How rehab clients changed departing Sunrise Way CEO

DEPARTING Sunrise Way CEO Wendy Agar has revealed how clients of the Toowoomba rehabilitation centre shifted her views on addiction and mental health.

Wendy Agar, CEO Sunrise Way.

DEPARTING Sunrise Way CEO Wendy Agar has revealed how clients of the Toowoomba rehabilitation centre shifted her views on addiction and mental health.

Ms Agar announced last week she was ready to move on from the organisation she helped save from financial ruin nearly four years ago.

The outgoing chief executive and former bank manager will move into the burgeoning disability sector after accepting the CEO’s role at Magenta Community Services.

While she has made a big impact on the organisation and the people it helped, Ms Agar said the residents and their stories changed many of her preconceived notions about drug and alcohol addiction.

“This job actually changed my views on many things. I’ve learnt so much from our clients and their families,” she said.

“I’m regularly inspired and in awe of what they work through.

“When I speak to people (on the outside), I understand how people might view our clients.

“But I know addiction does not discriminate – we get people from every walk of life in here.

“Recovery is possible, there is always hope.”

Ms Agar said she was confident in the team and infrastructure she had established at Sunrise Way, praising the talents of the clinical staff.

“We’ve done the most important work here, and I’m proud of the work we do,” she said.

“We’ve got a team of professionals, and we’ve built the community’s support for the facility.

“I’m super confident that I’m leaving it for the next leader to take it to the next level.”

“I’m really comfortable that I’ve achieved my goals.”

Ms Agar said the decision to move to Magenta was motivated at least partially by her personal experiences of family members with disabilities.

“I had a severely disabled brother, so I have a lived experience and my brother had service providers that weren’t up to scratch,” she said.

“I grew up watching my brother get care that wasn’t good enough, so I’m keen to make a difference.

“Magenta and I are philosophically aligned, they look after their staff, (so) I see my skills are transferable.”

Ms Agar will finish her tenure with Sunrise Way at the end of December.

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