Our People

Achieving Academic Success  

We are so proud of our Business & Technology Support Coordinator, Basil Paul, as he achieves his post-graduate degree in the field of Project Management.  Congratulations Basil!  

Please read about Basil's journey.

By Basil Paul, MPM

"The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet."  - Aristotle.

On the 22nd of March 2022, I was proud to celebrate the efforts and hard work invested over the last two years to achieve a post-graduate degree in the field of Project Management from Monash University. Venturing on the journey to graduate was demanding due to the impacts of COVID-19 and variances of life, but finally the hard work payed off.

My choice of project management was underpinned by my ambition to lead and hone a team that can propose functional strategies to achieve an organisation’s objectives under the defined constraints. Additionally, the required skills of project management are closely interwoven with many aspects of our personal lives and that invoked more ambition for traversing through the degree by putting my head down and working with pride on whatever is presented to me.

While I am celebrating my academic milestone, I am also extremely proud to be a part of the GEKA organisation, which gives me vast opportunities to learn and grow in a professional environment, where people lead by example. It is an honour to work under the mentorship and management of Corey Goods and Melissa MacMaster and the GEKA family. I would like to acknowledge and pay respects to the teachers, mentors, and peers who supported me in this continuous journey of learning.

Thank you and Farewell:  Corey Goodes, GM Business Services

Our GM Business Services, Corey Goodes, has been with GEKA for just over four years and has been an amazing asset to the team. He commenced with us as Systems Coordinator,  but adapted his role and the expectations of him, to grow and enhance the organisation.  Corey was instrumental in driving the many internal efficiencies for staff across the organisation.  His greatest skill was being able to bring us all along on the journey - there are many of us that have learnt so much about information technology systems, especially during the pandemic, because of Corey's patience and ability to teach new things to people. 

For families, we now have online enrolment forms and an increase in online information on our website - two key projects Corey has been responsible for as GM Business Services.  This has dramatically reduced the amount of paper we have had to print, is so is much more sustainable and user friendly.  The way we onboard new children and families is seamless now, thanks to Corey's innovation and leadership.  Corey is also responsible for the virtual tours (https://geka.org.au/virtual-tours/) that prospective families can take, before choosing the right kindergarten environment for their child.  This has made it so much easier for families to get what they need and respond to requests with ease - especially over the past two years.  Corey has kept people connected by ensuring we had the technology we needed and the knowledge to implement new processes.     

For the last couple of years, Corey has been a part of the executive management team and has been a tremendous support to the CEO, GM Operations/Education and the GM Finance. He has carried out his work with a dedication and sense of loyalty that cannot be underestimated.  

We know we speak on behalf of everyone, when we say a heartfelt thank you for everything you have done to support the people of this organisation.  You will be dearly missed.  

Corey, fortunately, will remain within the Education sector.  We sincerely wish Corey all the best in his next position and look forward to him visiting us when he can.