Hayley Sauer - Banana Shire Council

Hayley Sauer, Field Support Officer, Banana Shire Council

WHAT DID I GET OUT OF PROPELLER?

Propeller was an experienced like no other! As a group we got to travel and learn about other Council and their operations, goals, struggles and achievements. Each region that we had visited taught us something new and valued the sessions we spent there.

Experience aside, the network and connections we had form will last a lifetime. As a group and we had bonded very well and were able to email each other about anything even just to catch up or to tell a dad joke! No doubt there will be a re-union in the future, and I am looking forward to catching up with the great people I have met!

WHAT WAS THREE HIGHLIGHTS OF PROPELLER?

Cooktown Accommodation

With a group of 15 travelling to Cooktown with not many accommodation options, we were split into multiple hotels, motels, caravan parks and even a cabin in the woods. I was booked into a caravan at the park by myself and I enjoyed every minute of it! At first, I was not keen to be in a caravan but once I was settled it was great, I will be going back there.

Mareeba Session

I enjoyed the Mareeba session because one of the guest speakers specialized in a field I am in currently. I was able to ask questions, talk about my experience and get some helpful advice. This was a real learning point for me on the Propeller experience.

Car trip to Noosa and back

The car trip to Noosa and back was very amusing and I was able to build a friendship with the two ladies I was with. We laughed lots, stopped at all the fruit markets, sang to the music, and got to know each other very well.

OVERALL THOUGHTS?

Propeller really opened my eyes to different functions of Local Government and was able to build my knowledge and skills. I would not call Propeller a program as much as I would call it an experience. I would recommend this experience to all L/G workers as it is very beneficial and will teach you so much about yourself and local government.

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BLTS

BLT’s name originated from the initial of each Council; Banana Shire Council (Hayley Sauer), Livingstone Shire Council (Jon Ashman and Karen Sandy), Torres Shire Council (Tanya Loban) and Southern Downs Regional Council (Sean Beck).

Each member of the team held a diverse role and brought various skills to the project. Hayley is the Field Officer, Jon is the Coordinator Civil Design, Karen is the Resilience and Volunteer Coordination Officer, Tanya is the Human Resources Manager and Sean the Strategic Planning and Project Coordinator.

The team first met in 2020, however due to COVID-19 didn’t meet again until 2021 where they bonded quickly and got down to work. BLT’s facilitated workshops in Charters Towers Regional Council and Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council; none of the team members had ever visited these regions previously and were able to lean on and support one another in developing individual and team skills.

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HAYLEY'S MEMOIR