Board of Governance
John Zahl
Chairman
John returned to the Board in 2019, having previously spent a number of years as a Board Member during the 1980’s. John is well known in the Gayndah Community, having recently served as Town councillor with the North Burnett Regional Council. He presently chairs the Bendigo Community Bank Board based in Mundubbera, and also sits on the Lifeflight Advisory Board based in Bundaberg. John also provides a free of charge Audit Service to not-for-profit associations in the Central Burnett and is well aware of the needs of smaller communities.
Boyd Baker
Vice Chairman
Boyd was appointed Director in 2006 and Board Chairman in 2013, then being appointed Vice Chairman in 2018, then stepping down to Director in 2019. Boyd has a background in local government, business management, and community involvement. His community involvement ranges from Meals on Wheels, P&C, RSL, and disability groups to name a few. He brings with him over 42 years of involvement with various church committees at local, State and National levels.
Alex Evans
Secretary
Alex was appointed to the Board in 2017, then being appointed Secretary in 2018. His 32 years’ experience in the banking industry has provided Alex with a broad exposure to many businesses and industries. His current position as NAB Agribusiness Manager for the past 14 years, requires a wide skill-set including financial analysis, budgeting, managing risk, together with coaching and supporting a team; all valuable skills which he brings to his position as a board member.
Gaileen Wengel
Director
Gaileen was appointed Director in 2018 and has lived in the area, at Binjour Plateau, for over 41 years. She is a retired Registered Nurse, and has worked in the local community and Aged Care for many years. She has continued to have an interest in Aged Care and acknowledges the importance of this great Facility in our district and keeping abreast with the continual changes in our health system.
Dael Giddins
Director
Dael was appointed to the Board as a director in November 2019. Dael’s experience has been in Finance and Human Resources having been previously employed with the Gayndah Shire Council/North Burnett Regional Council for 43 years. Dael has now taken on the position of North Burnett Regional Councillor Division 4. Her other passion is volunteering in her local community being involved in the following clubs, Gayndah Rotary, Gayndah CWA, Gayndah Orange Festival Committee, Gayndah Little Athletics, GRV Op Shop Committee and she also spent 33 years with Gayndah YMCA until closure. Dael’s other passions are netball, circuit, walking, promoting her hometown and talking to anyone who will listen to her.
Kirsty Taylor
Director
Kirsty was appointed as a director in December 2022 after showing a keen interest in the progression of Gunther Village. Kirsty completed both her Bachelor of Nursing Science and hairdressing apprenticeship in 2022 and now works at the Gayndah Hospital as a Registered Nurse and runs her own home hairdressing salon. Kirsty is a fourth generation Gayndah local, is passionate about the local area and holds valuable clinical knowledge. She worked as an AIN at Gunther Village whilst studying and has a thorough understanding of the day-to-day operation of a nursing home.
Our Leadership Team
Jenny Thompson
Facility Manager
Jenny was appointed to the position of Facility Manager in November 2020 and has now obtained a double Diploma in Leadership and Management. Jenny has been employed at Gunther Village since 2007 and during that time, she had been employed as Support Staff Supervisor and Lifestyle Coordinator. She has also completed a certificate IV in Leisure and Health and a Diploma of Hospitality Management. Teamwork – Coming together is a beginning, Keeping together is progress, Working together is success!
Frances Beare
Care Manager
Frances was appointed Care Manager in March 2022. Fran has a wealth of experience in Aged Care for the last 15 years and has predominantly been in Management & Clinical Care. Clinical Governance has been the critical skill required to assist in gaining Accreditation of the Facilities that Fran has worked in.
“My main drive is to see Residents and Families “Smile”, knowing that they are receiving Quality of Care and Quality of Life at all levels.”
Tracy Taylor
Finance Officer
Tracy Taylor joined the Gunther team in March 2021 as Finance Officer. Tracy was a director of the CUBDHA Board from 2017 until her appointment as a staff member. With a background in finance since leaving school Tracy is enjoying her new role and being part of a great Admin team. In her spare time Tracy has been involved in many local not for profit organisations, enjoys spending time with her two girls and family, her morning walks and crocheting or reading while relaxing.
Helen Harris
Catering Manager
Helen commenced at Gunther Village in 2010, in the Support Services Team as a Cook. She was then appointed the Acting Catering & Support Services Manager in July 2022. Helen has a Certificate III in Commercial Cookery and is currently undertaking a Certificate IV in Hospitality. She has a passion for cooking and creating delicious meals for our Residents.
“I love making and decorating cakes for the special morning teas and birthdays we have throughout the year.”
Deb Crawford
Lifestyle Coordinator
Deb Crawford commenced worked at Gunther Village as Acting Lifestyle Co-Ordinator on the 26th April 2021. Previous to this position Deb worked as an Assistant Nurse and as a Lifestyle Therapist at Gunther Village. Deb believes along with her Lifestyle Therapists they will bring the joy, happiness and hope back into the lives of our residents here at Gunther Village, providing a stimulating, meaningful activity program that is also personalised to meet individual needs.
Rose Bernie
Education Coordinator
Rose commenced work at Gunther Village in 1998 and completed her Certificate III and IV in Aged Care. During this time she was appointed as Education Coordinator and works closely with the Southern Queensland Institute of Tafe (SQIT) to support staff who are completing traineeships. In addition to her education role, she also fulfils additional roles as Team Leader, Continence Coordinator, Fire Safety Advisor and holds a keen interest in Manual Handling.
“The greatest reward in my position is seeing the transformation from scared, apprehensive, frightened and sometimes extremely shy employees emerge into competent and confident members of our team”
Kate Burns
Systems Coordinator
Kate first came to work at Gunther Village in 2009 and was appointed as Systems Coordinator in 2013. During that period she has worked in all departmental areas to further assist her knowledge of quality systems management, and completed a Diploma in Business Management in 2013. Her role as Systems Coordinator is to ensure that there are effective quality systems in place, improving and assisting the implementation of continuous quality improvements and minimising risks through fostering an environment of excellence.
“I love a challenge, am always happy to help and enjoy working with the team here at Gunther Village”
Leighton Kreis
Maintenance Coordinator
Leighton was appointed as Maintenance Coordinator in 2009. He liaises with suppliers and contractors to ensure things are repaired quickly to minimise the impact on residents and staff. He also maintains the grounds and ensures our preventative maintenance program is on schedule. During his time here at Gunther Village Leighton has completed a number of courses, part of his role includes Fire Safety Advisory.
“I enjoy the ability to assist both the residents and staff with all their maintenance concerns”
Our Care Team
Our Care Team consists of experienced and clinically qualified staff, committed to delivering a high standard of care. Our staff provides individualised care to all of our residents by utilising state of the art care equipment and IT software, ensuring quality nursing is always delivered.
As part of our continuous quality improvement program we welcome feedback from residents, relatives and staff, to enable us to continually improve our service delivery.
We are committed to providing the highest level of service and communication with all stakeholders through transparency and providing professional advice when needed.
Our Lifestyle Team
Our Lifestyle Team plan activities will all residents needs in mind. Some of the activities they offer to our residents are: Weekly Jingo, Craft Club, Garden Club, Gunther Groovers Choir, Combined BBQ’s, Weekly Shopping, Friendship Club, Monthly Happy Hour, Games Mornings, Robotic Pet Therapy and Bus outings around Gayndah and surrounds. We also have men’s based activities for all of the gentlemen to join in.
Our Support Services Team
Our Support Services Team is passionate about aged care and actively work on promoting healthy living, providing assistance with daily living and encourage our residents to get involved in making decisions in regard to their day to day activities. Our qualified staff, who assist residents to achieve a better lifestyle and support through selection of their own activities, provides high quality leisure experiences to assist in the development of self-esteem and boosting overall morale.
Our Diversional Therapists and Support Services play a big role in the lives of residents by providing assistance, companionship, social interaction and quality entertainment. At Gunther Village we believe maintaining a connection to the community is vital to our residents’ wellbeing. We actively encourage the involvement of family and friends.
Catering
Our catering team is dedicated to ensuring your palate is satisfied. All our meals are cooked by our qualified chefs in our restaurant quality kitchen. Meals are cooked daily using fresh local produce, catering for all special dietary requirements and approved by qualified dieticians. Our menus are regularly reviewed and our staff are happy to take on resident feedback and any special requests. In addition to regular meals we provide morning tea, afternoon tea and supper, including complimentary wine, beer and soft drink during happy hour.
Laundering
Gunther Village provides a comprehensive in-house laundry and linen service. Our service includes labelling of clothing, collection, washing, drying, pressing and delivery of laundry and linen. Dry cleaning can be arranged through our friendly Lifestyle Coordinator. We are committed to providing prompt, reliable quality customer service. All of our cleaning products are ecofriendly biodegradable and hypo-allergenic caring for you and the environment.
Our Administration Team
Our Administration Team are first to provide visitors with a warm welcome to our complex and are committed to providing quality customer service. They work closely with our residents and their families, ensuring everyone is given all relevant information and that the administration side of the admission process and ongoing care of residents runs smoothly.
As a stand-alone facility, not affiliated with any other residential aged care facilities, our administration staff are responsible for all aspects of office administration for our Complex. Our Admin team consists of a combination of very experienced staff, proficient in a wide variety of office procedures; and administration trainees, who are given the opportunity to gain valuable experience, while becoming an integral part of our dedicated team.
