Ali Barnes has been our Community Development Officer – Wellbeing since very soon after I started at Flinders in 2017.
In that time she has been instrumental in bringing to life three of our flagship programs: Flinders Market, Wellbeing Ambassadors and the Volunteer Program (and many other smaller ones as well).
But more than that she has been a staple part of the Oasis Community, particularly with her office space being set up right in the thoroughfare at the Centre 😃
She is much loved and admired by staff and students alike and that isn’t an easy legacy to leave. It is testament to who she is as a person and her commitment to doing high quality work with lashings of heart and compassion and humility.
Ali is thankfully not leaving the university, but instead moving to a student support role at FUSA. One of the things I like about Ali is her willingness to push herself to develop new skills and capacities, and the shift to FUSA and this new role is a great advancement for her and recognition of her growing skillset. Having her continue in a student-facing role is a massive boon for the university.
That being said, the Oasis team is going to miss her a lot. I for one will be hassling her constantly at FUSA as I deal with the sadness of her leaving Oasis.
Ali – we wish you all the luck and rewards that you deserve in your new role and we are incredibly thankful to have been able to work with you and also incredibly grateful knowing that we will still run into you regularly on campus.
Me, the photographer is wisely out of picture