Kids paint 2nd mural

This week has been very exciting for GJK Facility Services, as we engaged local Indigenous artist, Arkie to design and paint another mural for our carpark walls.

This time around we have collaborated with the students at Collingwood College, where they each designed their own piece to be incorporated into the mural. The students and Arkie have been working hard over the last few days to complete the project, which is looking fabulous! Mayor Danae Bosler - Yarra City Council even came for a visit and got painting herself!

This all started when GJK approached Collingwood College’s Principal Sam Luck, and art teacher Angela Dionysopoulos, with the idea of Arkie sharing her knowledge and stories of Indigenous art with the students.

The idea around this was to educate the students from grades 5 & 6, about Indigenous culture which would then form part of their art curriculum. Arkie shared her story and meaning behind her artwork with the students, inspiring them with ideas of what their symbol could be. The students were then asked to create their own symbol, which they would then paint onto the large community mural.

Arkie explained to the students; “In my art, I use contemporary and abstract symbols to depict things in the environment around us and also things about myself. A lot of my work uses a circular symbol which can mean many things across different Indigenous Australian people. For my family, it means campsites and meeting places”.

During the following weeks, the students worked on their designs with the excitement of knowing they would soon be part of a larger artwork on display for everyone to see.

Arkie’s vision behind this mural?

“The art piece I’ve created with the students, represents different parts of the community coming together to support each other and how a community working together can achieve great things.”

GJK is proud to be involved in such a great project and we look forward to the unveiling of the finished artwork.

$2m for healthcare

GJK Facility Services is proud to be one of the many companies that helps raise funds to support Epworth HealthCare. Each year these companies help to raise more than $2 million, and the funds are used to support a range of activities including medical research, staff scholarships and patient care programs.

Epworth HealthCare hosts all supporting companies once a year at Epworth Richmond to thank them for their support. It was my pleasure to represent the EMF Board of trustees at the event this year, with EMF Executive Director Scott Bulger, and Dr Lachlan Henderson Group Chief Executive of Epworth HealthCare.

Lest we forget

At 11.00am on the 11th of November 1918, an Armistice was signed between the German and Allied forces, which brought an end to a war that to this day, is the cause of the greatest loss of life in recorded human history.

Today at 11am, GJK took a short pause, not to celebrate war, but to contemplate the sacrifice made by all those who have given their lives in the service of their country, in that conflict and in the many conflicts since and to recognise those who returned but were forever changed by their experiences.

On this 101st Anniversary of the Armistice, GJK's General Manager, People & Safety Doug Melville, himself a retired veteran, reminded us there are no remaining veterans of that conflict. As each generation become less connected with that period in world history and with those who lived through it, it becomes increasingly important that the lessons of the past, are not permitted to fade from our collective memory.

Lest we forget.

Safe Work Month

At GJK Facility Services we are committed to ensuring everyone goes home from work safely at the end of each day. Aligned with #SafeWorkMonth, GJK developed a calendar to raise awareness about the importance of safety in the workplace.

This calendar was designed by the children of our valued employees and supported by our generous partners.

Advance Careers, Central Cleaning Supplies, Direct Health Solutions, Injury Assist, Hannafords Cleaning Trade Supply Co., Commonwealth Bank, True Cleaning Services Ptd. Ltd, GJK Indigenous Solutions.

In addition to this, GJK held an morning tea to recognise our #SafeWorkMonth safety champions, who actively took a role in supporting a strong health and safety culture.

Thank you to everyone who made this possible.

Indigenous art

GJK are proud to have initiated a joint project with Collingwood College, Yarra City Council and local Indigenous artist, Arkie to raise awareness of Indigenous culture through art with the kids at Collingwood College.

Learning what different symbols mean in Indigenous art, the kids will design a symbol that represents themselves. These will then be incorporated into a large mural designed by Arkie.

Together, the kids and Arkie will paint the mural on a wall in Sturt Street,Collingwood for the local community to enjoy.

Thank You Cleaners

Yesterday GJK celebrated Thank Your Cleaner Day with our fantastic cleaners across the nation. They are the invisible heroes working in the background to ensure the facilities, public spaces and transport we use day to day are clean and hygienic.

Fostering innovation

As part of GJK Facility Services and GJK Indigenous Solutions ongoing expansion, our executive team and senior management have been taking part in a two-day strategy workshop. The workshop has had a focus on identifying innovative ideas and solutions to support changes that our industry deserves, as well as the future of both our business and the needs and expectations of our customers.

Empowering women

GJK were proud to host a special lunch on Monday with guest Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar, his wife Tazima and representatives from The Hunger Project (THP) including Christine Khor and Sivanjana Kathiravel
Dr Badiul spoke about the need for more leadership engagement and support regarding strategies to deliver self-reliance in the communities in Bangladesh, where 10% of the population are suffering from severe poverty and hunger.

The focus emphasized the need to empower more women to build sustainable communities through education and support. Dr Badiul called upon greater levels of leadership and leaders with a vision to communicate and make action happen and outlined examples how leaders can change lives through doing things differently.