Photo Caption: (l-r) Consumer Participation Committee members Emily Morden, Simone Renyard, Bobbie French, Heather Bullen (chair), Scott Munro, Bronwyn Rantall and Ellen Podbury.

Timboon and District Healthcare Service (TDHS) is committed to embedding genuine consumer and community participation opportunities in our service planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of all our healthcare and wellbeing services.

For that purpose, our Consumer Participation Committee (previously called Community Advisory Committee) was established in October 2016 to advocate on behalf of the local community, consumers and carers and advise TDHS in relation to community participation and its impact on service delivery outcomes.

This committee meets bi-monthly and is guided by an Annual Work Plan, which includes review of the Quality of Care calendar, Volunteer Engagement, as well as their feedback on updated brochures and service requirements/needs within our community. During the pandemic, the members have adapted to meeting online instead of in person.

Community feedback is a pivotal part of our mission statement “Working together for a healthy community” and we thought we would reintroduce the members, putting a face to the name, so you can pass your feedback onto them if you don’t have the opportunity to approach the healthcare service directly.

Heather Bullen (Chair)

Heather is married and has three adult boys. All of her children as well as herself were born at TDHS.

She has worked at the Timboon Pharmacy for the past 11 years and has gained an appreciation of the needs and concerns of community members through her daily interactions.

Having always been actively involved in the community on different committees she believes it is a privilege to be chair of the CPC and also a consumer representative on the Clinical Governance, Quality and Credentialing Committee at TDHS.

“I enjoy being a voice for the community and networking with others and I view volunteering as an inspiring way to make a difference.”

Scott Munro

Scott moved to the South-West area 10 years ago from Melbourne and is married with two young children. He works at one of the local oil & gas companies and is interested in learning all about the local health system and how he can contribute to Timboon & District Healthcare Service and its many facets.

“The more we give to our community, the more we will receive.”

Bronwyn Rantall

Recently retired secondary school PE teacher, Bronwyn Rantall, is thrilled to contribute to the wonderful place that TDHS is. Even though she is now busy running an Airbnb business in Port Campbell, she had no hesitation in joining the CPC as she enjoys contributing to the local community and shares the Committee’s desire to make TDHS meet the needs of the local community to the best of its ability.

“Volunteering makes me feel connected to my amazing community, helps me to build friendships and gives me a sense of satisfaction that I am being a good role model for my kids.”

Simone Renyard

Simone has lived in the Timboon area for 23 years and married into a local dairy farming family. She is actively involved in the dairy community including her role as Chair for Westvic Dairy, which aides farmers to access any extension or business support they need.

“I believe volunteering is at the heart of our community and the health service is a vital component of it. I’d like to be able to offer my knowledge and experiences to listen and assist with the consumers of the healthcare service through participation in the Committee.

We are so fortunate to have such a great facility in our local town and any small part I can play to help it continue and grow, is worthwhile.”

Bobbie French

Bobbie works at the Timboon Medical Clinic as an Osteopath, which gives her an opportunity to hear from a lot of people and get a sense of their health needs. She grew up near Lavers Hill and completed the final three years of her high school education at Timboon P12 School.

“I certainly think that with COVID-19 there are some unique challenges. I am proud to hear how TDHS staff have supported Colac throughout the pandemic and I’m also looking forward to stepping up in a challenging environment.”

Ellen Podbury

Ellen has lived in Timboon for the past 15 years with her husband and three young children. She is currently a teacher at Timboon P-12 School.

Ellen is the school representative on the committee and is passionate about health and wellbeing for not only the school community but also the wider community.

“As a user of Timboon and District Health Service, I want to contribute to its continued success.”

Emily Morden (Student Representative)

An aspiring young athlete and school captain of Timboon P-12 school, Emily is lucky enough to have lived with her family in Timboon for most of her life.

She is interested in the health industry and hopes to help TDHS continue to provide excellent customer service by acting as a voice for young people in the community.