Service milestones to celebrate
This year we are privileged to share the stories of staff who have worked with Uniting AgeWell for 30, 35 and 50 years.
It is inspirational that while these committed individuals talk about the huge changes within the aged care sector, their dedication and commitment to serving the needs of our residents and clients has remained constant.
While each has a unique story, the joy they receive in helping older people live their best lives, underpins all that they do. Poignantly, many could have retired years ago, but they’re still with Uniting AgeWell for the best possible reason. Because they want to be.
Many also say when they finally decide to retire, they’ll return as volunteers. We both appreciate and understand their sentiments. After all, it’s hard to say goodbye to what has been a second family for so many decades.
Read their incredible stories here:
Maureen Donaldson, Lifestyle Assistant at Kings Meadows Community, has been with the organisation for 50 years and says she’s lucky to have been in a role that is both rewarding and satisfying. The 70-year-old wants to continue for as long as she is able to.
Cheryle Hague’s life has been so entwined with working in residential and community care in Bendigo, that 35 years with the organisation have passed in a busy, happy blur. The CHSP Team Leader recalls enduring friendships formed over the years and the certainty that she is in a role that matters.
Noleen Clark, the Administrative Officer at the Hawthorn AgeWell Centre supporting the allied health service and social connections, remembers being based at the centre in Wattle Road, which was later demolished to build the new Hawthorn Community aged care residence. She says things are so much more inclusive today.
Josie Hall laughs at how she was offered two weeks’ work which turned into 30 years. The Lifestyle Assistant at Kings Meadows Community started off as a cleaner and became a Personal Care Worker before taking up her current role. The 67-year-old says there’s no point in retiring anytime soon – she’d miss everyone so much she’d come back as a volunteer.
Former Guatemalan accountant Doris Vasquez gets emotional about what her 30-year career working in home care in Melbourne’s west means to her. “There can be no greater honour than to look after the elderly,” the Home Care Worker says.
For 30 years Julie Pinnington has been serving meals, beverages and cheery greetings. The Food Services Assistant at Rosetta Community Strathaven says, “The reason I’ve been here so long is the residents. They all have different stories about their lives, I love hearing them all.”
Personal Care Worker Barbara Punton is still in the role 30 years on for the best possible reason. She thoroughly enjoys her career. The 71-year-old started off as a cleaner at Strath-Haven Community Bendigo and two years later took up her current role, which she says keeps her mentally and physically fit – and happy!
© 2021