Brad Lester

Experience

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  The Great Southern Star and Yarram Standard

  Jan 2000 - Jun 2020

  The Star won the Victorian Country Press Association's (VCPA) Journalism Award in 2014 and the VCPA's Local Reporting Award in 2012, both under my editorship.My duties include guiding editorial content of The Star by initiating news and feature story ideas for the editorial team, suggesting researching and writing techniques, photography ideas, subbing stories and allocating stories to pages, as well as mentoring cadet and junior graded journalists.I also edit emails and liaise with community contacts and contributors.I represent The Star at public engagements, including speaking to community groups. I'm also responsible for researching and writing my own stories, taking own photographs and covering the South Gippsland Shire Council round. Show less

  • Editor at Great Southern Star and Yarram Standard

    Oct 2019 - Jun 2020

  • Editor

    May 2010 - May 2020

  • Journalist and photographer

    Jan 2000 - May 2010
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  Yarram Standard

  Sept 2004 - May 2010

  Journalist and photographer

  My role at Yarram entailed instigating story and photo opportunities, writing news and feature stories, and taking relevant photographs, editing emails and liaising with community contacts, and suggesting story priorities to the editor, I also covered the Wellington Shire Council round.I undertook this role while also working as a journalist and photographer for The Star in Leongatha.

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  Bass Coast Health

  Mar 2020 - Jul 2020

  Communications Advisor at Bass Coast Health

  As a member of Bass Coast Health’s community engagement team, I helped BCH inform the community about the COVID-19 pandemic. The team shared messages about how people could stay safe, reassured the public about BCH’s preparedness to treat local cases and issued updates about the provision of services.My role entailed writing media releases about key messages and developments, producing videos for external and internal communications, taking photographs with impact, creating social media posts and responding to media enquiries.I created content for an internal newsletter, produced a Graduate Nurse Program presentation and researched the history of Wonthaggi Hospital to advise of the naming of facilities within the new hospital, once built. Show less

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  Latrobe City Council

  Aug 2020 - Aug 2021

  Senior Communications Officer

  As part of Latrobe City Council's communications and community engagement team, I contributed stories to Council's Connections and Business Connect publications, researched and wrote media releases, and developed content for Council's social media channels, website, Annual Report and other documents. I assisted with communications assignments, such as for Council's major projects, and worked with internal and external stakeholders. I developed communications plans and campaigns, such as a Summer COVID-Safe and Fab Food, Marvellous Mood campaigns, responded to media enquiries, prepared holding statements and arranged advertising.I created communications, including newspaper advertisements and website posts, to inform the community of Council's services after the flood and storm event of June 2021.I contributed content to the Your Latrobe Community Panel booklet, and wrote Mayor’s Community Champion stories and other content for Council’s weekly Noticeboard advertisement in The Express newspaper. Show less

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  Bass Coast Health

  Aug 2021 - now

  Communications Coordinator

  As a member of the Community Relations team, I create internal and external communications, develop strategic campaigns (such as for staff recruitment), write informative and engaging social media content for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X, and maintain positive media relations for the benefit of BCH and the community. I use my journalistic skills to write engaging media releases that are published by local and Gippsland-wide media, create a comprehensive fortnightly newsletter for 1200 staff and volunteers, act as BCH’s official photographer, and design advertising and social media tiles. I co-ordinate the production of the Annual Report, edit BCH’s website and help at events.My work keeps staff and volunteers informed, promotes the health service and conveys vital health information to the community. Show less