New CEO for Prom Country Aged Care

THE board of Prom Country Aged Care (PCAC), which comprises Banksia Lodge in Foster and Prom View Lodge at Toora, has appointed a new chief executive officer, Claire Schmierer.

Ms Schmierer, who was born and bred in Morwell but has moved around extensively in the course of her career, has made her home in Toora and said she was delighted to return to Gippsland to take up the appointment.

“We are thrilled to have Claire in the position of CEO,” said PCAC board chair Sandy Bucello. “She comes with a wealth of experience and knowledge. Her appointment gives our organisation depth and the leadership to take us into our exciting new building phase.”

Ms Schmierer was most recently contracted to Macedon Ranges Health Services at Gisborne to assist the CEO with the residential services sector in that region. Previous to that she was chief operations officer with Doutta Galla Aged Services, which managed eight residential services in Melbourne and regional Victoria.

She has also worked for St Vincent de Paul Aged Care and Community Services, now known as Vincentcare, on both a professional and a voluntary basis. She managed several sites for the organisation from Traralgon to Terang. It was during her time there that a new building was commissioned and two were decommissioned – experience which has well prepared her for taking the reins at PCAC.

Ms Bucello said that in addition to Ms Schmierer a building project manager, Mr Michael Germano, an executive director at Connect PM, has recently been appointed.

“He will work closely with Claire and the PCAC board to ensure the communities, residents and staff are consulted and participate in the building program, which will result in a state-of-the-art facility to meet the needs of residential services in the Corner Inlet area now and well into the future,” she said.

Ms Schmierer said that as a very community-minded person she was looking forward to becoming involved in the Corner Inlet community.

The mother of four adult children loves music of all sorts, reading and craftwork – when she can find the time! She has travelled widely, including a stint working as a midwife in Scotland, and has a great love of nature, so is thrilled to find herself living in beautiful South Gippsland.

She was at one stage a very active member of Rotary and although she is no longer a member of a club she still helps with fundraising efforts whenever she can. She has encouraged her two sons and two daughters to follow her example and be active volunteers.

Ms Schmierer, who comes across as thoroughly down-to-earth and approachable despite her impressive CV, said she would be only too happy to speak to local service clubs and other community organisations and clubs on the subject of aged care. She invites people who would like her to address their groups – or who would like to discuss their ideas for aged care in the Corner Inlet district with her – to contact her at Banksia Lodge.

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