Celebration Week: Kim Dallinger, Lifestyle and Respite

1 August 2020

1 Aug 2020

Kim Dallinger has seen a lot of changes across VMCH over the past 15 years. Kim started out as an Administration Officer with the (Villa Maria) Home Care Package program in 2005 and has worked as a Lifestyle and Respite Team Leader in Ararat for 12 the last 12 months, ensuring her team provides the very best care and support to Disability clients across the Western region.

What is the biggest change you’ve seen from when you started at VMCH to now?

The biggest change is probably the merger between Villa Maria and Catholic Homes. This had a major impact on the staff I worked with directly and across the organisation and also on the job I was doing at the time. It was sad to see a lot of staff leave the organisation, but I am very happy that I get to keep in contact with many of them outside of work. Secondly would be the change in office location (to a shop front) for Ararat. This has meant accessibility for our clients, great exposure (especially with our new branding) and has seen a growth increase of around 25 per cent since the move.

What does it mean to you to work at VMCH?

I really enjoy working at VMCH and feel proud to be building on the strong foundations left by previous Team Leaders/Managers. Over my 15 years at VMCH I have had the opportunity to work with some amazing staff and am very appreciative of what I have learned from them. I feel privileged that I get to work in a field that strives to provide quality services to our clients to be able to achieve their goals.

What do you love most about your role?

There are many things that I love about my role, but during COVID-19 there has been an opening for me to work more closely with our clients by delivering online social interaction and more recently, centre-based activities. I have been able to get to know the clients on a more personal level, which helps me to understand them, what their goals are and in a small way, help them to achieve these goals.

How do you feel about working at VMCH for 15 years?

Before working at VMCH I had not stayed at any organisation for more than six years. It is a testament to the Managers that I have worked with at VMCH to always look for opportunities to keep me engaged and motivated. I have always felt appreciated and respected and been given responsibilities and trust to do my job.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I love spending time at home with my husband and two dogs on our property at Deep Lead. We live on eight acres with a full view of the Grampians and have lived there for 36 years. We catch up with our adult children and their partners as often as possible. We love travelling and look forward to when we can travel overseas again, so we can visit our son living in Italy with his fiancé. I love craft such as embroidery and quilting and paper craft such as scrapbooking and card making. My next venture is painting with alcohol inks!

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Acknowledgement of Country

We here at VMCH respectfully acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands on which we gather, and we would like to take a moment to honour the fact that we live on the lands of the oldest civilisation in the world. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and wisdom of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging.