Rosemary Moore began work at St John of God in a time when fathers were not permitted in labour wards and hospital meals were served on silver trays.
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When Mrs Moore finally hangs up her uniform next month the record books will show she has served 35 years at the hospital but, in truth, the connection has been lifelong. “My association with St John’s started in 1947 when my father (Jack Willis) started working for the sisters as a caretaker and we lived on-site,” Mrs Moore said.
From the age of 10 she began helping the hospital’s sisters and work became official at the tender age of 14. At 16 she became a nurses’ aid. “That job and those chores are what built me into being part of the place.
“There were babies being delivered and I was often in the labour ward, even at 16 and 17. They were in the days when husbands weren’t even allowed in there.”
Mrs Moore turned down the offer of nursing training in Ballarat and instead began work as a dental nurse. She married in 1967 and raised her children – until a call out of the blue brought her back.
“I got a phone call from a Sister Euphrasia, I can clearly remember, it was a Sunday morning at 6am, she said ‘we’ve had somebody not turn up for work and we’re pretty desperate, you wouldn’t have forgotten what you learnt here years ago, can you come in and help?’” That was in 1980 and Mrs Moore has never left.
Plenty has changed since then and it has been something the environmental services team leader has enjoyed. “The challenge is to embrace the change. Sometimes people worry too much.”
After officially retiring in November, Mrs Moore plans to spend more time in the garden and with her grandchildren, however, she will miss her work.
“I just think it’s the commitment to the patients and to the team that has kept me here,” she said.
“You meet nice patients, patients that are probably at their worst when they are unwell, and you feel like you might make their day a little bit better by at least smiling and saying hello.”