Staff Recognition Awards

Orana acknowledges the ongoing commitment of our staff and the passion and drive that is shown to our clients by our dedicated and motivated individual staff members.

In recognition of this and to celebrate the individuals who do go “above and beyond” we launched the Orana Staff Awards. The awards showcase the outstanding work that has occurred within the last 12 months to enrich the lives of our clients.

These awards are designed to acknowledge and celebrate our staff who demonstrate our values of Respect, Integrity, Collaboration and Innovation and have committed to supporting Orana’s mission to improve the lives of people living with disability.

Orana’s Staff Awards comprise of four award categories:

•    Client Champion    •    Impact    •    Out of the Box    •    Behind the Scenes

Nominations for all awards were made by a current staff member relating to events and activities during the 1 July 2019 – 30 June 2020 period.

The nominees, their guest and the nominators were invited to attend the awards presentation in conjunction with Orana’s Christmas lunch on Wednesday 23^rd December 2020 at the Pine Hills Restaurant, Glenelg Golf Club where the overall winner and runner-up of each group were announced and presented with their prize. A big congratulation to everyone who was nominated for going above and beyond the expectations of their role.

The full list of nominees was as follows:

Client Champion Award

This award is to demonstrate how staff members have gone above and beyond the expectations of their paid role, have enhanced the quality of life for a client or an employee by the actions, have taken initiative to provide the client with a variety of experiences/choices outside the range of typical options, developed innovative ideas to support their client to develop abilities and overcome barriers and encouraged participation in community activities for people with disability and their families.

Winner: Amy Sherpa

Amy arranges the Orana soccer team which is an excellent community activity for the employees and clients who look forward immensely to the training and the matches. The training and the matches are held after hours and at weekends. Amy loads up the vehicle with all of the equipment before the matches and returns the equipment back to Orana in her own time. Amy is totally committed to supporting the employees and clients and her out-of-hours commitment in arranging the Orana Soccer Team goes above and beyond the expectations of her position. Amy organises a volunteer soccer coach to coach the team at practices and at competitions which she has to interview for to ensure they meet the expectations of the role. Amy transports all of the equipment and liaises with team members to ensure that they are able to attend. Amy also encourages staff members and families to attend the matches to support the employees and clients and to cheer them on. The look on the employees and client’s faces when they are participating is so rewarding and when they score a goal both the team and crowd erupt with delight. The Orana Soccer team encourages collaboration amongst team members and provides a fun safe space for clients and employees to enjoy.

Impact Award

This award is to demonstrate how staff have made an impact in particular enhancing benefits to a group of clients, has made a point of difference between Orana and other Disability providers and has demonstrated a positive contribution to the future of Orana.

Winner: Andrew Roberts

Andrew is a long standing staff member; he has been employed by Orana for 32 years. He has worked at several different Orana sites, dedicating his time in assisting people with disability, supporting and supervising them with their work goals and needs. Andrew is always very positive about his work which is clearly visible when you observe the relationship he has with the employees and staff.

Andrew does an excellent job of training the employees to improve their skills and become more independent.

Over the last 32 years, Andrew has impacted on a lot of people’s lives while at Orana, both the employees and their families. You could not meet a more patient person than Andrew and his customer service skills are exceptional.

Out of the Box Award

This award demonstrates a staff member’s novel approach that is outside the bounds of the normal, shows how a staff member fosters collaboration demonstrated by cross functional collaboration in arriving at a solution and demonstrates an initiative that has been implemented and it’s benefits proven.

Winner: Angelina Mayger

Angelina conducts training with the employees and finds ways not only to encourage and engage the employees in learning she finds ways to make it within the workplace so its “hands on” learning. This has assisted our employees in learning with actions and consequences, creating a better learning experience and producing better quality packed goods as well as more knowledge of safety in the work place. This results in improved production and pride of work for the employees as they succeed in numeracy skills and understanding the instructions for the job. Angelina is a very popular staff member with the employees and clients and always puts the employees and clients first. Angelina is also a great ambassador for Orana and is consistently promoting Orana within the community.

Behind the Scenes Award

This award is for staff members who have contributed to enable an improved customer experience, have provided support to enable client facing staff to deliver a safer, new or more effectively service or product and I have implemented an initiative and its benefits proven.

Winner: David Krause

David Krause commenced work in August 2019 for 3 days per week and within a few short months his hard work had been recognised and he accepted the position of full-time Supervisor at Business Services, Loxton. His experience within the Disability sector has enriched the lives of the clients within their positions at Orana, with his ability to teach, help, listen and encourage. David is well respected by his peers, is an awesome role model by displaying excellent values and demonstrates innovation and creativity. David is a highly valued team member at Business Services, Loxton and Supervisor for Orana. He shows initiative, excellent leadership and dedication to his fellow staff members, clients and to his work. David is supportive to the Business Manager and has no problem stepping up to the role in her absence. David is a major asset to Orana. He will try his hand at anything and strives to make a profitable business whilst ensuring the employees have work to do. David attends to maintenance at both Loxton and Berri Accommodation sites saving time and money, by utilizing his services. Loxton Business Services would not be as far advanced in its progression moving forward, as it has become in the last 12 months, if David had not joined the team. Loxton’s vision is fast becoming reality as they provide a happy, healthy, tidy, safe workplace for clients to come to work. David has been a significant driver from where they are now to where they were a few years ago.

The changes David has made have been phenomenal, David has implemented change and progression at Loxton as follows; successfully selling worms and castings from a mobile stall outside the workshop, securing the grounds weekly at Riverland Special School (his previous position), worked with the Manager researching and developing 4 stage proposals to secure a $70,000 grant to convert the worm tunnel for propagation, spent many hours coordinating, preparing, converting and constructing a tunnel to house between 90,000 to 120,000 plant cuttings. This process has been extremely time consuming, even out of work hours and several sleepless nights involved. David’s tiresome effort has enabled him, with a bit of help from others, to construct a high quality, full functional/operational propagation facility that we are all extremely proud of.