How long have you been with WBHHS?
Two years.
How do you describe what you do?
As ICT Manager at WBHHS, I lead a small, high-performing team which works across Infrastructure, Applications, Customer Engagement, Strategy and Innovation, the Project Management Office (PMO) - and pretty much everything the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and the business needs, across the technology space.
From keeping our systems secure and running smoothly, to assisting our team to deliver innovative digital solutions and making sure our staff have the right tools at the right time, I work behind the scenes to ensure our hospitals and services are supported.
I collaborate closely with our CIO and executive leadership to help turn strategies into practical results. Whether it's guiding new projects, improving how our systems work, or responding to urgent business priorities, I’m here to make technology an “enabler — not an obstacle”.
What's best about your job?
The ICT Manager for the WBHHS has visibility across the depth and breadth of the organisation. This BIG picture keeps me grounded to ensure that the work our team does enables everyone else to do their jobs that bit easier. I truly enjoy working with this special team of amazing IT professionals who are spread across the HHS. It’s their knowledge, attitude, and passion about what they do, every day, that makes my job enjoyable.
I like working with teams where technology intersects with care delivery, doing worthwhile work and making a difference every day.
What was your path into healthcare?
I didn’t plan to work in healthcare, but now that I have, I can’t picture where else I would want to work.
I started my healthcare journey back in 1997, working with the Friendly Society Private Hospital in Bundaberg as their first IT manager. I had the privilege to work in various roles within that organisation, but they all had technology as a foundational element.
Leaving the private healthcare setting in 2023, and now being a part of the dynamic public health care system, has reignited my passion about making a difference through technology. I’m still learning, growing and keen to be a part of the digital journey and help others come along this path too.
What does being part of a team mean to you?
I know that truly successful outcomes require a team working together, bringing different skills, ideas, experiences with the right attitude.
I get the pleasure of working with some really “cool” people who are very talented at what they do. Currently the HHS ICT is a small group, which works across an ever increasing, dynamic healthcare environment. We need each other every day to meet this need, and it’s enjoyable work helping and being helped by these good people.
There’s also the wider team too, anyone who has reached out to our HHS ICT team for support, advice, guidance about Information Technology – it’s being a bit of a translator between the technology world and their world. Seeing and hearing that our work makes a difference in their world, is rewarding.
When you're not at work, you are....
I like to keep things simple; I enjoy being a dad, husband and seeing my children continue to learn and grow and mature into great people.
I enjoy travelling, whether locally, around Australia or overseas. It’s about the journey for me, to explore, experience and take in something new and different. I’ve met new people from around the world and learnt something new and fascinating. I never want to stop learning and growing, just have to settle on where to explore next…
What do you enjoy about living in Wide Bay?
I like the relaxed lifestyle of our region, which makes it easy to escape the world of work to unwind. I enjoy many things; from dinner at Bargara with family and friends, camping at Woodgate in June in a tent, doing a hike at Mt Walsh at Biggenden, visiting a café on the esplanade at Hervey Bay watching the world go by, or bushwalking around Cania Gorge, Monto, plus many more. There’s so much to experience around our region.
Having caught the travel bug, and venturing outside the Wide Bay, or state of Queensland or even Australia, I am truly thankful for the life I have. I often think about how fortunate Australia is, when hearing news and events from around the world, it’s great to call Bundaberg and the Wide Bay region home.
Tell us a fun fact about you.
I do the yearly Push-up Challenge (this year 3,214 push-ups between 4-26 June) to not only challenge myself physically but to also remind myself of the precious nature of mental health. I have been fortunate so far with my mental health but doing this challenge once a year, although physically hard, reminds me that there are many people in and across our community who struggle every day.
What song are you listening to most right now?
I enjoy most flavours of music but the songs of the '80s and '90s are still regularly played in my Spotify favs.