Visiting members in Perth

On 17 December 2018, I was in Perth and met with the staff who support the Trustees of MercyCare and St John of God Australia Ltd.

This was a good opportunity for me to thank them for their cooperation with information and action over the past year. We were also able to explain our work routines and clarify our preferred means of communication.

At St John of God Australia, I met with Eva Skira: Chair of Trustees; Margaret Currie: Executive Officer (middle) and Peta Gardiner: Executive Assistant (left).

Margaret is employed full-time and Peta two days a week. Margaret and Peta said that their roles involve supporting the Members and Trustees and liaising within the Ministry and also externally.  Their Members meet formally twice a year and Trustees about ten times. The Trustees also have a standing formation subcommittee and create ad hoc committees on other topics as needed.

They all agreed that the roles and relationships between St John of God Members, Trustees and Board are clear, productive and harmonious. It was obvious to me that they are very proud of their PJP and enjoy their work.

At MercyCare Ltd I met with James Lawton: Executive Director, Governance and Strategy (right) and Anthony Smith: CEO (Left). This is Anthony’s third week as CEO having recently joined MercyCare Ltd from St John Ambulance WA, where he has been for the past 11 years, six as Deputy CEO. You can read about Anthony’s initial impressions of MercyCare Ltd in their most recent newsletter.

I explained the history of AMPJP to Anthony and our work over the past year. We discussed the diversity of Australian PJPs – legal structure, size and priorities.

They explained the MercyCare Ltd Strategic Imperatives 2017-2020 which outlines their priorities for growth.

James also introduced me to Sheryl Carmody, MercyCare Ltd’s Executive Director, Mission and Culture. Sheryl works with their Trustess on mission and formation.