The Bowen Hospital Community Reference Group was established in April 2017. Members of the group are consumers and community members and are from the Bowen area. Members are actively encouraged to have a voice in contributing to the development of healthcare services for their local community.
Members of the Bowen Hospital Community Reference Group;
- Act as a voice for health consumers from the Bowen area to provide input into the development of health services which are available to them
- Identify health services needs and preventive health initiatives for the Bowen community and bring them to the attention of the Bowen Hospital and Mackay HHS staff
- Assist the Bowen Hospital and Mackay HHS in improving service quality for consumers who access both the Bowen Hospital and other Mackay HHS services
- Keep the Bowen community informed of current and proposed services and service models
Meet our Bowen Hospital Community Reference Group members:
Bruce Hedditch
Bruce is the chairman of the Bowen Chamber of Commerce. Prior to this, Bruce served as a councillor for 9 years on the Wagga Wagga City Council NSW and also held the position of Mayor of the City of Wagga Wagga City Council for 5 years.
Bruce is dedicated to supporting the Bowen community in having a voice in health care and planning for the future of the Bowen area.
Michelle Hook
Michelle is the CEO of the Girudala Community Centre in Bowen and has held this position for 21 years. Being a lifetime resident of the Bowen she has strong community ties with the Whitsunday communities of Bowen, Proserpine and Collinsville.
Closing the Gap on Indigenous Health disparities is something that Michelle has a passion about. She advocates for a change in the way health services are delivered to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by developing a holistic approach that supports the entire needs of health consumers. Michelle has an outlook that sees health, housing, social outlook and employment being the core components that affect a persons’ health. Being the representative for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Whitsundays, allows Michelle to hear what the community has got to say about health services for our region.
Michelle is interested in supporting the community to better connect with healthcare services.
Melita Jergens
With a bachelor degree in Applied Science (horticultural technology), Melita has worked in her family produce business Jurgens Produce Pty Ltd for more than 20 years and is well connected with the community. Melita is an advisory committee member of the Reef Guardian and a contributor to the Bowen District Growers Association. As a member of the Bowen Hospital Community Reference Group Melita is passionate about being a voice to help contribute to improved healthcare outcomes for the community.
Gary Martin
Gary is the chairman of Murroona Gardens Aged Care. Prior to holding this position he was a board member for Murroona Gardens Aged Care for 18 years, with his support for this organisation dating back 43 years.
Alongside this, Gary has also been the department director for Local Government for 43 years, and the director of NQ Dry Tropics for Bowen, Collinsville and Belyando areas from 2004 to 2012.
Gary would like to provide input into the planning and development of health services which reflects the whole of the community aspirations for the continuation of improvement of quality health services.
Kerry Meier
Kerry has been a Bowen resident for 14 years and has been the business owner of the local Florist shop for the last 7 years. She is a past member of the steering committee for Bowen Business Chamber and is currently a board member for Bowen Tourism and Business.
She is a keen volunteer and has participated on the board of the Bowen Netball Association as has been the Convener for Bowen Junior Cricket.
Kerry is a passionate about providing a voice for the Bowen community and would like to strengthen the communication between the Health Service and the residents of Bowen to improve awareness of healthcare services available. She believes that working together is the key to creating a vibrant facility in a vibrant town.
Sue Murray
Sue has been a sonographer for the past 15 years and currently works at Whitsunday Ultrasound Bowen and Cannonvale.
Having a young family, Sue has had recent experience with the Bowen prenatal and postnatal care services. She is passionate about increasing awareness of these services and also wants to contribute to service improvements for healthcare services for the Bowen community as a whole.
Brian Ryle
Brian has now retired from a successful 45 year career as an Ambulance Officer with the Queensland Ambulance Service in Bowen. He is a committee member with the Bowen Community Housing for people with a disability, and member of the Fundraising Committee for the Oncology Unit at the Bowen Hospital. Brian is an active Lions Club member and a Justice of the Peace, both spanning 23+ years. He is also a life member of the Endeavour Foundations.
With his involvement and relationship with the Bowen Hospital, Brian is passionate about ‘giving back’ to the community and has a wealth of input to contribute.
