A heartfelt thanks from the BSL Board

As we approach the end of another eventful year, on behalf of the Members of the Board of the Brotherhood of St. Laurence (BSL), I extend our sincere thanks for your unwavering commitment, dedication and outstanding contribution to BSL and to the people and communities we serve, throughout 2023.

This year, which has been filled with successes and challenges, has been marked by our shared resilience and determination to improve the lives of others. The collective effort of everyone has strengthened our impact for good, and it has been a privilege for me to have seen at first hand the incredible work which BSL has undertaken.

There have been many significant achievements in 2023. Successfully landing Strategy 2030, which will take us through to our centenary, has been the key one. The strategy itself and the associated business planning are a testament to our shared vision and to the hard work of so many. Strategy 2030 is our way now towards an Australia free of poverty in the coming years.

Our new leadership structure too has been established this year to support Strategy 2030 and to continue to make BSL a future-focussed, dynamic and responsive organisation. We are already seeing the benefits of this, and I am very grateful for the way in which you have embraced and supported these changes.

What has been clear to me in 2023 is the sense of purpose that permeates our organisation. With the other Members of the Board, I have been able to see this for myself firsthand - from Werribee to Frankston, as we have met in and visited sites right across BSL. In turn, this has deepened still more our understanding of our organisation, leaving us incredibly optimistic and excited about what is now to come.

Thank you again for the important contribution which you have made this year, and I look forward very much to our work together in 2024.

With best wishes for the holiday season and for the New Year,

Stephen

Stephen Newton AO
BSL Board Chair