Dear Christine,
My name is Mark McNamara, newly appointed CEO of Anglicare North Coast.
I am a resident of the Northern Rivers region, residing at Tweed Heads with my wife and two children. We are actively involved in the community including our children's schooling, and various associated parish and sporting activities.
I am excited to be able to support and contribute to our fantastic community through this role. Anglicare North Coast provide essential support services for those in need, that are increasing in demand. Our services are in community housing, financial counselling, emergency and flood assistance to name a few. I look forward to growing the reach, breadth and effectiveness of these and other services.
My professional background is broad and covers senior leadership roles in private and public sectors, and NFP. Recent roles include CEO of SA Pathology, COO of Victorian TAFE, and Executive Director of Private, Public Partnerships in Victorian Government.
In my new role I recently attended the Chinderah Community Hub for an emotional event to acknowledge the 12 month anniversary of the 2022 Flood disaster which provided me with an opportunity to meet many impacted members of the community. The event was attended by some 120 community members and representatives, many of whom had temporarily or permanently lost their homes and had been supported and helped by staff and volunteers of the hub.
Anglicare North Coast collaborated with local community members to set up and fund community hubs at Chinderah, Murwillumbah and Wardell. We are thankful to donors and government who made funds available for us to be able to act so swiftly.
It really was a unique position that Anglicare North Coast were placed in. To be imbedded in the community, to respond quickly, in a coordinated way, to assist in standing up the structures, and resources necessary to provide meaningful assistance to many in distress and despair.
I found it amazing the way the community had come together and helped and supported one another, and the genuine feeling of gratitude for the aid that the hub had provided to them over the most difficult of times. It is also clear that the resultant problems faced by many community members are far from over.
I wanted to acknowledge and make special mention of Kay Redman and Sandy Gilbert, for their tireless work over the past 12 months; they have helped so many people in need it is difficult to state the difference that their efforts have made. I simply say thank you ladies.
Also in attendance at the event was the Mayor of Tweed Shire, Chris Cherry, and Federal Member for Richmond, and Assistant Minister for Social Services, Justine Elliot. Thank you for your ongoing support.
The needs of the flood impacted communities remain great - as mentioned in previous newsletters, this recovery will be a marathon not a sprint and I ask that you consider continuing to support us to ensure we can provide much needed services and resources to these areas.
If you would like to donate now or set up a recurring donation please go to the donation page on our website.
