The Bellarine Community Support Register Committee (BCSR) has awarded its inaugural Ann Nichol Award to Markus Stadler.
The award, named after the organisation’s founding president, will be presented to a volunteer member who made a significant, outstanding and ongoing contribution over a number of years in pursuit of the team’s goals.
Ann Nichol acknowledged Markus’s long-standing and ongoing commitment to the register. “Markus was involved from the very start,” she said.
“He was there at the initial development of the register’s database, when the software was sold to other registers around the state of Victoria and oversaw the program’s ongoing maintenance and improvement.
“This is a database of personal and contact information that was set up because people were dying alone in their homes and were not being found for many months. Some had no family, no friends or even neighbours who could take an interest in their welfare.”
In response to, and in acknowledgement, of the award Markus said that just months from the launch of the Bellarine Community Support Register in 2006, he set about developing a database having visited another other Victorian-based register already operating.
A clinical psychologist by trade, Markus set about developing the BilbiWare software package from scratch completing it over a three-week period.
Throughout his many years of service to the organisation, Markus was been the ‘go to’ person for volunteers needing database assistance. He has provided advice and support to the officer-in-charge of the Bellarine Police Station as well as undertaking training with new police members and volunteers.
Markus also donated a substantial income to BCSR through the sale of licences to 13 other registers across the state. He maintained a help desk and Blog site for licensees when assistance was required and successfully offered ongoing training as modifications and new skills were required.
“I am humbled and honoured that the committee would consider me worthy of such an award which I accept with heartfelt thanks,” Markus said.
“I am also delighted and amazed that the database remained operational for so long and has withstood the transition to a temporary cloud-based service whilst the new program is being developed.”
Utilitize IT, a Geelong-based company, is in the final stages of developing a modern equivalent software package called ‘Safeguard’ which is based on the original BCSR software package from 2006 and Markus is still there ready to hand over the reins to when the time comes.
Go to bellarineregister.org.au for information about the Bellarine Community Support Register.
