Jane Turner, Janni Thompson, Aunty Sony Piper, Bonita Taylor, Hope Cooper, Tom Parker (MPHN), Lesley Kingwill and Eliza Tout.
The recent Community Health Chat held at the Gundagai District Services Club was a successful event, bringing together community members, health professionals, and representatives from the Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network (MPHN) to discuss local health services and supports.
The event opened with a welcome from Tom Parker (MPHN), followed by a Welcome to Country from Aunty Sony Piper. Tom introduced the Gundagai Local Health Advisory Committee (LHAC) members — Lesley Kingwill, Bonita Taylor, Aunty Sony Piper, Janni Thompson, and Hope Cooper — and acknowledged apologies from Uncle Peter Smith (Chair) and Cate Minogue (Vice Chair).
The afternoon featured informative presentations on a range of local health resources and services, including the benefits of using Healthdirect, a trusted service for health advice and symptom checking when a doctor’s appointment isn’t immediately available.
Personal stories were also shared, highlighting the usefulness of Healthdirect in a real-life situation.
Hope Cooper outlined the role of Marathon Health in providing mental and allied health services, while Aunty Sony Piper spoke about the Brungle Health Centre and the importance of support for Aboriginal patients during hospital stays.
Jane Turner discussed how to access a Community Nurse and highlighted LHAC’s advocacy efforts that helped bring a physiotherapist to the Gundagai Hospital.
Eliza Tout from the Cancer Council shared valuable information on the support available for cancer patients, including transport services that are currently under-utilised in the community.
Lesley Kingwill provided an overview of projects completed and underway by the Gundagai LHAC, followed by Bonita Taylor, who spoke about keeping the community informed through the LHAC Facebook page and monthly newspaper updates. The event concluded with an open forum, where attendees had the opportunity to share their experiences, ask questions, and raise community health concerns.
Tom Parker closed the session by explaining how residents can get involved and become LHAC members.
Gundagai LHAC said overall the Community Health Chat was a positive and informative afternoon that strengthened connections between residents and health providers, a true example of community working together for better health outcomes.
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