Telephone 03 9418 5999
(toll free 1800 064 865)
273 High Street [PO Box 52] Preston VIC 3072
Fax: 9418 5900 email: vals@vals.org.au
4 Client Service Officers cover the metropolitan region.
Samuel Gentile
I was born in Melbourne and my relatives are from the Echuca and Shepparton area. My grandmother’s name was Minnie Atkinson and she introduced me to Aboriginal culture. I did a Certificate in Horticulture at a TAFE for a year and then left to pursue a career at VALS. My first role there was as Support Officer which involved filing, working in reception and taking D24 notifications. I have been a CSO for 4 years now. I enjoy my job, even though it can be demanding at times with night shift and being on call over the weekend. I enjoy my work and knowing that I’m helping the Aboriginal community is a great honour for me. I want to help the Aboriginal community to improve themselves and to educate them about the need for a positive relationship with the police. *
Gary Bamblett
I am a proud Yorta Yorta man. I was born and raised in Melbourne and I have lived here all my life. I have 3 brothers and 2 sisters and come from a large family. I have been working at VALS for almost 10 years now, starting in 2002. I have really enjoyed working for VALS as it has given me the opportunity to contribute to helping my community. I’m a massive sports fan. My AFL team is the Collingwood Magpies and the other teams I’m a fan of are the Fitzroy Stars, Melbourne Tigers and my basketball team the JB Magpies. In 2010 I took on the role of Client Service Officer (CSO). One of the changes I have made is changing the intake form to accurately measure calls to and from police stations and I am now working on reviewing the CSO Induction Manual as well as undertaking my day to day duties.
Margrette La Valle
I am currently studying law and am enjoying working in a field position where I get to learn about the criminal justice system in practice.