Over the Back Fence with Ian Needham
That's me on the right, enjoying a bit of sun on the Great Wall of China
Your name and position
Ian Needham, editor Rural Health Matters and Communication Officer with the Gippsland Regional Clinical School
Describe your job/role
As editor of RHM, I pull together the various snippets from around the School of Rural Health. In my role with Gippsland Regional Clinical School I work on various projects that will help engage the local community – such as school visits and interaction with other organisations as well as some media liaison and developing communication materials.
Why is it important?
Ask almost anyone what the top three issues in their workplace are and it’s a fair bet communications will be up there. Helping communicate what the school does is important.
What is the best aspect of your work with the School of Rural Health?
As I’m a journo by trade, I enjoy seeing all the goss that comes through for Rural Health Matters. It’s good to hear about the things that are happening across the school.
When you are not at work, what do you enjoy doing?
I have been involved in a few community organisations at board level, including Lifeline Gippsland and the Old Gippstown Committee of Management. I’m currently on the Gippsland Coastal Board and the Committee for Gippsland and am looking to be more involved next year with the Moe Football and Netball Club, where my youngest son plays.
Apart from that I like kicking back with the occasional glass of red around the barbie and travelling around the region … which brings me to the next question.
What was your most recent holiday destination and why did you choose it?
We have just returned from a couple of weeks in China and a stopover on the way home in Thailand. My last three weekends have been in Beijing, Shanghai and Bangkok respectively, so a weekend in Victoria seems a bit low-key! It is good to be home through.
We went to China with some friends to have a break and it was fabulous. People great, food as well – expect for the donkey sandwich and the jellyfish – and the scale of most things in China is just amazing. They do roads, bridges, history and bathrooms very well.
If you were Emperor for a day, what is one thing you would implement?
Apply some common sense to energy conservation. It should be compulsory that every new home is constructed with solar panels as well as double or triple glazed windows. If every new home had solar, the level of demand would rise and therefore supply and hopefully bring down the price of solar units for existing homes.
Surprise us! What is something about you that most of your peers would not know?
A very long time ago, when I was at school, I did the Duke of Edinburgh Award. Nothing special about that but I was lucky that the year I completed the Gold Award the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were in Australia for the Centenary Test match. That meant the awards were presented by the Duke himself aboard the royal yacht Britannia. My folks were very impressed, especially since they had an invite.