Don’t forget we have the Market this week. Our new market banner is now on show at the roundabout. Thank you Rachel for the design and Laurence for the donation. Looks good!
THIS WEEK
This Thursday 24 April
Our Dinner Speaker this week is local naturopath Sally-Anne Bertram who will ‘Demystify Naturopathy’. Hopefully we will get a few extra people along to hear her.
Sally Anne has practised as a naturopath at Grandpa’s Garden since 2021. She is a general practitioner treating men, women and children with asthma, allergies, women’s health issues, men’s prostate, autoimmune etc. She uses herbal medicine, nutrition, diet and homeopathy. Sally-Anne has been a lecturer in herbal medicine, nutrition and clinical studies and was Head of Natural Therapies at the then well respected Nature Care College, and a clinical supervisor for over 10 years.
This Sunday 27 April
Narooma Rotary Markets – all hands on deck please. A few of our members are away so we will need all the help we can get.
The Week that Was
Last Thursday’s Business Networking breakfast, with a panel on Hybrid Working and Working Remotely, gave us all greater insight into what is becoming quite a normal way of working post Covid. While technology enabled it and Covid showed the way, it was the realisation that it’s possible to combine lifestyle without sacrificing careers that has seen this way of working flourish. Online Teams meetings are key. Cat Leach of Catfish Creative has summarised the meeting succinctly with a wonderful ‘live scribe’ done during the meeting.

Here are some highlights.
Françoise Cleret is Director of Cyber Security with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water in Canberra. She spends about a week a month in Canberra; the rest working from home. Her skills are particularly in project management. She manages a team of 24 people who she has organised in four teams. Her biggest challenge is getting the right teams together that are able to work from home because it’s not for everyone. Another challenge is managing personalities.
Meredith Macpherson is Water and Regional Development Manager with the Central NSW Joint Organisation (CNSWJO), an organisation of 11 Councils and 1 water county council. Reliable internet is possibly her biggest challenge. She’s one of a team of nine, six of whom work remotely; she has a staff of one. Her office is in Bathurst. They meet online for an hour twice a week. Regular face-to-face meetings have fallen by the wayside replaced with frequent Teams meetings; over time Teams meetings have become more productive and meaningful. She travels to her region every 4-6 weeks and tries to coordinate all face-to-face meetings for that time.
Oliver Batten works with Destination Store a small team of seven destination specialists all of whom work remotely. Remote working allows him to juggle family life with work and noted the need for transparency. They do have an office in Surry Hills and they physically get together every quarter. Oliver works all over Australia in destination strategy, branding and managing online content. He uses the Fish Tank co-working space in Narooma.
Graham Martin‑Dye is a Grain Broker with Delta Grain Marketing, working miles from any grain producing area. Regular communication with his grain producers and buyers is key. Reckons it was his 10 years working in the Harden area and his strong work ethic recognised by Delta that convinced the company he could work remotely and maintain the trust of his producers and buyers. Graham also uses the Fish Tank one or two days a week.
David McInnes is a self-employed Consultant Geophysicist operating across Australia and overseas. Many of his clients are physically very remote in mines etc. His challenges are having the computer and internet capacity to handle up to 60GB of data. One of his biggest challenges is the lack of other geophysicists in the local area.
Out and About
Narooma Oyster Festival Big Breakfast
This is on the Sunday of the Oyster Festival 4th May, being organised by the Chamber of Commerce. Rotary is one of a number of organisations charged with delivering the breakfasts to several hundreds of Festival goers. If you can help, please contact David McInnes or Ann Hegerty if you haven’t already done so.
The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride
Plans are coming together, the number of registered riders are slowly growing as are donations. So here’s hoping for a great weekend 17-18 May. It will be a busy month with the Market the following Sunday.
NEXT THURSDAY 1 May
Board Meeting 5pm TBC – Julie is reviewing – may not have a quorum for this date.