30/09/2026
Today I spent the day at Carer Forum 26 with Holstep Health, and I’ve come home with a lot to think about.
Sometimes when you are deep in the day-to-day work, you don’t necessarily see what others see.
Today, I got to hear KCLC through other people’s eyes.
And that was powerful.
I realised that we do things differently.
Not because we set out to be different, but because we start with people rather than programs. We listen, connect, respond, adapt and often ask, “What if we tried this?”
In many ways, that is simply the essence of a Neighbourhood House. Yet today I was reminded that this way of working can be incredibly innovative when considered alongside more traditional health models of support and care.
There is so much opportunity in bringing those approaches together.
I also had the privilege of hearing from Bec and Jan Daniher.
Their strength in sharing their lives so openly, so that the rest of us might learn, understand and ultimately do better, is incredible.
People often speak about Neale Daniher’s extraordinary ability to communicate, connect and hold a crowd.
Make no mistake — Bec and Jan held every one of us in the palms of their hands today.
Their honesty, strength, humour and vulnerability were extraordinary. There are stories you hear and then there are stories you feel. This was one of those moments.
To everyone who connected with me today, who asked questions, shared an idea, challenged my thinking or simply stopped for a conversation — thank you.
Because conversations matter.
A conversation becomes a connection.
A connection can become a partnership.
And a partnership can become something none of us could have created alone.
That is probably my biggest reflection from today.
There is so much more we can achieve together.
I’m excited to see where today’s conversations lead. Which connections turn into action. Which ideas grow legs. Which new partnerships emerge. And what we might create when community, carers, health services and organisations bring their different strengths to the same table.
We don’t need to do everything ourselves.
We need to find the right people to do it with.
For KCLC, that means continuing to be curious, continuing to connect and continuing to create opportunities alongside our community.
Let’s thrive.
Let’s grow.
Let’s create opportunities for carers.
And they will create opportunities for the people they care for.
And let’s see where today takes us next.
