Meet the Locals – Kath Hema

Our top little town is full of interesting people from varied backgrounds. Each edition, we’ll be chatting to different members of the community to get their story and share it with you so you get to “Meet the Locals”.

This edition, we met with Kath Hema, Tieri Community Development Officer at CTM LINKS…

Where was home before Tieri?

I was born and bred in Winton, a small country town in outback Queensland.

In 1986, we moved to Emerald. And I actually lived in Tieri for a short while in my early 20s and travelled to Emerald for work. At the time I remember thinking ‘this really isn’t for me’…but life clearly had other ideas!

I met my husband, Terry, in Emerald in 1997. We were both ready to go on adventure so we packed up, flipped a coin to determine our direction and spent the next two years working and travelling through many parts of Southern and Western Australia.

In 1999 work opportunities brought us back to Emerald and in 2004, Terry was given the opportunity of a ‘full-time crank’ with Oaky Creek Coal at Oaky North, so we moved here and Tieri became our home.

You’ve been in Tieri for 20 years – half its life – what changes have you seen in that time?

I endearingly refer to Tieri as a ‘Big Old Snake’ because it is constantly shedding and growing new skin. People come and go often. Primarily because it offers a great, safe place to grow a family. People stay here until children reach the end of primary school, at which point they tend to get drawn towards the coast or a bigger town where there’s more schooling options and extra-curricular activities.

The upside is there’s an eternal vibrance here. With new energy comes enthusiasm, hope, and the desire to be engaged in something. The downside is the social isolation that can occur when you are raising your child/ren away from your family and network of friends. You can feel a sense of disconnection. Helping people create a new network and promote a sense of community is the biggest part of my job.

Speaking of your job, you’re a Community Development Officer for CTM LINKS in Tieri…what does that involve?

Our organisation identifies itself as a Neighbourhood Centre. The position of Community Development Officers (CDO) is a multi-pronged role. We’re here to provide a safe space for people to come; we are an Information Centre for people, especially those new to town; we are a referral pathway service for those who might need assistance; and we bring about social cohesion with events and activities that bring people together and create opportunities for connection. In my profession we describe ourselves as the “knitters”…we knit people together to help them create their community.

I love the ‘ground-up’ community development aspect of my role: empowering people to develop the community they want. For example, if someone shares with me a desire to see a certain event, initiative or group be established in the community, I work with them to help map that out, create a viable plan, apply for grants if needed and connect them with people who can help bring that vision to life. We did this last year with the Colour Run for Janice.

How do you define a community?

For me, community is about feeling part of something, then wanting to extend yourself to grow that sense of ‘something’ for the benefit of not only yourself, but also for your loved ones and the greater good of the people around you within that ‘community’.

It’s also about truly ‘seeing’ others and connection and engagement at every level. I learnt this from my Dad and will always be grateful that he instilled the importance of belonging and community.

Have you always been in a community service role?

No, I haven’t. For most of my working life I’ve been a bookkeeper/administrator for small businesses.

In 2016, I took some time off and – as luck would have it – someone recommended attending a ‘Wheel of Wellbeing’ workshop in Capella. I was blown away by this evidence-based framework that aims to increase your capacity for happiness and enhance your general wellbeing.

That led me down a whole new career path and I became a ‘Wheel of Wellbeing’ Accredited Practitioner. It was my first introduction to ‘community work’ and I realised that was where I wanted to be. In 2018 an administrative role with CTM links came up which aligned with the direction I was going. Then, in 2020, I was given the opportunity to fill the role as Tieri CDO and I haven’t looked back since.

What draws you to this line of work…why do you do it?

Both my husband and I grew up in small towns. We have great memories of growing up in a small community and the sense of freedom, belonging and safety that comes with it.

We’ve been fortunate enough to have our own family and been able to provide that same upbringing to them.

I do what I do to try and help people enjoy and benefit from that same sense of community here in Tieri.

If you weren’t doing this, what do you think you would be doing?

I’m fascinated by neuroscience so if I had a start over, perhaps I’d be a psychologist.

One thing I am yet to achieve is to be a Qigong (pronounced “Chee-gong”) instructor. Qigong is an ancient Chinese healing practice that’s similar to Tai Chi. It’s about tuning in and connecting to the energy (chi) within yourself and using it to generate energy and vitality.

You’ve recently been part of the Tieri 40^th Organising Committee. What was a stand out moment for you during the celebrations?

It was all a stand-out! The events and activities were aimed at engaging and capturing as broad a demographic of our community as possible. From sporting events to craft events, to family events, to memorabilia, and even a continuous miner display. We had so much to offer.

However, if I had to pick one from an event perspective, the highlight was probably the music festival on the last night. The whole point of the 40^th was to celebrate Tieri past and present. The music festival felt like Tieri of old, it was incredible. There’s a lot of nostalgia in the footy fields, so for people to go back to their old ‘stomping ground’ brought back heaps of fond memories. To have Dragon and The Angels – two legendary Australian rock bands – playing at our ‘top little town’, was mind-blowing! And to see two homegrown artists – one of which was our son – supporting them, well, it was a proud moment all round! It was the perfect way to end the celebrations and something that will stay with me forever.

Overall, I think we honoured Tieri well.

How would your mates describe you?

Passionate (to a fault at times).

How do you spend your spare time…and with whom?

Terry and I love camping and exploring. Every year we plan a big trip with life-long friends to explore somewhere new and go on an adventure. We typically like to go remote – somewhere like Cape York, Flinders Range, Savannah Way or the Simpson Desert – and truly switch off.

Aside from that, my favourite thing to relax is to go bush walking out in the surroundings of Tieri with my dog, Abe.

5 things you can’t live without?

1. My pillow!
2. My family
3. A G&T or a Rum can (depending on the occasion)
4. A good cup of coffee
5. And podcasts / TED Talks

Dead or alive, who would be your ideal BBQ guest?

My Dad, for sure – I miss him tremendously. And my husband’s Dad, I never had the chance to meet him and I think we would have liked each other. Besides that, my family! Both mine and Terry’s. It would be loud, witty, and maybe slightly obnoxious, but it would be filled with masses of laughter.