Amanda is Lort Smith's Business Transformation Manager. She is ably supported by her foster fail, Lenny, who comes to the office with her. Amanda holds a Masters of Strategic Foresight from Swinburne University. The purpose of this degree is to help people think about different possible futures, and use that to drive action in the present.
This niche and very important role was introduced to help Lort Smith prepare for the opening of Lort Smith Campbellfield. Amanda's work helps us move from being one organisation in one place to an organisation growing across multiple sites, and work out how those sites best work together.
"My main focus is Lort Smith Campbellfield, but I also provide additional support to other projects such as Beakon, our new Incident Management System, and supporting the Adoption Centre with evaluating software that will improve processes."
The whole purpose of opening Lort Smith Campbellfield is to make our services more accessible to a wider number of people.
Amanda
Preparing for Campbellfield
Before Campbellfield opened, Amanda explained that we were starting to change the way we work, so the move to a second site would be smooth. That meant lots of experimenting and troubleshooting.
"The whole purpose of opening Lort Smith Campbellfield is to make our services more accessible to a wider number of people," explains Amanda.
"We are splitting at the seams here in North Melbourne. We've been here for 85 years and we've done a lot of good from this site but as we become more built-up in this area, we are running out of room to help more people."
Campbellfield was chosen because many of our clients live in the north and north-west growth corridor, so it's easier for them to reach. It's a clinic where we can keep providing high-quality care to people of varying socio-economic status.
Our Adoption Centre was also moving to Campbellfield, which Amanda described as a really exciting time. "It's a wonderful move for the animals that we care for. The Adoption Centre will have modern, specially designed facilities so animals awaiting their new home will be more comfortable. These facilities include a 'catio' where cats can sit in the north-facing sun from a balcony, additional communal cat areas so they can be more social and playful, an expanded kennels area to make the dogs more comfortable."
As well as better accommodation, Lort Smith Campbellfield has an onsite dog park. It's a great way for us to connect with our community, as the dog park is open to everyone. It's fully fenced, with water, rubbish bins, poop bags and a dog wash. There's also a sensory garden, with lots of plants with different textures and smells, so dogs can have stimulating sniffing adventures.
The vet clinic at Lort Smith Campbellfield offers slightly different services to our North Melbourne hospital. Its opening hours are shorter, but it provides the same high-quality vet care, supporting the local community with their day-to-day veterinary needs.
"It's an exciting time for Lort Smith because it helps position our hospital as a referral centre and really refocus on community. It gives us a chance to reflect on who we've been for the last 85 years, and who we want to become for the next part of the journey," says Amanda.
On Louisa Lort Smith
When asked about Louisa Lort Smith, Amanda says, "I think animal advocacy is a really powerful thing and it takes very brave people to challenge norms, particularly at that point in time. For women to step into that role and really be a champion for change in how we understand and relate to animals – it's a real testament to her tenacity and vision that there is still an organisation continuing that work into the future."