Dear Colleagues,
I am writing to let you all know that I will be leaving my role as the CEO of Weave, I have worked for the service for 35 years, a very long time, and feel that now is the right time to complete this chapter of my work and hand over to others. As the founder, I feel I have done my job to help the service grow and prosper and it couldn’t be in better shape for a very fruitful and exciting future.
I am leaving my role but not my commitment to Weave and my community and I will act as an advisor to the Board and continue to advocate and involve myself in community events and activities so if you see me around make sure you say hi. The 20th Fernside skate comp will be on next week so I’d love to see you there.
To local residents and their families
A strong connected community that values its members with opportunities and justice for all is our shared vision and I am proud of this ideal that comes from everyone’s contribution.
The City of Sydney, Redfern and Waterloo, Maroubra and La Perouse have been my home for a long time and I want to thank you for your support of the service and for your involvement in contributing to the health and well-being of women, young people and children. To all those wonderful Aboriginal families who have shown the wider community the importance of First Nations culture; to all those children and young people who have offered their time to help others with projects that bring us closer together; to the Women of the community who have been the backbone of building strong resilient families and to the many volunteers who have given their valuable time to many community events and programs, I thank you.
In many ways I have been very privileged to be welcomed into the lives of the families I have had relationships with and truly acknowledge the positive contribution they have made to my life and the life of the community. I am particularly indebted to a group of Aboriginal families that took me in way back in 1985 when I started working with Weave. How generous and kind they were to a strange New Zealander.
With all the services Weave provides I am especially proud of those who have sought support in times of trouble, grief and loss, who have had the bravery to ask for support and been willing to go on a journey of positive change.
To the Weave Board
Thank you to our wonderful Board members led by Rebecca Wallace. You have been exemplary in your good management and contribution to strategic planning and fundraising. There is no doubt that our voluntary Board have and will continue to be the foundation of the organisation.
To my team past and present
Thank you for encouraging, mentoring and helping lead this organisation. My abiding achievement has been to get truly outstanding people to work with me. I’m grateful to each of you for constantly going above and beyond and choosing to invest your expertise and energy in building Weave.
I have most appreciated and learned from highly skilled staff over the years and been able to debate and work through difficult decisions about how to deliver the best services. It has been a journey of discovery for all of us and as the years have gone by we have got better and better at making the service work for the community.
What I value most is your willingness to be creative and come up with new ways of working with community problems. The recent work on bullying, youth suicide and ice use come to mind.
To our partners in the business, government and community sectors
To all those great collaborators who have worked with me to build a better community, thanks for being willing to take a risk. Partnerships are never easy and they require lots of work and commitment. Together we have been able to develop programs that really make a difference. A special thank you to the City of Sydney for a really close organisational friendship.
I am confident the service is in great shape and this is a good time for my chapter of this story to close. I am proud to have been part of the small seed that has grown into the strong organisation it is today.
Regards,
Shane