PRESIDENT’S PIECE
Welcome to the silly season. What a wacky 2020 we have lived, thrived and survived through. As we draw to a close for 2020 with the last newsletter for the year, what a year it has been. Certainly not like any other we have experienced ever. For some it will be a very different Christmas especially for the different organisations we work for. Reflecting back to working in community aged care we used to have about 200 people attend our Christmas party. I am not sure how it would operate this year with social distancing. Would we just do something inhouse and have six separate smaller Christmas parties? If that would still be viable. It would certainly lose in terms of atmosphere.
How have you had to change your festive activities at work due to COVID? What did you used to do and how are you doing it differently? Let us know. Write it up and let’s put it in the next newsletter.
With the borders reopening (for now), many will be visiting with family and friends both near and far. If you are taking some time off and visiting family and friends, relax, enjoy and please be safe. The office will tentatively be closing from December 23rd 2020 to January 27th 2021.
Thank you to those who attended our first AGM via Zoom. During the AGM we did a poll asking the preference of delivery of the AGM with the most popular delivery face to face, then via zoom. Teleconference was the least popular. As we know a lot can happen in a year, and the preference is always having a face to face meeting, but perhaps we can incorporate this with technology giving more scope and a further reach of those being able to attend the AGM.
The survey is now live for members to vote on changing the membership levels. We have outlined the changes in the draft papers sent out in October. Based on the feedback from members four changes were made to the paper and the Final Membership Paper was sent out towards the end of November with a ballot paper for every individual member to have their say about the strategic direction the association is taking as the peak body for Diversional and Recreational Therapy.
Our ‘communities of practice’ will be starting early next year. There is more information about them later in the newsletter. If there is one or more of these groups that you would like to be part of, please email or please call the office (before it closes for Christmas) with you name and the community of practice you would like to be part of and we will be in contact with you in mid-January, via email to do a ‘Doodle poll’ and work out the best time for the members of that particular group to meet.
Both on behalf of the board and myself, we wish our members all the best for a happy festive season and safe new year full of promise and hope.
Until the new year,
Charlise Bennett
DRTA President