November 18, 2015
The closure of CTC’s Employment Services division and the end of June may have been a blow to the South Burnett’s largest community services organisation, but in the end everything turned out well.
The Federal Government had begun to flag that it was going to be changing the way it operated employment services almost a year beforehand.
This advance notice meant CTC had adequate time to find new local jobs for almost all its 30 former employment services staff, transition its former clients and employers over to the new service providers, then seek new gaps in the market CTC could fill.
The end result?
As guests heard at CTC’s Annual General Meeting at the South Burnett Enterprise Centre in Kingaroy on Wednesday night, the not-for-profit group still employs 160 staff across the region.
It still pays out almost $8 million a year in wages and salaries, making it one of the largest employers in the South Burnett.
And it now has almost $7 million in assets on its books, making it one of the most financially solid and stable organisations of its type in Queensland.
CTC Chairman Howard Leisemann, who announced at the AGM he will be stepping down after 24 years in the role, said CTC’s Board is continuing to maintain its focus on community needs within the region.
“We are fortunate to have a management team and staff who are willing to take on new challenges,” he said.
“While this is the case, CTC will always have a very important and worthwhile role to play in our community.”
Mr Leisemann said CTC’s core philosophy was to support the most disadvantaged in the community, either directly or indirectly.
He said he and other Board members were very grateful for the efforts of CEO Nina Temperton and her management team, along with all CTC’s employees and volunteers.
He also thanked the South Burnett Regional Council, the Tarong Community Development Fund and Heritage Nanango Community Funding Ltd for the support they gave CTC, along with the State and Federal Governments, and other willing supporters.
After Mr Leiseman’s address, CEO Nina Temperton said the staff had a special surprise for him – a gift to mark his “absolutely amazing” 24 years of service as the Board’s Chairman.
To everyone’s amusement, she then wheeled an electric lawn-mower into the meeting and explained that it resembled one that CTC have ordered for Mr Leisemann.
“But since we’re still waiting for it to arrive, Brett from Ollies Mowers was kind enough to loan us this one tonight so we could give you an idea of what your present is going to look like when it arrives,” Nina said.
Mr Leiseman said he was touched by the thoughtfulness of the gesture.
And since he intended to remain on CTC’s board after a new Chairman is appointed, promised to tell them how well the mower performed once he’d put it to work.
