If you give to the community, the community will give to you.
A local hidden treasure has been uncovered.
HealthWISE Moree’s Tian Harris has been added to the prestigious NSW Hidden Treasures Honour Roll, a state-wide initiative celebrating the invaluable contributions of rural women volunteers.
Tian is a familiar face to many for her years promoting Moree tourism, countless hours spent volunteering for community organisations and dedication to rural health as an administration assistant for HealthWISE.
She volunteers with the State Emergency Service (SES), Moree and District Historical Society, Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service and the Moree Evening VIEW Club – just to name a few.
She was also recognised for her work designing the Goanna Pathway in Jellicoe Park.
Tian also shares her passion for the area with essential workers considering a tree change as the HealthWISE representative for the Moree Welcome Experience; an initiative that connects health, education and government workers with everything from housing and childcare to local sports clubs.
Sometimes it’s as simple as taking people out for a coffee to introduce them to locals.
“We just wanted to try and grow our town because if you give to the community, the community will give to you,” Tian said. It’s a cause close to Tian’s heart, as she saw the need for health and essential workers during her time in local government and tourism.
It’s a perspective that now shapes her work at HealthWISE, where she is a self-described “problem solver” who helps connect people with vital health services.
“We have such a different variety of services – everything from our speech therapy right through to our diabetic educators, to mental health,” Tian said.
“Let’s face it, mental health affects everybody.”
HealthWISE is pioneering two pilot programs in Moree, funded by the Hunter New England and Central Coast Primary Health Network. The multidisciplinary Diabetes Shared Care program helps locals manage their diabetes while the Supporting Recovery program assists domestic violence victim-survivors. Tian endeavours to get to know everyone who walks through the door.
“If they see a friendly face, I think that puts them at ease,” she said.
Tian is no stranger to being recognised for her contributions to the Moree community, after being named Northern Tablelands Local Woman of the Year last year for her years of volunteering, and efforts promoting the town’s rich heritage. Humble to the end, when the Premier’s department called, Tian was sure it was a prank; and even called the office of then Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall to double check.
“There were 550 people at the ceremony and little old me!” she said.
