EnergySafe Magazine Winter 2020 Issue 58 | Page 11

esv.vic.gov.au Safer footy canteens for another three years By Anitra Robertson, Senion Communications Advisor, Communications and Marketing There are opportunities to join-up the business to improve the experience of those who need to do business with us. Having an outward focus (on duty holders/customers/clients/citizens) rather than an inward focus should enable us to do better at serving the community. DB: Having trained as a chemist originally, what advice do you have for those starting out in their career, a large group of whom are apprentice plumbers and electrical workers? Take every opportunity to learn as much as you can. Try new things and broaden your skills and experience. Just because you train in one specific area, you might find that you will change roles and even careers, multiple times along the way. You may move off-the-tools to run your own business or teach others in the trade. You may also one day find that we could use your skills and experience here at ESV. A career as a regulator is a good one. No one day is ever the same. I would also say that there are never any stupid questions, so do not be afraid to ask lots of them. If you do not know or are unsure just ask. If you feel something is not safe or just wrong, then please speak up. DB: What do you enjoy outside work? MW: I enjoy gardening and have a massive collection of David Austin roses (they are also known as English roses). The garden keeps me very busy, particularly at this time of year when it is pruning season. I have somewhere between 200-250 roses to prune! I also enjoy walking my dog, Benji, who is very demanding about getting out regularly. We make sure we get our 10,000 steps every day. I also like shopping. I have more pairs of shoes than I do roses; believe it or not. ESV is excited to announce a new three-year extension to our partnership with AFL Victoria, continuing our support of community football until 2023. Our support of grassroots football is more important this year than ever before. We’re proud to continue our long-standing relationship with AFL Victoria and play our part in boosting local regional and suburban economies. Entering our 9th year of partnership with AFL Victoria we are looking forward to supporting clubs to be more energy safe in their operations and increase awareness of energy safety issues at the community level. At a time when communities are hurting, we will be increasing our support across community football and netball. In 2020, ESV is increasing its funding to community football clubs with access to $30,000 in grants as part of the Energy Safe Victoria Safer Canteen Grants Program. Since 2018, the popular grants program since its inception in 2018 has provided funding for 57 clubs around the state to replace old or inefficient gas and electrical appliances with new and safer appliances. Clubs can apply for up to $1,000 to replace old or faulty electrical or gas appliances in their canteen, with applications opening on June 22nd 2020. In announcing the extension of ESV’s partnership with AFL Victoria for a further three years’, Director of Energy Safety, Marnie Williams expressed her delight that ESV can continue to support grassroots sport in Victoria. “Football clubs are often the backbone of small communities and while they are unable to play now, we know they will come back and we want to play our part in ensuring their ongoing success,” she said. “Through the Canteen Grants Program we want to ensure the safety of canteen volunteers and the community by helping them purchase safe new gas and electrical appliances.” Head of Community Investment and Strategic Relationships at AFL Victoria, Rick Bell, praised the “tremendous show of support” from ESV, saying that the partnership provides AFL Victoria with the opportunity to strengthen its commitment to being the most accessible sport for all Victorians. “We’re thrilled to announce the extension of our partnership, and during times such as this, Energy Safe Victoria’s commitment to supporting AFL Victoria is a great boost to entire football community,” he said. “Obviously these are testing times for everybody at the moment, but this partnership is a fantastic example of the sort of collaboration that will go a long way community footy generally are able to overcome the difficulties of the current climate.” More information is available at: esv.vic.gov.au/AFL-canteen-grants and aflvic.com.au 11