BCHS Annual Report 2025 - Report - Page 15
And the award goes to…
Emergency Preparedness Program
BCHS’ life-saving program preparing
migrant and refugee communities for
the dangers of 昀椀res, 昀氀oods and heat
waves was recognised in the 2024
Victorian Multicultural Awards for
Excellence.
The team behind the Emergency
Preparedness Program headed to
Government House in December to
receive a Highly Commended award
from the Governor of Victoria, Her
Excellency Professor the Honourable
Margaret Gardner.
BCHS has delivered the program since
2020, alongside partners the City of
Greater Bendigo, CFA and VICSES.
“People who are new to our country
Bendigo Family Day Care
are really worried
about 昀椀re, heat
and 昀氀ood events,”
said Refugee and
Cultural Diversity
Senior Leader Kaye
Graves. “There are
real fears. They
need a tailored,
targeted approach
to safely living in
Bendigo, in central
Victoria.
The CFA’s Paul Tangey and BCHS’ Zahir, Nido, and Shee Lee at the
ceremony with the Governor of Victoria.
“It needs to be
embedded in settlement programs
throughout the state, and we’ve now
got it to a point where we know it’s
culturally safe, and it works.
Refugee Health Clinic
Nurse Veronica Steegs and Dr
Michael von Bonin are the ultimate
quiet achievers but the word on
them is out now.
Bendigo Family Day Care was
announced as the top service in Victoria
and Tasmania at the Excellence in Family
Day Care Awards in October 2024.
Recognised for providing outstanding
support to educators, and for the wider
impact they have on children, families
and the local community, the award has
placed the dedicated local team in the
country’s top four for Family Day Care
coordination.
In June 2025 they won the Public
Health Association of Australia’s
annual GSK Immunisation Award,
thanks to their outstanding and
unique e昀昀orts to reach a 100 per
cent immunisation rate for all newly
arrived refugees to Bendigo.
It’s massive, national recognition
for the small, hardworking team
with a big community health heart.
The award is for improving access
“The entire team is absolutely thrilled,”
BFDC coordinator Tamarra Tie said. “Top
four in all of Australia is absolutely crazy
… We are here to do what we can to
meet individual needs and not just o昀昀er
a ‘one size 昀椀ts all’ method.”
The service has been supporting the
community for 44 years.
“It’s personal,” Tamarra said. “Each
educator and family meld into each
other’s lives and together ride the highs
and lows of family life, but just like a
family, they work through it all together.”
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“A real highlight of the program is that
it’s driven and delivered by our bilingual
sta昀昀 of lived experiences.”
to, coverage and timely delivery
of the National Immunisation
Schedule to hard-to-reach
populations, in this case, people
arriving from places of con昀氀ict,
persecution and human rights
abuses, being Sudan, Afghanistan
and Myanmar. The clinic uses
interpreters, they give out
information in language, they draw
on the support of bicultural workers,
and they encourage their clients to
ask questions.
“We get a 100 per cent catch-up for
every individual within six months
of their 昀椀rst visit. It’s actually quite
special because not everywhere
achieves that,” Veronica said
