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<\/p>\nBarwon Heads entrepreneur and disability advocate Christine Smith has been named among the top 50 small business leaders in Australia.<\/p>\n
Christine, who owns the Great Ocean Stays and Destination Accessible accommodation and tourism services, said it was humbling to be recognised among such inspiring company.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be part of those 50 forward-thinking businesspeople was something I just never dreamed of, having left school at Year 11 and not being that highly educated,\u201d Christine said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve used my smarts from 20 years in the police force, I\u2019ve used my street smarts and I\u2019ve used my ability to communicate with my tribe of people, including the early adopters who believed in me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI look at my business as one of many small businesses out there \u2013 I think there are two million small businesses in Australia \u2013 and as a small business owner it is very hard to get your head up above the slog of everyday to be recognised in this way.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo not only is it a very humbling experience for me but it\u2019s a very valuable platform for me to promote disability access issues and the plight of people with a disability who may not have an avenue to talk about these things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Christine founded Great Ocean Stays in 2007 and was in the process of building a set of four holiday homes with disability access when she was diagnosed with a brain tumour which left her with facial paralysis and other \u201cinvisible\u201d physical disabilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt sort of came at the right time because the brain tumour really crystallised for me the stark reality that our community as a whole is really overlooking disability,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cI talk mainly about the built environment but also the attitude of people toward disability.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole experience of that confirmed to me that something needs to be done and we need to advocate that it\u2019s just not okay to build a place with two steps out the front, why don\u2019t we start from scratch and build a ramp from the get-go? We can be doing so much more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Christine is a board member of Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine and a judge of the Geelong Business Excellence Awards, of which she is a former winner.<\/p>\n
Her business manages about 15 homes for people with disabilities to holiday or enjoy respite and her Destination Access website provides valuable information on accessible activities within the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t want people to come here and sit on the Bellarine Peninsula and while away their time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to show them the best respite they have ever had in their lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to be able to say \u2018here are some really nice homes that are accessible and meet your physical needs but we also want to provide you with these really awesome activities on the Bellarine and through to Geelong\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Christine said her customers are like family and their positive feedback means the world to her, with one online reviewer describing her this way: \u201cI cannot explain how Chris does the intangible thing she does \u2013 but she made us feel cared for and understood from the first second we met her \u2013 in a way I can\u2019t say I\u2019ve ever had from anyone (including family). She is an amazing person.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes me cry sometimes,\u201d Christine said of the glowing feedback.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is challenging every day and, coming from a 20-year police career that is saying something.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a lot of people say they have never experienced respite in the way I provide it and many people say they can see there is a lot of heart in my business, that I really care.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that is a key part of the business success that this cohort of people just keep returning to me for their respite because they know the experience is going to meet their needs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Editor of Inside Business magazine\u2019s Top 50 Report, Tim Ladhams, said Christine made the cut of outstanding business leaders who had thrived despite challenging conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur winners have demonstrated resilience, innovation and agility to ride the waves of the pandemic and lead their businesses forward to a brighter future,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine CEO Brett Ince described Christine as \u201can absolute trailblazer in accessible tourism with a passion for ensuring that destinations and experiences are accessible for all that is infectious\u201d.<\/p>\n
Discover more on the Great Ocean Stays and Destination Accessible websites.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Barwon Heads entrepreneur and disability advocate Christine Smith has been named among the top 50 small business leaders in Australia. Christine, who owns the Great Ocean Stays and Destination Accessible accommodation and tourism services, said it was humbling to be recognised among such inspiring company. \u201cTo be part of those 50 forward-thinking businesspeople was something […]<\/p>\n