17/12/20
Nigretta of Hamilton now has a team of supported workers on the job at Western District Health Service (WDHS) to ensure the hospital fleet vehicles remain sparkling clean.
The team have been contracted to regularly head to WDHS to wash vehicles, providing an avenue for meaningful employment and an opportunity to contribute to the health service.
WDHS Director of Corporate Services, Nick Starkie, says it’s a great opportunity for WDHS to partner with Western District Employment Access (WDEA) and aligns with the organisation’s Social Procurement Policy and Disability Inclusion Plan.
Nigretta site manager, Vivian Porter, agreed and said Nigretta was happy to work with WDHS to provide another avenue for meaningful employment.
“The supported employees are really happy to do something different, and some of them are actually real car nuts, they have pride in their cars, so they were excited to come and do that,” she said.
The team takes over the job from WDHS payroll manager, Craig McAllister, who is retiring next year after more than 41 years.
Mr McAllister has washed the cars after-hours and on weekends for over 28 years and is glad to see the responsibility go to a team that will benefit from the work.
“I think this is tremendous and I hope they enjoy it and get a bit of esteem from working together as a group,” he said.
Mr Starkie also hopes what WDHS was doing could help other local organisations reach out to Nigretta as well.
The collaboration spans more than car washing, with the Nigretta team also sorting the Health Service’s e-waste for recycling.
The Nigretta team can pick up anything electrical from local partnered businesses and separate components to be sent for recycling, waste or elsewhere.