Amanda is Lort Smith’s Business Transformation Manager. She is ably supported by her foster fail Lenny who accompanies her to the office. Amanda holds a Masters of Strategic Foresight from Swinburne University. The purpose of this degree is to help people think about the different possible futures and to use that to drive action in the present.

This niche and very important role was introduced to help Lort Smith prepare for the opening of Lort Smith Campbellfield. Amanda is helping us move from being one organisation in one place, to an organisation that’s growing across multiple sites, and how they best work together.

“My main focus is Lort Smith Campbellfield, but I also provide additional support to other projects such as; Beakon, our new Incident Management System, and supporting the Adoption Centre with evaluating software that will improve processes.”

Amanda explains that we are starting to change the way we work now, so the transition to the second site will be smooth. This involves lots of experimenting and troubleshooting.

“The whole purpose of opening Lort Smith Campbellfield is to make our services more accessible to a wider number of people,” explains Amanda.

“We are splitting at the seams here in North Melbourne. We’ve been here for 85 years and we’ve done a lot of good from this site but as we become more built-up in this area, we are running out of room to help more people.”

Lort Smith Campbellfield’s location was chosen because many of the organisation’s clients live in the north/north-west growth corridor and it will be more accessible for them. It will be a clinic where we can continue to provide high-quality care to those of varying socio-economic status.

Lort Smith’s Adoption Centre will be relocating to Campbellfield with Amanda describing it as a really exciting time. “It’s a wonderful move for the animals that we care for. The Adoption Centre will have modern, specially designed facilities so animals awaiting their new home will be more comfortable. These facilities include; a ‘catio’ where cats can sit in the north-facing sun from a balcony; additional communal cat areas so they can be more social and playful; an expanded kennels area to make the dogs more comfortable.”

In addition to improved accommodation, Lort Smith Campbellfield will have an onsite dog park. This is a great opportunity for us to connect with our community as the dog park will be open to everyone. It will be fully fenced and provide access to water, rubbish bins, poop bags and a dog wash. The dog park will also have a sensory garden with lots of different plants with different textures and smells so dogs can have stimulating sniffing adventures.

Lort Smith Campbellfield will include a vet clinic that offers slightly different services to the North Melbourne site. The operating hours will be shorter, however it will continue to provide high-quality vet care that supports the local community with their day-to-day veterinary needs.

“It’s an exciting time for Lort Smith because it helps position our hospital as a referral centre and really refocus on community. It gives us a chance to reflect on who we’ve been for the last 85 years, and who we want to become for the next part of the journey,” shares Amanda.

When asked about her thoughts on Louisa Lort Smith, Amanda says, “I think animal advocacy is a really powerful thing and it takes very brave people to challenge norms, particularly at that point in time. For women to step into that role and really be a champion for change in how we understand and relate to animals – it’s a real testament to her tenacity and vision that there is still an organisation continuing that work into the future.”