Feros Care has proven once again how amazing their employees are. They continue to give back in their capacity as Local Area Coordinators and as part of their community.

As an organisation that values care and compassion, it’s not surprising that we attract team members who go above and beyond in their service to both their clients and their communities. We’ve stopped being surprised when we hear of the good work they’re doing in their own communities, and we’re proud to shine a light on them.

Feros Care hero helps during national emergency

In November 2018 a major storm event struck in South Australia. That’s when Feros Care Local Area Coordinator, Phillip (Phil) Tann donned his superhero cape — in the form of his State Emergency Service (SES) uniform.

Phil is Unit Manager of the Tea Tree Gully branch of the SES. During this event, Phil and his team attended 70 jobs in 40 hours! Phil functioned on three hours sleep the next day having finished his SES work at 3am and was up again at 6am to support his clients at Feros Care.

“Having served in the SES for nearly 20 years, it’s a big part of who I am. My manager is very supportive of the work I do, and staff volunteers are also supported by Feros Care company policy.

For Phil, just like the work he does as a Local Area Coordinator, the best part of serving in the SES is simply being there when people need him the most.

"You’re not there to be a hero. It’s about serving your community."

As Unit Manager and Sworn Officer of the SES, Phil does possess one special superhero power. If a State of Emergency is declared he has the authority to commandeer equipment in order to carry out his duties. He’s yet to use this power, but it’s great to know it’s there!

Like most superheroes, Phil is humble about his accomplishments — but we’re not shy in telling you that he has been honoured with both the South Australian Emergency Services Medal and the National Emergency Services Medal.

 

Feros Care heroes in Townsville

The superheroes don’t stop in South Australia, either. Phil’s North Queensland colleagues, Kelly Collings and Peter Gorman are also superheroes for the Townsville community.

Local Area Coordinator Kelly Collings is a member of the Rangewood branch of the Rural Fire Service (RFS). For Kelly, serving in the RFS is a family affair. Kelly’s father is a long-serving member, and a little over two years ago he inspired Kelly to get involved too.

Kelly serves in an important welfare role — making sure the firefighters deployed on the front line receive nourishing food and drinks so they can keep doing their jobs. Kelly is proud to provide proper meals, rather than just sandwiches and snacks to feed the troops.

During the Bluewater fire deployment in September 2018 Kelly, together with her team of two served over 1,000 nutritious meals over ten days. Logistically, this meant Kelly was at work during the day and then cooking and serving food at night.

Kelly relishes the opportunity to give back. “I like cooking for people, and I’m good at it. So this is something I can do to support my community”.

We’re proud that Kelly’s community service has been recognised — she will be awarded an Australia Day Achievement Pin for her continuous dedication to the Rangewood Rural Fire Brigade and the Northern Region Operational Support Catering Group.

For Kelly’s colleague, Local Area Coordinator Peter Gorman, it’s also about community. When Peter joined the SES in 1998 he was drawn to the community spirit it upheld.

During his time he has supported his community across many events, including the search for missing Police Officer Mick Isles and the heart wrenching search for people after the Toowoomba floods in 2011. These days Peter is the Local Disaster Warden for Burdekin, making him the key contact for Police, Fire and Ambulance during an emergency event. His commitment, dedication and service also saw him receive the National Emergency Services Award in 2010.

An organisation that cares

We’re very proud to have such community minded people among our ranks, and we see their dedication and determination carried out in the work they do at Feros Care as well. Every Feros Care team has a community superhero story — these are just some of them.

Feros Care is committed to people care and we’ve been proudly caring for people for almost 30 years. We’re a non-profit organisation, supporting people from 7 to 100+ to live healthier, better connected and more fulfilling lives through people-centred aged care and Local Area Coordination services. To get in contact with the Feros Care Local Area Coordination team you can call 1300 986 970, or check out all NDIS related information at www.feroscare.com.au/ndis.

It's not just our staff that inspire us, but the people we work with too.

Click here to read the incredible recovery story of Barney Miller.