It’s a sensational smile, and it is freely gifted by Kate Dunn to all who seek her help through the Mid Coast Community Connector Program.

The Mid Coast is her home, “I have lived here forever!” she laughs. “I know what’s available and I like to show people what’s here.”

“People arrive feeling quite vulnerable and they just need that one person to say, ‘don’t worry, I’ll take care of that for you’,” she explains. “It removes so much stress and anxiety, particularly for international families, because I want to help them to feel that our area could be home.”

Kate is the service delivery frontline for the innovative Mid Coast Community Connector Program. General practitioners, allied health professionals, nurses, engineers, senior managers, and manufacturing staff have connected with her to get help to navigate the barriers and challenges of moving to the Mid Coast from interstate or overseas.

Initiatives to grow the Mid Coast’s professional workforce are needed and the challenges of recruitment and retention are recognised by all levels of government. Hunter New England Local Health District (HNELHD) conducted an international recruitment drive from the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2024 to attract staff to boost the capacity of the Manning Hospital healthcare teams.

Manning Hospital secured 37 nurses and in October 2024 HNELHD acted to assist their relocation to the Mid Coast by engaging Kate to deliver support through the program.

NSW Minister for Regional Health Ryan Park cited health worker shortages as “one of the biggest challenges” confronting the health system when announcing the arrival of the new nurses.

“International recruitment drives are just one way we are helping to attract and retain health workers in our regional and rural areas,” Mr Park said.

Kate echoes the Minister’s assertion that the Mid Coast needs to “attract and retain” its workforce and says that is why the program is founded on the Attract Connect Stay Solution by Dr Cath Cosgrove.

Kate champions the effectiveness of the program to the Mid Coast business community and asserts it has positively impacted the region’s workforce as it has delivered 100 new professionals in less than two years, with the number jumping to 255 people when you include their families.

Partner employment is also strengthening the Mid Coast’s workforce with Kate describing it as “huge for the local area”.

“Out of the 100 professionals who have come through the program, I would say 65 are partnered, and around 60 of them now have jobs locally.”

Workplaces are seeing the value of the program as it is proving supportive in the retention of employees.

“Workplaces are having the continuous challenge of staff turnover … people coming and going, coming and going … it is costly and disruptive,” explains Kate.

“There are a range of reasons as to why people are leaving. It can range from not settling into the community or making social connections, or there can be challenges in the workplace that are out of the program’s control.

“Many organisations have been short-staffed and so the staff that are coming in are over-worked, and there has been no people to support them. That’s why it is important to recruit people in such a way that they are supported to stay.

“This program is not the total solution, but it is definitely having a big impact and people are choosing to stay longer, hopefully forever, you never know!”

Kate reveals that around 80 per cent of the program’s customers are from multicultural backgrounds and says that in Taree there are more than 120 families from southern India working in health and engineering.

“Every family is different, and every family needs support with different challenges,” says Kate.

Support is delivered in many ways, and can include talking with a prospective employee about the opportunities within the region before they apply for a role or take the leap to relocate here, educating them about the region and the different locations they can live depending on their needs, helping them to find temporary or permanent housing, support with moving and shipping services, identifying child care, schooling and extra-curricular options for families, linking to community or sporting groups as well as social and professional networks, invitations to special Community Connector events, and support to identify personal and health care services.

“It’s about supporting people during a very stressful time. There is always anxiety about moving, I can see it in almost everyone who is relocating,” says Kate.

“When I first talk with them most people are initially worried about their work – whether they are going to like the job, and whether it is going to be what they expected.

“I will always make sure there is someone in their workplace that they can connect with, not necessarily their boss, but ideally someone else who is working there. Creating connections in the workplace and outside of work is so important to their wellbeing.

“I will learn about their interests and connect them to clubs or organisations, encouraging them in their first month to go and check it out. I’ll check in with them and sometimes will go with them to find out information if they are anxious, particularly if they are on their own.”

Kate presents the Mid Coast as an ideal location for professionals and says, “it is quite rare that people don’t like the area because we have everything here.”

“Port Macquarie airport is only 50 minutes away, Newcastle Airport will soon be international, and it is less than two hours away.

“We have Forster, Boomerang Beach, Seal Rocks, Harrington, Wingham, Port Macquarie, and Newcastle is not far; people can work in Taree and live in Old Bar and be at the beach in less than 15 minutes!

“When it comes to social sporting, the whole region has excellent facilities and excellent clubs – everything is here, you just have to find what interests you and join the club! People just need to be shown what is here and supported to create connections to our community.”

When reflecting on why she loves her job Kate says, “It’s a feel-good role because I love helping people and my community.”

She cites the 37 new nurses as an example of a positive community impact.

“It’s helped our hospital which helps our community. That’s 37 new nurses who are reducing waiting times in the emergency department and the staff to patient ratios are better on the wards.”

She also reveals that all the people supported by the program are permanently housed with ten now acting to purchase properties.

“I love the area … my family is here, and I want to help others to make this place their home.”

Words and Image by Ainslee Dennis