Profile: Doomadgee Local Coordinator – Bryce Coxall
Bryce Coxall is the Family Responsibilities Commission’s Doomadgee Local Coordinator and has been living permanently in Doomadgee since May last year. Since his move to Doomadgee he has worked hard to see the successful implementation of the FRC into Doomadgee.
Bryce grew up on his family’s sheep farm in Victoria and has three sisters. After completing his Victorian Certificate of Education he completed a Diploma of Conservation and Land Management and a Degree in Environmental Management. During his studies he worked as a seasonal firefighter for the Department of Sustainability and Environment and fought in many major bush fires in Victoria, including Black Saturday.
In late 2009 the cold weather of Victoria became too much for him and he left by vehicle on a working holiday, heading north in search of sun. His adventure eventually ended up in Cape York where he sought once again to enter the workforce. Bryce secured a teacher aide position which included housing in the small community of Aurukun. His plan was to stay there for no more than a month, to recharge the bank account and keep on holidaying. His planned stay for a ‘month’ turned into 4 years living and working in Aurukun.
After a month as a teacher aide Bryce found another position as a case worker with the Aurukun campus of CYAAA engaging parents and working with them to increase their children’s school attendance. He enjoyed this position and developed some great relationships with the community members of Aurukun while supporting them with their children’s school attendance. This position linked Bryce in with the FRC because he often referred his clients over to the FRC for more support. After 12 months in this position Bryce became the team leader of the four case managers. He was also responsible for the food program delivered out of the CYAAA Aurukun campus which saw over 200 children fed four meals per day.
Bryce enjoyed every minute of his time in Aurukun and loved working with the children and parents. Most of all he enjoyed the country lifestyle and Aurukun’s amazing fishing and hunting.
In 2014 Bryce was successful in obtaining the position of Doomadgee Local Coordinator for the FRC and he has been there ever since. Bryce found starting the FRC in a new community a little daunting, but in his short time there he has been made very welcome by the whole community and the Doomadgee Local Commissioners. Bryce sees Doomadgee as a very strong community and he looks forward to experiencing the positive outcomes that he assures us will come from the FRC’s work.