President's Report

by Kym Kovan

(The Gender Centre advise that this article may not be current and as such certain content, including but not limited to persons, contact details and dates may not apply. Where legal authority or medical related matters are cited, responsibility lies with the reader to obtain the most current relevant legal authority and/or medical publication.)

As many of you will be aware, this has been a most challenging year for the Gender Centre. The fact that the Centre is still in operation and still providing quality services to our community is a tribute to those on the Management Committee, at the Centre, and in the funding bodies whose patience and goodwill have made it possible. Thank you all!

I would also like to thank Roberta Perkins, Sharon Stolzenberg, and Rochelle Evans for their work on the Management Committee earlier in the year and Jill Hooley and norrie mAy welby for helping out as relief workers at the Centre. A very special thank you is due to Paula Hartigan who has been invaluable as the Acting Project Manager. The retiring Management Committee members Kym Kovan and Gabrielle Mateljan have given most freely of their time and expense and I wish them well for the future.

An indication of the new stability at the Centre is the fact that we have appointed four permanent staff to the following roles:

• Outreach: Phinn Borg
• Education & Resource: Elizabeth Riley
• Social & Support: Sean Taylor
• Community Worker: Sharon Stolzenberg

These quality appointees will ensure that service excellence is maintained and strengthened in the coming year. As they are permanent staff they will be able to focus on developing their roles and the Management Committee will provide the necessary resources and management controls to make those roles as effective as possible. The Centre's computer facilities will be upgraded, including internet access and presence, and administration processes streamlined.

The Education and Resources position is particularly exciting. Elizabeth will provide an advocacy service to employers in both the private and public sectors. She will acquaint them with the practicalities of employing and dealing with members of our community. In order to do this she will utilise her wide contact network and a range of resources in order to deal with those in positions of influence in a professional manner. This is the first time that the employment issue has been approached in such an organised and well supported manner and the benefits to our community promise to be considerable. Elizabeth will cease her dual role as Administrative Worker and the Centre is currently considering applications received for that permanent position.

While we will be reaching out more to the wider community, we will also continue to form links with the queer community. This year we had a very well received float in the Mardi Gras, and thanks to the generosity of the bisexuals, a stall at Fair day. We will do both next year and will grasp opportunities to participate more in the queer community.

The residences continue to go from strength to strength with an 85% occupancy rate for last year. We will develop our most recent house at Petersham to improve those facilities even further. The provision of housing to community members in need is one of our most important services and we will ensure that it is strongly supported.

Regarding the medium term, we have the results of the needs assessment from this year and next year we will have the findings of the C.H.A.S.P. review. The Management Committee and the Centre staff will work together to construct a Centre Development plan for the next five years. This will provide a longer term blueprint than the usual one year strategic plan and will enable our resources to be allocated on a more rational basis.

Finally, I think that I must mention the ongoing activities of those in our community to think that the Centre is not on the right track and who have published and distributed a variety of leaflets during the last year. The Management Committee has discussed with one of the people involved the possibility of them working with the Committee to address the issues that they have raised. The person refused to cooperate in any way. I find this to be a sad state of mind but the community will continue to read the material with interest and will adopt any suggestions that seem to be both practical and in the best interests of the membership. In the absence of cooperation, we will naturally claim all such ideas as our own!

Polare is published in Australia by The Gender Centre Inc. which is funded by the Department of Community Services under the S.A.A.P. Program and supported by the N.S.W. Health Department through the AIDS and Infectious Diseases Branch. Polare provides a forum for discussion and debate on gender issues. Advertisers are advised that all advertising is their responsibility under the Trade Practices Act. Unsolicited contributions are welcome, though no guarantee is made by the Editor that they will be published, nor any discussion entered into. The editor reserves the right to edit such contributions without notification. Any submission which appears in Polare may be published on our internet site. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor, The Gender Centre Inc.I, the Department of Community Services or the N.S.W. Department of Health.