QJA BOARD NEWS Farewell Marian Vierveyzer Over the years the QJA Board has seen directors come and go, but in December 2018 the Board was saddened when long time Board member Marian Vierveyzer handed in her resignation. After 14 years Marian thought it was time to move on and let go of something she has cherished for so long. Marian has performed her Board duties with outstanding commitment, a positive attitude and professional demeanour, consistent with the QJA Code of Conduct and QJA Constitution. Members can be very proud of Marian’s achievements over the past 14 years. Marian has been a JP (Qual) since 2000 and immediately joined QJA Ipswich Branch. Since taking her oath she has held the position of Chair at Ipswich Branch and filled a casual vacancy on the Board of Directors in January 2005. Since then Marian has held positions of Director and for seven years she served as Vice President. Her director portfolios were varied and included leading the Human Resources, Workplace Health & Safety and Finance & Audit portfolios and involvement in Training, RTO Compliance, Marketing, and Communication. More recently, Marian led the Board through development of the QJA Risk Management Strategy. The annual International Women’s Day events and the QJA Annual Awards have been some of her pet projects. She promotes QJA at every opportunity, exploring new horizons for QJA such as the establishment of new branches through the South Western region. Her commitment to the aims and values of QJA and its Constitution has allowed her to support the Board through its endeavours for continuous improvement and to give value to the membership. During the years as a Director, Marian has been directly involved with the establishment of Logan, Toowoomba, Western Suburbs, Springfield and Lockyer Valley branches. She has visited and supported other branches throughout Queensland including Gladstone, Cairns, Townsville, Warwick, Kingaroy and Redlands and in a wider sense all branches and contact groups like Rosewood and Forest Lake. Since moving to Roma in 2016, Marian has continued to connect to the local community through speaking to community groups, conducting training courses and establishing a QJA branch. She has also established a signing facility and is working towards expanding the QJA profile in the South West of Queensland. In her working life Marian is employed as a Work Health 4
Serving Queensland’s Honorary Justices since 1918
& Safety Specialist which also incorporates Environment, Quality, Training, Injury Management and Compliance. She is committed to empowering JPs and Cdecs with their own professional development and to lobby for the betterment of all honorary justices in Queensland. Marian is committed to membership growth and establishing a “club like” culture to instil pride in being a member of QJA. As a
member, Marian will continue to work tirelessly to ensure the QJA is professional in its leadership and advocacy.
Welcome Back Bruce Birtwell In the event of a QJA Board vacancy occurring during an election term, it is Board policy to select a replacement from unsuccessful nominees at the previous election. When long-term Board member Marian Vierveyzer resigned in December 2018, a casual vacancy was created and, in accordance with the Board policy, Bruce Birtwell was appointed to fill this vacancy. It is with great pleasure that we welcome Bruce Birtwell JP(Qual) back to the Board after narrowly missing out on re-election in 2017. Bruce will be known to many members as the leader of the team that brought us that great State Conference in Toowoomba in 2017. Bruce has been a Justice of the Peace since 1989 and is just months away from celebrating 30 years as a member of the QJA. Bruce brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the Board as he lists the following among his achievements:
Board Director - 2015 – 2017 During this time Bruce was a leading and active member on the Board: •
Leading and developing the Community Engagement program and the QJA Awards culminating in the very successful inaugural awards which were presented at the 2016 QJA State Conference in Rockhampton
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A key driver of the Branch Forum initiative which rolled out in 2017 and is about to pick up pace again after a hiatus during the 2018 centennial year celebratory activities
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Providing dedicated assistance in organising Childers and Lowood to build branch networks through support for organisational governance and resources, as well as providing practical guidance Branch Patron to Lockyer & Warwick Branches Oversight and governance of the QJA occupational health and safety portfolios.
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Bruce is a committed and active Branch member and has been the leader, or heavily involved, with the following membership activities:
