Kingborough Council’s Senior Environmental Health Officer, Abyilene Dobson, was recently selected as a finalist in Tasmania’s 2009 Young Australian of the Year Award.
The Australian of the Year Award recognises those who have made outstanding achievements in their field, who are inspirational role models, and have contributed in a significant way to our nation.
The Young Australian of the Year Award recognises those aged 16 to 30 who are outstanding and exceptional young Australians.
At 26 years of age, Abyilene Dobson has worked for Kingborough Council for eight years and is the youngest Senior Environmental Health Officer in Tasmania. Her role is to manage and oversee the operation of Council’s Environmental Health section, maximising public and environmental health, and ensuring a healthy and safe environment is maintained in Kingborough.
To achieve this, Abyilene implements public and environmental health programs and enforces relevant legislation. This involves preventing and remedying health and environmental related hazards and risks.
Abyilene also conducts numerous education programs and coordinates projects including the Bruny Island Water Supply, for which she received an Industry Award for her work.
She said she enjoys the challenges her position offers, and the wide range of environmental health areas in which she can become involved .
“I am also in a position where I can implement positive change, which is very rewarding,” she said. “For example, managing the Bruny Island Water Supply project from conception to completion, and knowing that
I contributed to the commissioning of a potable water supply for an island community of around
600 people was very satisfying.”
Among other initiatives, Abyilene is currently working on influenza pandemic preparedness for Kingborough and is also undertaking a public health community needs assessment.
However, her work and commitment to the community goes far beyond that of what she does for Council. Abyilene was also the recipient of the 2008 Awards Australia Southern Cross Young Achiever Award (Environment), is a member of Environmental Health Australia (EHA), serves as a Branch Councillor with the Tasmanian Branch and is Co-Convenor of the EHA National Conference to be held in Hobart in November 2009. She is a member of the International Young Professionals Foundation, the International High IQ Society and the Centre for Leadership for Women. In addition, Abyilene recently undertook volunteer work in the remote Andean mountain villages of Peru to help improve hygiene standards, educate the community about wastewater management, and improve the quality of drinking water.
Abyilene has also recently received an invitation to be appointed as a national Ambassador of Leadership with the Australian Youth Development Association.
