Coasters urged to think local - Devonport City Council

Vol. 15 No.10, October 2007NEWSLETTERHARD WORK, DEDICATION PAYS OFF FORJANINEFour and a half years ofdedication, during which sheworked full time while alsostudying externally at Universityhas paid off handsomely foryoung Devonport woman, JaninePhillips.New Devonport Communications Officer,Janine Phillips.Thirty-one years old Janine, whocompleted her Bachelor of MassCommunication from theUniversity of SouthernQueensland earlier this year, hasrecently been appointedDevonport City Council's firstfull time Media PromotionsOfficer.She majored in Public Relationsand Media and CommunicationStudies.She joined Council in August2006 as a temporary part timecommunications officer and hasimpressed her superiors, whoselected her to carry out herimportant new role.Prior to working with Council,Janine worked in theemployment industry for eightReceptionist'sfriendly serviceIt is pretty difficult to stumpDevonport City Council's eversmilingreceptionist, ClaireGude, who has been able toanswer some out-of-the-ordinaryqueries in the past two years.She has, for instance, been ableto tell an inter-State visitor,looking to move to Tasmania,just what the fishing is likedown here.And she is almost an expert onthe control of snakes, bees andother pests that causehouseholders unusual problems.People ring Council if they areconcerned with poor televisionreception or if they need toknow our best tourists spotsQueries regarding births, deathsand marriages are almostcommonplace as are requestsfor information on where to findparticular streets.So far Claire says she not beentotally stumped and herpleasant, easy manner inattending to ratepayers' requestsearned her nomination for therecent Devonport Promotionsservice awards.Claire, who is 32 years of age, ismarried to Andrew, a plumber,who works with a Devonportfirm. They have a four-year-olddaughter, Chelsea.She graduated with a Bachelorof Arts degree from theUniversity of Tasmania and hasbeen employed in the serviceindustry all her working life.Her first job was with Roelf Vos(now Woolworths) in Devonportand she later gained hospitalityexperience in the Sheraton PerthHotel and at Wrest Point CasinoClaire Gude one of the friendlyreceptionists for Devonport CityCouncil.in Hobart.She spent six years as areceptionist at the TelstraCorporate Centre in Melbourneand then worked at ANZ GlobalHeadquarters in Melbourne,before coming back to Tasmaniatwo years ago.Although she is not the full timereceptionist for Council, shespends part of her time in theRecords Department.And her work behind thecounter is not just answering thephone, as she is also required toattend to general customerenquiries, room bookings, IDcard processing and collation ofthe staff newsletter.Now and again she admits thatshe has to deal with irateratepayers, but says thatgenerally people who phone inare understanding andappreciate that she is there tohelp.years at Business andEmployment's Devonport office.She held a number of positionsat B & E, starting as receptionistand moving on to become, inturn, a Job Search Trainer,Personnel Officer, EmploymentConsultant and CustomerService representative.Janine, daughter of well-knownDevonport residents, Geoff andLorraine Phillips, has lived inDevonport herself virtually allher life apart from two and ahalf years studying Business(Travel and Tourism) at DrysdaleHouse in Hobart and one yearworking in Launceston.She decided on her universitydegree because she realized thatshe needed to get more out ofYoung people's issues have the earof Council, through theestablishment of the Mayor'sYouth Advisory Council (MYAC).Devonport City Council iscommitted to modelling youthinvolvement within the city andcreating opportunities for youngpeople to be involved inmeaningful roles within theirschool, community or youthservices.Expressions of interest weresought, through local HighSchools and Don College, toinvite participation inopportunities where young peoplecan directly communicate withLocal Government on a range ofissues.Twelve passionate young peoplehave come forward to establishMYAC in Devonport.The launch of the young leaderswas held in Council Chambersrecently, attended by their familiesand community members.The event celebrated therecognition of our local youth,stepping up to a prominentleadership role.It also celebrated the talents ofcaterers in Devonport HighSchool Catering and local talentJase Davis, lead guitarist with“Cruel Like That".The role of the group will be toact as the interface of youth inDevonport, advising LocalGovernment, through the electedYouth Chair, on matters ofconcern to young people andCouncil policies and programsconcerning young people.The Mayor's Youth Councilendeavours to provide:her life.However, while her work andstudy have been pretty full on,Janine said she has had time toenjoy herself and admitted thatthis was one of the reasons whyshe decided on University studyin the first place.But while she has spent nearlyall of her young life in Tasmania,she admits to having a passionfor travel and searching for newexperiences.With this in mind, she says herultimate dream is to travel toAfrica in the near future and,anyone who knows thisdetermined young lady, has nodoubts that she will fulfill thatdream before too long.Youth leading theway in city●●●●●●●●A chance to meet other youngpeople with similar interests;An opportunity to receive freetraining;The opportunity to gain anunderstanding of LocalGovernment;The opportunity to raise thepositive profile of young peoplein Devonport;The chance to give a greatersense of community, an abilityto share and develop skills witha supportive groups of youngpeople;An ability to influence councildecisions that affect youngpeople and;The chance to make adifference for the young peoplein Devonport.The Mayor's Youth AdvisoryCouncil will also participate instate and local communityservice projects, events andfunctions and will endeavour topromote youth involvement inthe schools and the community.Members will be recruited eachyear through an applicationprocess via schools.TIP TIMESThe Spreyton Transfer Stationin Mersey Road, Spreyton(entry adjacent to MaidstonePark) hours of operation are -7.30am - 4.00pm Monday toSaturday.12.30pm - 4.00pm Sundaysand Public Holidays.The station is closed only onChristmas Day and GoodFriday.Council provides eighttipping tickets annually,which permit free entry tothe Transfer Station.Page 22 Top Centre Topics October 20074071048 LM