2018 Young Environmental Health Professional Award

Published on 01 April 2019

At the Environmental Health Professional Association forum held on 1 April 2019 Hindmarsh Shire Council’s environmental health officer, Gagandeep (Shelly) Kaur, received the 2018 Young Environmental Health Professional Award.

The annual award, open to all young environmental health professionals, goes to a professional who displays excellence in the environmental health field.

Shelly commenced working with Hindmarsh Shire Council in July 2017, moving from Brisbane to take up her first full time Environmental Health Officer position after graduating from the University of Queensland.

Hindmarsh Shire chief executive officer Greg Wood said “Shelly was nominated for the award for her dedication to environmental health, working diligently to ensure that Council is compliant with the Public Health & Wellbeing Act 2008 and Food Act 1984.”

Mr Wood added “Shelly is passionate about environmental health, constantly reaching out to the community to give information and assistance to ensure that everyone is educated and aware of their responsibilities.”

“Within Shelly’s first five months of working with Council, Class 1 and 2 annual inspections increased from 77% to 88%. In 2018, this further increased to 98%! Shelly has also increased the turnaround time to action food complaints received from an average of 5 business days to 1 business day.”

As in most small rural Councils, staff are required to wear multiple hats – Shelly is no exception and has jumped at the opportunity to assist with other roles. Shelly is an authorised officer to allow her to provide assistance to Council’s local laws officer, and has been authorised as Council’s planning enforcement officer.

Mr Wood concluded “Shelly’s excellent work ethic, passion and commitment to her work and an all-round pleasant demeanor make her a worthy recipient of this award.”

Greg Wood
Chief Executive Officer