Kelly’s love for Katanning shines through in her Juniper role

To say Katanning is close to the heart of Juniper Care Partner Kelly Mills would be a huge understatement.

“I’ve lived in Katanning all my life – I’m a farm girl,” Kelly said. “My family is still in Katanning, my mum and my dad, they still have a cropping and sheep farm, and I still help with work on the farm.”

Across her 53 years, Kelly’s love for the Great Southern town has stayed strong and she went on to raise her two children who have also become mainstays in Katanning themselves – one as a butcher and one as a glazier.

But, rewinding to more than a decade ago when her two sons were getting a bit older, Kelly started looking for a role where she could support others.

Before long, she landed a Domestic Assistant position through Katanning Hospital for the Home and Community Care (HACC) program as it was known in 2013, later delivered by the WA Country Health Service (WACHS).

For the past 12 years, Kelly has supported customers in Katanning with domestic assistance and further afield to smaller towns including Broomehill and Woodanilling.

Working in regional areas means Kelly can travel anywhere between 20km to 300km.

New opportunities for Kelly have taken shape when Juniper came into the picture to offer services that were previously delivered by WACHS in mid-2024.

“Within a couple of days of moving over to Juniper, I was a full Community Support Worker, looking after the full personal care side of the role,” she said.

“Since February this year, I’ve been working as a Care Partner, and it’s been a great opportunity; I’ve had the best support from the Juniper team.”

As a Care Partner, Kelly makes sure the needs of Juniper customers are met and that the highly valued Community Support Workers are always looked after.

“It’s a very rewarding job, and as Community Support Worker I can keep up with what’s happening on the ground,” she said.

Kelly now divides her work week with three days in the Care Partner role and two days as a Community Support Worker.

Regardless of the role, Kelly said she enjoyed nothing more than getting to know her customers and putting a smile on their face.

“It’s knowing that they are appreciated and cared for,” she said. “Whether it’s helping with housework or taking them shopping, they know they don’t have to do it alone.”