Ten new PALM aged care workers arrive in Esperance

Esperance Aged Care Facility (EACF) is delighted to welcomed ten new Personal Care Workers from Kiribati, secured through the Pacific Australia Labour Migration (PALM) Scheme.

Ten new PALM workers from Kiribati with the EACF management team

Kiribati is a small island country located between the Cook Islands and Hawaii, where the average temperature is 28 degrees, a stark contrast to Esperance's climate in the middle of August.

EACF Chairperson Toni Hawkins said the new workers have settled in quickly and have started their 12-month course, Certificate IV in Aged Care.

"Each worker has a four-year contract which gives us certainty and security in our staff numbers to enable us to confidently open up more beds and welcome more residents into the Facility," Ms Hawkins said.

"We are very pleased to welcome our new PALM workers, it's something that we have wanted to do for a long time.

"I would particularly like to thank EACF Board Member Tori Castledine for identifying the opportunity and the many hours she put into the preparation, planning and application for this successful outcome.

"Please help us make them feel welcome by saying ‘Mauri!’ which means hello and welcome, in Kiribati, if you see them around town."

Around 30 new beds are expected to become available in the next three months thanks to the additional aged care workers.

Asti Tekiaa, one of the workers from the PALM scheme, said that this was a great opportunity for her and that she will be able to help her family back in Kiribati.

“It’s very nice to be here, it’s also very cold but Esperance is a very beautiful place,” Ms Tekiaa said.

“Everyone is very friendly, and the residents are just so beautiful, they have been very welcoming.

“We’ve been to the beach, the Pink Lake, the Rotary Look Out and also the Op Shop, where they gave us all these warm clothes and scarves for free, it was just so nice.”

Ms Tekiaa said that prior to leaving Kiribati, the workers did a course together and know each other well.

“We’d like to thank everyone for this opportunity and thank everyone for the warm welcome.”

Ms Hawkins said the next group of PALM workers will arrive in Esperance in the next few weeks, which will bring EACF's PALM workforce to 20.