Hi, my name is Holly Ireland-Jones (or Mortimer, depending on where you look. Life admin is hard and I haven’t quite managed to change my name everywhere despite being married for five and a half years!). I’m a Multidisciplinary Team Leader in Royal Far West’s Schools & Early Years unit and also work as an Occupational Therapist.
What does your role involve?
As a Multidisciplinary Team Leader, I manage and support a team of psychologists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists and allied health assistants who deliver both telehealth and face-to-face therapy services.
Our team works primarily with communities across Western New South Wales, helping children access the support they need closer to home. I also collaborate closely with our Heads of Department, Operations Team, Partnerships Team and Clinical Leadership Team, as well as local schools and early learning centres.
Together, we work to ensure we’re meeting the needs of the communities we support while continuing to provide efficient, high-quality and child-centred services.
How long have you been with Royal Far West?
I first joined Royal Far West in early 2017, which feels like a lifetime ago.
Back then, we were still working out of the old Royal Far West building and there were around seven Occupational Therapists sharing a single office. Today, we have more than 30 Occupational Therapists working across Australia and even internationally.
I did take a year and a half away to live and work in London while travelling across Europe, but when I returned to Australia at the end of 2019, I immediately reached out to Royal Far West to rejoin the team.
Have you seen any changes in the sorts of issues children face during your time at Royal Far West?
There have definitely been ebbs and flows over the years.
I’ve seen children, families and communities navigate a range of local, national and global challenges, including natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic. These events have had significant impacts on wellbeing, education and access to services.
One thing that has consistently impressed me is Royal Far West’s ability to adapt and respond to changing community needs. The organisation has always found ways to evolve its services to ensure children and families receive the support they need, when they need it most.
What led you to work at Royal Far West?
A few fantastic colleagues I’d worked with previously had made their way to Royal Far West, which first put the organisation on my radar.
Once I learned more about Royal Far West’s commitment to supporting country kids, combined with the opportunity to work from a beautiful beachfront location, it felt like the perfect fit. When a role became available, I jumped at the chance.
Can you describe your typical day?
Like many roles at Royal Far West, no two days are ever quite the same.
As a part-time team member, my mornings often start with catching up on emails and messages from my days off. From there, my day could include team meetings, one-on-one check-ins with staff, providing clinical supervision, collaborating with leadership teams, supporting operational planning, problem-solving client allocations and schedules, contributing to quality improvement projects, or meeting with schools and early learning staff to plan services and community visits.
One of the things I love most about the role is how connected it keeps me to colleagues across different teams, even while working remotely.
What do you love about working with families from rural and remote Australia?
I love feeling connected to rural and remote communities, even though I no longer live in one.
The warmth, friendliness and down-to-earth nature of country people instantly makes me feel at home and reminds me of my own upbringing. Being able to contribute to these communities and support local children and families is incredibly rewarding.
What do you think makes Royal Far West unique?
There are so many things that make Royal Far West special.
Our rich history, the exceptional calibre of our clinicians and our ability to combine the expertise of a city-based organisation with the welcoming, community-focused feel of the country all contribute to what makes Royal Far West unique.
Can you give us an example of a family’s positive outcomes through working with Royal Far West?
One client success story has stayed with me for many years.
I worked with a 12-year-old boy who experienced ongoing challenges with fine motor skills and motor planning. Together with his mother, we decided to focus on helping him learn to tie his shoelaces independently.
Within just a week of therapy, he mastered the skill.
At first, it seemed like a small achievement. However, the broader impact quickly became clear. He was a passionate football player and had previously relied on his mum or a coach to tie his shoelaces before training or games. Learning to do this independently gave him greater confidence, improved his self-esteem and allowed him to participate more comfortably in a sport he loved.
It’s a wonderful reminder that what might seem like a small milestone can have a significant impact on a child’s daily life and sense of independence.
Where’s your country? Where do you feel most connected to?
I currently live on Turrbal and Juggera Country in Brisbane, but I spent my childhood growing up on Bidjara Country in Charleville, a small town in south-west Queensland.
After spending time living and travelling throughout Australia and overseas, Queensland still feels like home. That said, I also miss the beautiful beaches of Sydney from time to time.
Can you share some career highlights from your time at Royal Far West?
One of the greatest highlights has been the opportunity to grow alongside the organisation.
Over the past nine years, I’ve watched Royal Far West evolve from its original medical centre into the purpose-built Centre for Country Kids. I’ve seen our services expand beyond New South Wales into multiple states and experienced firsthand the impact that growth has had on children and families.
Personally, I’ve also been fortunate to learn from incredibly skilled colleagues and take on new opportunities throughout my career, progressing from Occupational Therapist to Senior Occupational Therapist, then Occupational Therapy Team Leader, and now Multidisciplinary Team Leader.
It’s been an incredibly rewarding journey, both professionally and personally.