Thirty years of serving the Perth community with heart

22 Aug 2019

By The Record

Centrecare Director Mr Tony Pietropiccolo celebrates his 30-year anniversary this year. Photo: Centrecare.

By Amanda Murthy

Centrecare Incorporated Director Tony Pietropiccolo AM says leading an organisation requires much self-awareness and commitment to the delivery of high quality services – practices that he has consistently strived to uphold throughout his 30 years of service to the Perth community.

“Centrecare has always acknowledged that all the good work that it does, in providing services to those in need without any form of discrimination, is inspired and founded on Gospel values,” Mr Pietropiccolo said.

Centrecare is a Catholic non-for-profit, community service organisation, with more than 300 staff that delivers more than 70 services in 11 locations throughout the Perth metropolitan, Goldfields, Esperance, and southwest regions of WA.

This includes weekly and fortnightly services to the communities of Coolgardie, Menzies, Leonora, Laverton, and Norseman. Additionally, staff provide regular supports to the remote Aboriginal communities of Coonana, Tjuntjuntjarra and the Ngaanyatjarra Lands.

Through his work with Centrecare and his passionate interest in the provision of social services to the community, Mr Pietropiccolo expanded his involvement by taking on many other leadership roles, including those of President of the WA Council on Social Services, Chairperson of the WA State Homelessness taskforce, Co-Chair of Community Employers WA, and a member of the WA Ministerial Advisory Council on Child Protection.

In 2012, Mr Pietropiccolo was appointed in the Queen’s Birthday Honours as a Member of the Order of Australia in the General Division (AM) for service to the community as the Director of Centrecare, through the generation of programmes supporting individuals and families, including affordable housing and the welfare of Indigenous Australians and refugees.

Even with all the recognition received, Mr Pietropiccolo insists that it was through the hard work of every one of his team members that Centrecare has achieved so much over the past 30 years.

“The good work and achievements we have made throughout these years, is definitely not mine alone – it is a result of teamwork and the unwavering commitment of our staff to serving the community, especially those in need,” he expressed.

“Centrecare’s growth in the last few decades is the by-product of the delivery of high-quality programmes to the WA community.

“What has been most rewarding is that, despite a number of challenges along the way, the organisation has not only grown in size but has also achieved a reputation for professionalism.

“It has also been very satisfying to see that notwithstanding the growth, Centrecare has retained its commitment to altruistic values and remained a warm and friendly organisation to visit and work in,” he added.

“Our ability to be able to pursue its purpose of service to the WA community would be greatly diminished if not for the collaboration it enjoys with the Catholic Archdiocese of Perth, many state and federal government departments, as well as other not-for-profit organisations.”

On one of his recent social media post, Mr Pietropiccolo expressed that the first three months of 2019 have been the first for a number of years when the organisation has not been involved in either preparing complex tenders, implementing new services, or both.

“This has been a welcome change as it has allowed us to catch our breath and begin to consolidate and refine our work,” he stated.

Mr Pietropiccolo added that the organisation established the Valuing Children Initiative in January 2016 which he explained, aims to “inspire Australians to value all children, understand that a child’s wellbeing is the shared responsibility of the entire community and ensure children are at the forefront of our considerations”.

To donate to LifeLink, go to www.lifelink.com.au