Trent Adams, Deputy CEO of Goolburri Aboriginal Health Advancement, is dedicated to expanding the Toowoomba-based organisation’s impact and supporting communities. Building on his family’s legacy — his mother is Goolburri’s CEO and his late brother also worked in the ACCHO sector — Trent has a passion for mental health and wellbeing and tackling poverty.
Who are your people?
My family is from the Maranganji (Mardigian people) from southwest Queensland.
How did you get into the ACCHO sector?
In short, I basically made a deal with my brother Jaydon that one of us would follow in mum’s footsteps (Elizabeth Adams, Chief Executive Officer of Goolburri) and go into health. He died in a car accident in 2013 (Jaydon was the recipient of the QAIHC Hall of Fame Posthumous Award in 2013). I ended up giving up my spray painter and car restoration career. It was about continuing our family legacy. We understood her role in the sector and how much mum had achieved and we both felt it was a waste of the stepping stones already laid if someone didn’t take that opportunity.
Tell us about that early time in your career?
At that point in time, Goolburri was setting up a GP-based model. They were looking for a manager and I ran that. Basically, cars became people. I was dealing with the health care sector, and the QAIHCs and NACCHOs of the world. It was 2014 and I was just 22.
I was trying to understand health care modelling and attracting GPs. It’s not like they’re a dime a dozen. It was 12 months of hard
slog with a registrar, then we met and employed a lovely GP who’s still with us today.
We went from no money to profit. We went from a three to four million dollar company to close to 14 million now. It was a real period of rapid growth and change.
What is your proudest achievement at Goolburri?
Probably just supporting people with knowledge, direction and guidance. Not making decisions for them, helping them become educated enough to make their own decisions.
The philosophy of Goolburri is bringing in new staff without training or skills, recognising potential over qualifications. With our HIPPY program (a program that provides children with a structured, education-focused program that lays the foundations for success at school), we would take a community member with no employment and no qualifications, employ them for 20 hours a week on a casual basis under the program and then train them up to get them into full time employment.
What’s the best part of your job?
The best part of my job is watching kids staying with their families and not in and out of out-of-home care, growing from a child to a young individual.
What issues are you most passionate about?
I’m passionate about health issues, like mental health and wellbeing. There’s a lot of obesity due to a lack of income and fewer opportunities for a healthier lifestyle.
I’m passionate about trying to overturn the poverty issue — getting people to make better decisions, including a redirection of their finances, for healthier living.
Tell us about the Jaydon Adams Foundation?
The fundamentals of it are we are trying to keep the aspirations and traits of Jaydon alive, based on his experience in the sector: leadership, mental health and making better decisions. We focus on youth health, mental health first aid and cultural safety.
Who has inspired you?
Matthew Cooke (QAIHC Chairman and CEO of Nhulundu) who gave me direction in the health area, in the good, the bad and the ugly.
What’s your leadership style?
My leadership style is a laid back approach with the understanding that we are not all the same and allow for creativity and diversity. If we bring out the best of individuals and explore enough it allows for all walks of life to be included.
Finally, who do you like to do to relax?
Motorsports, drifting and racing bikes as well. I’m a spray painter by trade and I also build cars in the shed with my dad. I’m working on some old school Japanese cars, Mazda RX-7s.
