Staff

Personnel West follows strict management guidelines in the recruitment, training and retention of quality staff. All staff are employed on the basis of their skills and abilities in placing people with a disability into real jobs within the local community. Our depth of knowledge and understanding of the local business community and the needs of our job seekers, together with our experience in assisting hundreds of job seekers to meet their employment goals, means that we are well placed to assist you to find suitable work.

David Wallis – General Manager

Originally from Perth, David has been living in Queensland since 1989 and is a carpenter by trade. David has been working in the Disability industry for approximately 16 years. He came to be involved in the industry through his son, who is profoundly Deaf. From 1996 to 2004 David worked in the Deaf community in a number of roles, and in 1998 was accredited as a Para Professional Sign Language Interpreter. One benefit of working at Personnel West is observing the change in people with a disability when they find work, their quality of life and self esteem improves. He enjoys working towards creating a more inclusive community.

Toni Spence – DES Manager

Toni formerly spent 2 years at Personnel West as an Employment Consultant, but left for a position as a Support Worker. She became a Team Leader at Blue Care aged care in the Respite Centre. After 18 months there she wanted to return to employment services, as she found the most rewarding part of her work is to see people in employment or training and the development this provides. “I enjoy seeing people in employment, it is what adds the most value to people’s lives. It’s great to see clients achieving their goals.” Toni has been back at Personnel West since September 2009.

Patricia Hughes – Program Coordinator & Occupational Therapist – Youth Service

Patricia, who prefers to be called Pat, manages the Youth Service. She survived a light plane crash in 1990. Following a number of operations, including two back surgeries, to address her critical, life-threatening injuries, Pat entered rehabilitation and was so inspired by the work of the therapists that she decided to become one! Although challenged daily by chronic pain, Pat finally graduated from La Trobe University in Melbourne in 2001 as an Occupational Therapist. Pat says, “I have experienced the impact of disability in my life, but I have also experienced the healing power of having a job. Occupation is essential to the health of every person, which is why I love what I do here at Personnel West.” Pat has also completed a Grad. Dip. In Deaf Studies and uses Auslan to communicate directly with Deaf clients.

David Berrett – Employment Consultant – Case Management

David has extensive background in working with people with disabilities, having worked as a support worker, registered psychiatric nurse, enrolled nurse in general hospitals, residential care worker in integration settings and a recreational officer in a private psychiatric hospital. David gets a lot of satisfaction from assisting clients maximize their potential and to achieve goals that they never thought possible.

Tracey Akers – Employment Consultant – Case Management / Intake Officer

Tracey has worked in the employment industry since December 2007. She has two brothers with intellectual disabilities and gained further experience while working as a teacher aide for two years. Prior to this she was a stay-at-home mum to her 3 children, and understands how hard it can be looking for work. She is determined to do her very best to find suitable employment for her clients to suit their needs and enrich their lives. “The negative responses we get can be disheartening, but by never giving up we will get you the ‘Yes’ you deserve.”

Stuart Symonds – Employment Consultant – Case Management / Workplace Health & Safety Officer

Stuart has lived in Toowoomba for the past 20 years and is married with 3 children. He has experience in various industries, including around 30 years as a Carpenter and Joiner working on homes, industrial projects, and for a while owning his own small building business. Stuart has been working with people with an intellectual disability for the last 8 years, training clients in furniture manufacture, working in the packaging industry, and in life skills. He is also experienced in implementing QA, Workplace Health and Safety and HACCP. He began as an Employment Consultant at Personnel West in November 2008, and takes pleasure in being part of a team that has a positive impact on many people and helps clients achieve goals that empower them in their everyday lives.

Helen Taylor – Employment Consultant – Case Management

Helen comes from a Special Ed. teaching background and also has a Bachelor of Psychology. She has always worked with young people with special needs and disability, and her area of expertise is Asperger’s Syndrome. She has also worked for various community organizations such as Visible Ink and Drug Arm. Helen says “I don’t like labelling people ‘disabled’, I accept people for who they are with their own abilities. It’s a buzz to be able to do this every day and love what you do. Personnel West is a great bunch of people, we are diverse but blend well, and people who access the service benefit from that.”

Donna Lister – Employment Consultant – Case Management

Donna has worked within the Deaf community for 15 years as an interpreter and for the past 6 years as an Employment consultant. She still freelance interprets occasionally. Donna’s current position involves interpreting for staff meetings, inductions, job interviews and training and is also a mediator when necessary. There are some clients without jobs at the moment so Donna’s role also includes helping them find employment.

Mark Setchfield – Employment Consultant – Case Management

Mark excels at discovering the potential and possibilities in people. He particularly delights in assisting young people to find their abilities and gain the right employment. Mark’s unique combination of skills have been honed in the rigors of business and training and exactly complements the core business of PWYS.

Elli Primus – Employment Consultant – Case Management

Elli has worked with personnel west since February 2011. She started off as receptionist before branching into employment consultancy. Elli is currently studying a degree in nursing with a hope to eventually complete a post graduate degree in paediatrics. She enjoys working with Personnel West Youth Service as they take on a holistic approach in regards to their clients. Elli also enjoys working with such a diverse group of people and is looking forward to growing within Personnel West Youth Service.

Christy Walters – Employment Consultant – Case Management

Before she came to Personnel West in 2010, Christy spent over 3 years working in mainstream employment agencies Max, Job Find, and most recently as a Job Search Trainer at Job Network. Christy says that while some aspects of her job are the same as before, working in disability services requires more focus on the different needs of each individual. She likes Personnel West as she has a smaller caseload and can spend more time getting to know each client. Christy is from Charleville originally and moved to Toowoomba in 2007. She has a little boy who is 17 months old.

Linda Thomas – Administration & Finance Manager

Linda started at Personnel West in 2010. She has mainly worked as a bookkeeper dealing with accounts and payroll, but wanted to change to an admin position for more people-oriented work. She’s originally from country NSW, moving to Toowoomba in 2007, and is married with 2 grown up children. Linda appreciates Personnel West’s exceptionally supportive atmosphere and friendly people.

Peter Nicholas -Employment Consultant – Case Management

Susanne Yerabie -Employment Consultant – Case Management

Donna Curran -Job Search Team Leader

Don Makim. -Job Search

Shelley Buckley. -Personal Assistant

Shelley came to Australia in 2007 where starting out on the gold coast and then heading up the hill to Toowoomba, she is now settled in at Personnel West as the Personal Assistant to the General Manager and the Finance Manager. ” Working for Personnel West is one of the most satisfying and rewarding jobs I have ever had. We all say that job satisfaction is important but until you actually experience it you cant really appreciate it”. To be able to say that I am part of a team that cares and we give back to the community is the most rewarding role I have ever had” I am proud to say I am an employee of Personnel West and we are here because we care!