Adrian Addicott from Myhorizon’s very own Social Enterprises team is the biggest Brisbane Bullets fan by a mile, and regularly volunteers his time at their games and training sessions.
We are always inspired by Adrian’s passion for volunteering and his support for the community. Watch this video and be inspired too.
After thirty-five years with local disability services provider, Myhorizon, Paul Ballard is officially retiring, and is excited about taking time out to enjoy the things he loves.
Paul joined Myhorizon as a service user back in 1984 when it went by the name of H.A.R.D and provided an activity therapy centre in Capalaba for local residents with disability.
“I remember back in the mid 1980’s when Myhorizon grew to include more service areas like Independent Living and Social Enterprises, which opened up supported employment opportunities for me.” Says Paul.
Paul talks fondly about his accomplishments within Myhorizon’s previous ‘Wire and Wood’ enterprise, where he contributed to product design, and was also the Social club’s Treasurer for a period of time.
Paul’s career at the organisation has more recently also included working for The Bush Pantry Café, The Event Centre at Myhorizon, as well as Myhorizon’s packaging and collating service.
“I’ve learnt lots of new skills over the years at Myhorizon, but I’ve also made many great friends who I’ll miss dearly. The people I’ve worked with are like a family, but I won’t be out of touch because I’ll still see them at Rec Club and Sunday bowling and some of my friends on the weekend. I’ve even agreed to help organise the Secret Santa like I have past couple of years.” Says Paul.
Paul says he has enjoyed his work life, but he is also very excited about now catching up on his TV and video games, and going for more walks and exercising at the gym.
Current Production Supervisor at Myhorizon, Troy Morton who has worked with Paul since early 2018 and supervised his daily work, describes Paul as a capable and helpful member of the team.
“Paul would often help others when he could, and he also had some great nicknames for members of the team such as ‘Happy Helen’, ‘Cheryl from the Navy’, and ‘Super Kev’. We will all miss his unique energy, but wish him all the best in his retirement.” Says Troy.
Local disability services provider, Myhorizon, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Wayne Clarke as the new Chair of its Board of Directors.
Dr Clarke joined the Board in March 2012 and has held the position of Vice President over the last 2 years, and recently succeeded Louise Dudley as President and Chairman.
Victoria Knight, HBE employee at Myhorizon, and Dr Wayne Clarke, newly appointed President and Chair of the Board.
Spending much of his early career as a Speech therapist, Dr Clarke has worked with people with disability for many years and completing a PhD in the speech of cerebral palsy children has given him a strong understanding of working with people with disability. Dr Clarke has also worked for a number of non-profit organisations in executive roles, more recently for the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in Sydney, and Mental Illness Fellowship of Qld through which he has gained a strong sense of the importance of community values.
“My view of disability and the role of organisations like Myhorizon is to try and prevent the disabling aspects of disability so that people can grow and lead a positive life and look for education, employment and other services.
“The wider community may not be aware just how many people there are with disability. We need to try to bring them out to be active members of our community and promote a general acceptance by everybody. They all need support in one way or another and as a community I believe we all have a responsibility to support them.” Said Dr Clarke.
It’s a timely message leading up to International Day of People with Disability, celebrated on 3 December. This is a United Nations sanctioned day that promotes inclusivity and celebrates the achievements and contributions of people with disability. It is an opportunity for our community to make positive changes to the lives of 4.3 million Australians living with disability.
A strong example of this year’s theme of empowering people with disability, is the collaboration and job ownership displayed by the HBE team at Myhorizon. Victoria Knight (pictured with Dr Wayne Clarke) is one of many employees who says she enjoys working at Myhorizon because she likes to come and get her jobs done and be with her friends. Myhorizon’s HBE employees work on a variety of mailing and packaging contracts for well-known businesses in the local area such as Sirromet Winery, as well as other businesses requiring similar services.
In addition to the mailing and packaging services offered by Myhorizon at their newly built Centre on Runnymede Road, Capalaba (next to Indigiscapes), they also provide a range of high quality services, all designed to support the ongoing needs of people with disability.
“The investment that has been made in Myhorizon’s new facilities and services is not just about preparing for the launch of NDIS next year, but also about having a modern facility that can be used by everyone in the community.
“You have members of the community coming in here, you’ve got people with disabilities helping in the café, and providing services back into the community. The fact that there is a facility that can provide you a good cup of coffee and you know in doing that you are supporting the community effort, really is important.” Said Dr Clarke.
For more information on Myhorizon’s full range of services, click here.
