second week of March 2026

Well I havent finished a thing - either craftwise or reading! I did however attend a 3 day community health conference that was excellent and Ill copy the CEO's summary here Last week several members of the team attended the ARRCH Conference, and I want to take a moment to celebrate the incredible contribution we made and the pride we all felt representing the amazing work happening across our organisation. Our team were outstanding ambassadors for NDCH, sharing their expertise and passion with colleagues from across the sector: Emily Wood and Tanya Maher-Toose – Listening Deeply to Community Alex Carter – Helping People Manage Chronic Disease Confidently Ingrid Cultivo – From Turning Point to Future Ready Each presentation highlighted the thoughtful, innovative and community-focused work that happens every day at NDCH. With Yvonne, Arthur, Nilda, Nicci, Di Bowles and I cheering them on, it was impossible not to feel immense pride — both in the quality of their presentations and in the recognition our work received from peers across the sector. While there were many valuable insights from the conference, two key takeaways stood out for me. The first was the importance of connection with community. We heard an inspiring keynote from April Kyle, President and CEO of Southcentral Foundation, a customer-owned health care system serving more than 70,000 Alaska Native and American Indian people. She shared the story of the Nuka System of Care, an entirely community-driven model that has achieved significant improvements in health outcomes and experience when client and employee satisfaction measures are prioritised. If you’re interested in learning more, you can explore it here: https://scfnuka.com/ The second takeaway was the necessity of continuous adaptation. Our use of technology, feedback from clients and community, and the changing policy environment all point to the same thing — we must keep asking questions, listening, learning and adapting. Many of you will be familiar with the PDSA cycle (Plan, Do, Study, Act), and the conference was a great reminder of how this approach underpins our work at the individual, team and organisational level. These two ideas — listening to community and continuously learning — speak directly to the Community Pop Up we are delivering in the main street of Kerang this Friday between 10am and 1pm. Led by our Community Governance Committee, this will be the first of a series of pop-ups across our catchment where we’ll ask some simple but powerful questions, such as: What services do you think are needed in the community? and What services do you need? A big thank you to Trishelle and Emily, who are leading this initiative. You can help by letting your Kerang clients, family and friends know about the pop-up and encouraging them to drop in. Keep an eye on our socials for more details. Speaking of great things happening across NDCH, don’t forget the Cohuna and Boort Drag Bingo events this Friday and Saturday night. These are fantastic, inclusive opportunities to come together, have some fun and celebrate our communities. A big thank you to the Rachel, Sourav and Tanya for bringing these events to life. And finally, if you have a spare five minutes and a cuppa in hand, I encourage you to watch the opening of the 2026 ARRCH Conference. It beautifully showcases the vast regions and communities served by independent rural and regional community health organisations and highlights the incredible partnerships that support our work. ARRCH Opening Thank you all for the work you do every day. The conference was a powerful reminder that what we do matters — to our communities, to the sector and to each other.