Support Register announces inaugural Ann Nichol Award recipient

ONE of the founding contributors to the establishment of the Bellarine Community Support Register (BCSR) has been announced the inaugural recipient of a newly created award.

Markus Stadler has been named the first-ever recipient of the Ann Nichol Award for making a significant, outstanding, and ongoing contribution to the BCSR over the years in pursuit of the register’s objectives through the initial implementation of a database that facilitated the registry getting off the ground.

“I am humbled and honoured that the Committee would consider me worthy of such an award which I accept with heartfelt thanks,” Mr Stadler said.

“I am also delighted and amazed that the database remained operational for so long and has withstood the transition
to a temporary cloud-based service whilst the new program is being developed.”

The award itself has been named the Ann Nichol Award to honour the organisation’s founding President, Mrs Ann Nichol OAM, who presented the award certificate to Mr Stadler at a recent organisation function.

In presenting the award, Ms Nichol acknowledged Mr Stadler’s long-standing and ongoing commitment to the Register.

“Markus was involved from the very start. He was there at the initial development of the Register’s database, when the software was sold to other Registers around the State of Victoria and oversaw the program’s ongoing maintenance and improvement,” Mr Nicol said.

“This is a database of personal and contact information that was set up because people were dying alone in their homes and were not being found for many months.

“Some had no family, no friends or even neighbours who could take an interest in their welfare.”

In response to acknowledging the Award, Markus explained that just months from the launch of the Bellarine Community Support Register in 2006, he set about developing a database having visited another other Victorian-based Register already operating.

Mr Stadler, a Clinical Psychologist by trade, set about delivering the BilbiWare software package from scratch completing it over a three-week period when the registry was formed.

Markus has been the ‘go to’ person for Volunteers needing database assistance throughout his many years of service to the organisation.

He has also provided advice and support to the Officer-in-Charge of the Bellarine Police Station in addition to undertaking training with new Police Members and Volunteers across the region.

Utilitize IT, a Geelong-based company, is in the final stages of developing a modern equivalent software package called ‘Safeguard’, which is based on the original BCSR software package from 2006.

Mr Stadler will be ready to hand over the reins to Utilitise when the appropriate time comes.