QLD Division President's Report - September 2024
26 Aug 2024Here comes Spring, and the countdown to the end of 2024.
The division recently held our face-to-face meeting prior to the FNQ, NQ and Central QLD Branches Conference at Lake Tinaroo. I would like to personally thank each of the committee members for the time and effort they put back into the division - without them we would not be able to represent and support our members.
I would also like to thank our CEO Melissa King and board member Gemma Chuck also for making the time to join the QLD Division meeting and attending the morning of the conference.
It is great to be able to have both Melissa and Gemma join for our meeting and also get to see what the Branch conferences are about.
I believe that our Branch events and members are a huge part of the benefits of being an AVA member, and as a division we are actively working to ensure we can support our branches to continue to develop and hold events. Our recent meeting had a focus on how the division can best support and help facilitate branch events - we would welcome any feedback from members about this.
Following this meeting, Dr Robyn Whitaker (Senior Advocacy Officer) and myself met with Biosecurity Queensland and the University of Queensland to continue to strengthen our relationships with both these organisations. We have further meetings organised with the Queensland Veterinary Surgeons board later in the month, at which we will present the ‘Access to Veterinary Services’ project for further discussion with the board.
Dr Robyn Whitaker, Dr Ben Brightman, Dr Graham Lauridsen and myself had an online meeting with Dominique Lamb, the Small Business Commissioner. Topics of discussion included wildlife care and disposal of deceased wildlife and strays, the continuous impact unpaid work has within the veterinary sector (and the lack of clear legislation and direction in this area), resources that are available via QSBC website and further pathways to explore to help provide support and assistance to our profession.
I would like to thank the Small Business Commissioner for meeting with us, and look forward to continuing this relationship within the Queensland Division.
The Division has held a number of events in the last few months, and we would like to thank all our sponsors, speakers, branch members and attendees for supporting these events. The division is very proud that we are able to offer events for our members and also want to recognise the hard work put in by our volunteer branch members to run them.
It is only for the benefit of our members that our branch key contacts volunteer their time and effort to organise these events. I would like to personally thank Drs Brendan Brieffies and Graham Lauridsen for the FNQ, NQLD and Central QLD Branch Conference, Drs Brandon Fraser and Alistair Webb for the Roma Roundup event and Dr Geoff Niethe for the SEQ/Plasvacc event. I would also like to thank all who gave their time to help make these events possible.
A reminder of events coming up within Queensland include the Vetfordia event on 6 October. An event specifically designed for veterinarians, vet nurses and allied health professionals. The goal is to provide an engaging and enjoyable experience that combines relaxation, education, and community building. Please see https://vetfordia.com.au/ for more information.
As always I am happy to speak with members on QLD AVA matters, or if you have any feedback or suggestions for us going forward.
Your colleague,
Dr. Regan Lynch
0411 594 532