2018 Leaky Pipe Award Winners
The inaugural 2018 Leaky Pipe award recipients were announced at the Close the Gap for Vision national conference dinner at the Arts Centre Melbourne. The awards included a special performance by one of Australia's most experienced Aboriginal singer/songwriters, authors and film makers, and proud Gunditjmara man, Richard Frankland.
The Leaky Pipe Awards are an opportunity to recognise and celebrate achievements of individuals and groups in progressing activities to close the gap for vision.
The awards were presented by Angee Ross from IEH, with support from Derek Harris and Edward Jones from the Ngaanyatjarra Lands in WA.
Professor Hugh Taylor with recipients recipients: Colina Waddell, Faye Clarke, Anne-Marie Banfield & Associate Professor Angus Turner
Associate Professor Angus Turner, Lions Outback Vision
Leaky Pipe Award 2018 for Service Delivery
Angus is an ophthalmologist and Director of Lions Outback Vision, a service delivery and research unit of the Lions Eye Institute in Western Australia. He established this group Lions Outback Vision in 2010 to integrate retinal screening, optometry and ophthalmology, with the aim of eliminating blindness by improving access to eye health services and improving collaboration between medical professionals and service providers. Angus is passionate about improving the eye health of patients living in regional WA areas and remote Indigenous communities. He believes Aboriginal people should be treated on country, in a culturally appropriate and secure environment, without the burdens and fear of travelling for treatment. He backs up his beliefs with an on the ground delivery model from the beginning to end of the patient journey. If he is not in theatre, travelling on the vision van, running clinics, completing telehealth consultations or mentoring health professionals and students he is communicating and collaborating with those in community to improve process, service delivery and reach or advocating with NGOs or Government bodies to support service providers to deliver improved eye health care. His innovative approach and willingness to engage in an integrated and collaborative way works to close the gaps and stop the leaks in the patient journey.
Colina Waddell, Brien Holden Vision Institute
Leaky Pipe Award 2018 as an Unsung Hero
Colina has worked tirelessly in support of eye care services for Aboriginal communities in NSW for over a decade. Her work may go broadly unnoticed, but not by her colleagues. The award recipient Colina has a genuine and heartfelt commitment to her work, based on highly respectful relationships and ways of working with Aboriginal Health Services across her jurisdiction NSW. She always works with patients' outcomes in mind, and her combination of exceptional organisation skills, in-depth knowledge of the sector, and highly approachable and personable nature, means she Colina has a demonstrated capacity to achieve real and lasting outcomes for patients. She is an initiator and a collaborator, two traits that are essential in fostering or strengthening connections between services.
Faye Clarke, Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative
Leaky Pipe Award 2018 for Community Leadership
Faye works tirelessly day in day out within a regional Aboriginal Medical Service in Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative in Victoria. Working as a Nurse, qualified Diabetic Educator, but also as a strong Leader and spokesperson for her Community – she works at trying to plug those leaky pipes for better vision outcomes. The award recipient Faye often works above and beyond what is expected of her and her role within the Clinic to ensure best outcome for Community Members. She is involved in promotion of eye health within Community, with Colleagues and in conjunction with The University of Melbourne, she has been able to spread the word of the importance of regular eye checks as an Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander person with diabetes. Discussing eye health promotion with staff, encouraging all to be involved, ensuring Clients have best possible outcome with preventative eye health checks is part of her work. Faye’s short discussion clips in the ‘Check Today See Tomorrow’ resources are inspirational and an easy message to hear and relate to. Faye has collaborated with Australian College of Optometry to organise regular Optometry visits to the Ballarat Clinic and this ensured optimum outcomes, ease of access to an essential service, in a culturally appropriate environment where Community can feel safe.
The Great South Coast Eye Health Project, (represented by Anne-Marie Banfield Winda Mara Aboriginal Corporation)
Leaky Pipe Award 2018 for Regional Engagement
The regional Great South Coast Eye Health project (collaborative stakeholder group) was established in 2014 and continues to meet to overview regional Indigenous eye health activities in south west Victoria. The regional eye health program screened over 120 school students in 2017 and 56% of all diabetic clients received a comprehensive eye examination in 2017 which was an increase of over 20% from the previous year. The project developed a client pathway journey and identified gaps in service provision, client understanding of eye health, and established partnerships with hospital and other allied health services. The creation of the client journey pathway has been a huge success and helpful for clients and providers. All four ACCHOs in the Great South Coast region have enjoyed positive outcomes for their clients from the project.
