Last month’s Career Connections Showcase was the biggest and best yet with over 60 job seekers attending. There were over 1000 participants in activity at Homebase last month, and significantly more if we count drop-ins, info seekers and coffee drinkers, and a few particular popular activities are growing fast. Our Townsville ESO Leadership Collaborative meeting had every ESO singing off the same music sheet. We had a few visitors of note to see first-hand the innovative Homebase model from senior ranks within both DVA and the Queensland Government. The Oasis Townsville has been recognised as a Veteran Employment Supporter and is a finalist in the Employer of the Year category of the Townsville Chamber of Commerce Awards, with the winner to be announced this week. We have announced we will expand operations to include Queensland’s uniformed services personnel and their families, if supported to do so by the Queensland Government. August’s big events include our inaugural Education Expo, the naming of Hut 5 after a very local WWII veteran, and our signature cooking class for veterans young and old. We are also excited about how quickly our Homebase Podcast has taken off. Longer range will be our first adventure into 4WD – start your engines! Finally, we are very pleased to announce that we almost have enough pavers named in honour of our community's loved veterans to construct our Path of Remembrance and expect to commence construction in late September.
The Career Connections Showcase at Homebase was a full house, thanks to the support of our Veterans Business Alliance members and Regional Development Australia Townsville and North West Queensland. This event provided a powerful platform for veterans and their families, connecting them to genuine career opportunities. The impact was immediate, with at least six employment offers made to attendees within the first week. This project, funded by the Queensland Government through its Growing Workforce Participation initiative, is a testament to the transformative power of our collective efforts.
All of the leaders of Townsville’s ESO Community gathered at Homebase for the regular meeting to confirm we were tackling the most important and urgent issues in the right order. The input from our guests was very helpful. Guests included Mr Andrew Kefford, Deputy Secretary of the DVA, Kahlil Fegan, DSC, AM, Repatriation Commissioner, and Gwen Cherne, Veteran Family Advocate Commissioner. We confirmed the detail and priority on our listing of Townsville’s Veteran Community Issues as shown on the website.
We are proud to announce that our dedication to veteran employment has been recognised. We have been acknowledged as a Veteran Employment Supporter in DVA's Veteran Employment Commitment program. This recognition is a testament to our unwavering dedication to supporting veterans in their careers, as evidenced by the success of our Career Connections Showcases. We are also excited to be selected as finalists in the Chamber of Commerce Raising Regions Awards for Employer of the Year. This recognition, along with our ongoing success, demonstrates our commitment to supporting veterans and their partners in their careers.
We have proposed to the Queensland Government and all the parties running in the upcoming Queensland Election to expand our operations to incorporate the uniformed services of Queensland (first responders and corrective services). We are firmly established in the veteran community landscape, and we understand the increase in capacity that would be needed. 40% of these Queensland services comprise veterans and partners already, and there are even more who we have been working with who are incarcerated. This is strongly supported by our veteran community members. We are hopeful that the benefit will be recognised by those who form the next Government and support us in helping our Queensland uniformed services members.
There are over 100 events and activities already booked for August. The big three are our inaugural Education Expo, the naming ceremony for Hut 5, and our signature and very popular cooking class. We have based our Education Expo on the success of the Career Connections Showcases and have all the important education and skilling institutions signed up, especially those who we have been working closely with over the last few years and that have a strong focus on veterans and partners, such as Australian Catholic University. There will be a broad range of opportunities and information provided on upskilling for veterans and family members. This event is for all current and ex-serving ADF members and their families. Further in the future we are working on an intro to 4WDing. The course will be in September and free.
Our Podcast has been an unexpected but very exciting success. And the Path of Remembrance is almost ready to be laid. Ellis Developments is standing by and eager to lay the path for us. It is likely we will be ready to go in late September. There are a few pavers left for anyone who would like to have a permanent reminder of the service and sacrifice of a veteran they respect and admire.