By Ben Cameron
A service manager with Yooralla’s St Albans service has been named a finalist in the Victorian disability sector awards.
David Relf’s passion for caring for people with a disability began in 2006 in the
United Kingdom where he worked as a live-in carer.
“I was working with a client in the UK
who had had a stroke some 14 years earlier,’’
Mr Relf said.
‘‘I supported him with rigorous physiotherapy routines and one morning,
while I was supporting him, he wiggled his right toe slightly.
‘‘It was the first time he had been able to do this in 14 years and the happiness it brought him was immeasurable.’’
Mr Relf began working at Yooralla in 2008 and became service manager in 2013, a role that has expanded his focus to include a team of carers.
“The team supports clients to access the community and engage in meaningful activities, as well as to actively help out around their home,” he said.
Established by the Department of Human Services in 2011, the disability
sector awards recognise workers like Mr Relf, who has been praised by Yooralla for improving the quality of care, encouraging a positive culture and increasing community inclusion.
Yooralla manager Jo Wise nominated Mr Relf for this year’s ‘excellence in personal and community support’ award.
“It’s really inspiring and rewarding watching the people we work with learn new skills and interact positively in new environments and with new people,” Mr Relf said.
He said that as a team leader he encouraged open communication so workers knew they were supported and valued.
Throughout his career, Mr Relf has helped people with disabilities around the world, having also worked in South America as a volunteer in an orphanage.
“Most of my knowledge comes from experience,’’ he said. ‘‘I’ve worked for a number of organisations in Australia and the UK and supported people of all ages with a wide variety of disabilities.’’
The disability sector awards will be announced tomorrow night.
