ABOUT US

Our story so far, and we are a long way from done…

It all began in 1994, when a group of parents of people with a disability started meeting to discuss what support options would be available for their children on the Atherton Tablelands. These discussions were originally focused on supporting people with a disability to link into their community on the Tablelands which is where the name of the organisation came from.

After much community consultation and assistance from the then ‘Department of Family, Youth & Community Care’, funding was sought to start a small community linking support service for Tablelanders with a disability. A small office in Tolga was located and Tableland Community Link Association Incorporated commenced operations in 1995.

The model of support at this time was based on ‘flow-through’ which meant each person would have a specific goal around community linking and once that goal had been achieved via support they would then become inactive and the service would commence supporting another person.

We are constantly adapting and evolving to meet the needs of our people

It soon became apparent that people who had higher and ongoing support needs were unable to access this type of flow-through model of support because they were always going to need assistance in some form or another. So, throughout 1995 the Committee re-commenced community consultations to see what type of assistance was needed for people with disabilities who required on-going support to access their community.

In 1997, TCL gained funding to purchase and modify a Ford Transit Van for clients who used wheelchairs. At the time it was the most up-to-date disability modifications on the market. It wasn’t until 2007 that TCL staff realised how dated and cumbersome the external hoist and van had become when it was replaced by a Toyota Tarago with an internal ramp, air-conditioning throughout and modifications that were state of the art.

Our achievements have been made possible through Government Funding, Sponsorship, Donations and Bequests 

Between 1997 and 2010, Tableland Community Link received 39 individual funding packages to support people in both accommodation support and community linking. This funding was made up of: Post-School Support, Institutional Reform Support, Accommodation Lifestyle Support, Housing and Support for people with a psychiatric disability, support for people with a dual diagnosis of intellectual disability and a mental illness, support via the Family Support Program and support for privately funded clients via compensation payouts.

During 2009, Tableland Community Link successfully applied to provide support under the Flexible Respite service type. In the same year, TCL was successful in gaining additional block support hours for people with a disability who had ageing parents and/or carers under the new flexi-respite service type.

Other Achievements for Tableland Community Link

Management Committee

President: Cath Till

Vice President / Secretary: Angie Lewis

Treasurer: Neil Clarke

General Committee Members: Katrina Mellick 

Committee Advisors:

Neil Clarke – Community Advisor 

Duesburys Accountants & Advisors – Financial Advisor  

Our Staff

Service Manager: Carrie de Brueys

Support Coordinator:  Monique Zappala 

Support Coordinator: Trevor Cheesman

Support Coordinator: Rhianna Child

Rostering Officer: Kerry Weir 

Finance Officer: Rebecca Wilkinson

Plan Manager: Diane Cortis

HR & Compliance Officer: Jo-Ann McDowell

Admin Officer: Arhlena Barton

‘The Grove’ Coordinators:  Hayley Bushell and Lana Beazley

Support Workers: We have a dedicated team of support workers who are undoubtedly our most valuable assets. Without them we would be unable to provide the quality service and support that we offer to Tablelanders with a disability and/or mental illness.