When she's not working at the Timboon and District Health Service she's flying to remote parts of the world delivering lifesaving healthcare to developing communities.

READ MORE: Timboon nurse Amanda Nash delivers women's health service in Fiji

That is, until the coronavirus pandemic reached Australian shores and she found herself on the frontline of an unprecedented global health emergency.

"COVID became a reality to me January 20 last year," she said.

"My son, a local cray fisherman was told by his buyer not to catch any more fish as they didn't have an export market.

"China was the main buyer of local Southern Rock Lobster. At that stage I think we all thought this would get sorted sooner rather than later.

READ MORE: Hope rock lobster on Victorian menus as exports to China at standstill

"Accommodation places in town started to receive cancellations due to COVID. The news was totally consumed with this mystery virus emanating out of Wuhan.

"Conversations revolved around numbers of cases, deaths overseas and the increasing worry of not if but when it would make its way to the lucky country.

"My daily life did not change in the short term. For me I continued to go to work at Timboon and District Healthcare. From a health service point of view, we started to receive increasing numbers of memos outlining new guidelines regarding infection control and hand hygiene."

At that time flu season was fast approaching, so for Ms Nash that meant a busy time ahead with over 600 jabs to administer.

"Flu vaccinations were strongly encouraged for all especially the frail elderly and immune compromised members of my community.

"I found myself doing house calls to administer the vaccine, as the frail elderly and immune compromised were being advised to stay at home and limit their movements to avoid contact with COVID-19."

She describes June 17 as a date she won't soon forget.

"It is the day that Colac recorded its first cases of COVID-19 at the meat works," she explained.

"Timboon Healthcare had been asked to give support to Colac Area Health. I was phoned by my manager asking if I was willing to go to Colac to be part of a testing team. I said yes.

"That weekend I spent a considerable amount of time wondering what I was walking into."

READ MORE: Colac meat worker returns positive coronavirus test

That Monday Ms Nash remembers making the 75 kilometre drive to Colac solo, "full of anxiety and apprehension."

"Reality hit when I turned right off the main road toward the hospital.

"A huge marquee had been erected to accommodate the drive through testing that was in full swing, just like we have become accustomed to seeing every night on the local and overseas news.

"I was greeted by the stark reality of full PPE-wearing bodies at the entrance to community health. A stream of vehicles were already waiting for screening.

"There were security guards and traffic control maintaining some form of order. Lots of anxiety and concern was in the air.

"I introduced myself and was quickly ushered to a change room and provided with scrubs, full PPE and tape to secure my mask so my glasses didn't fog up."

For the next eight hours Ms Nash became the runner between those taking phone calls from the Colac community, completing test kits with contact details and running them to those providing the testing.

"I was their go-between. Backwards and forwards trying and succeeding to streamline the process," she said.

"I was also completing some contact details at car windows of very anxious community members. I even made the 6pm news.

"After the first huge day the drive home provided time for reflection. I was exhausted and dehydrated but needed to do it all again the next day, which was at the local footy ground to enable more people through the testing site.

"I received a text message that night to check availability for the next day. I was manning phones and computers entering data and running again between screeners and cars.

"People continued to be very anxious. The staff too were worried - it was their community after all, now at risk from COVID-19."

After the two days TDHS was asked to remotely facilitate and support those who tested negative to COVID.

Many who worked at the abattoir were non-English speaking and due to living in large sharehouses, had to stay in motels until those they lived with were cleared of the virus.

"These individuals could not isolate for 14 days at home so for the next six weeks I was part of the small team administering this support," Ms Nash said.

"I became adept at engaging and using the interpreter service.

"Most of our clients were non-English speaking or it was their second language. They were understandably anxious, scared and alone.

"By the end they were quite distressed, there was no hour outside, they had to stay in the motel room.

"We provided emotional support albeit from afar. We organised the motels, food, snacks and weekly laundry service along with a daily text or phone messaging to check on their overall health and well-being."

She said some workers had to stay in motels upwards of 30 days while awaiting negative results.

"People can be critical but no-one's had a recipe on how to respond to this," she said. "No-one's been through this before and apart from the hotel quarantine issue in town, I think we all responded really well.

"For a small health service we knew what was going on, we had daily briefings and just about all our services still kept going."

Having seen firsthand the impact of the virus from a healthcare perspective, Ms Nash said people needed to take the virus seriously.

"Obviously those who don't take it seriously have never had anyone close to them succumb to COVID," she said.

"I have elderly parents who were locked down for 121 days, they did not go outside their house.

"My sister lives in London and came back here September of 2019 and she cannot get home. She's got chronic asthma, she's compromised, and she is not going home any time soon.

"This isn't a hoax."

Back home, the Port Campbell community was going through a difficult time with the axing of international tourism and lockdowns driving domestic travelers away.

"A town that almost solely depends on the tourist dollar, many businesses have had to reinvent themselves," Ms Nash, a Port Campbell resident of 40 years, said.

"All but the general store and the petrol station were closed over the two lockdown periods.

"One gutsy local even started a new business right on the cusp of COVID. She continued to offer an evening meal service two hours per day which was much appreciated by the extra workers in town - construction of the suspension bridge and the windfarm all continued during this time.

"Takeaway menus and shortened opening hours were all the new normal and embraced by the community. Better something than nothing.

"Port was like a ghost town; my daily walks early in the morning revealed not a single car in the main street on some occasions - vastly different to pre-COVID times."

READ MORE: Great Ocean Road tourism numbers drop from coronavirus

The local swap shed became the place to find excess seedlings and pre-loved household items with many taking the opportunity to either renovate or declutter their homes.

"Gardens flourished with the extra care and attention, families were out and about all together for that one hour per day," Ms Nash said.

"I know that some family units may have struggled all being together under the one roof but the extra time spent together would have also had some positives. No extracurricular activities meant that families had more time to go for that bike ride or walk.

"Maybe even eating meals together, something they rarely had the opportunity to do pre-COVID."

She said while the Port Campbell community is known for looking out for each other, many older members of the community became isolated.

"An older gentleman mentioned the other day that his only contact, as he lives out of town, was getting his paper and mail delivered.

"The mail person and said gentleman hatched a plan and he would wait for the delivery each day.

"The exchange occurred in the middle of the road. This was the only human interaction this man had for some time. He was very grateful for this.

"Another older lady also mentioned to me that all that she use to do had been taken away from her. Not to remain disheartened she started walking around her veranda twice per day. If it was raining she walked on the inside, if the weather was fine on the outside.

"She managed to do 10000 steps every day."

Emerging out the other side of the pandemic, Ms Nash reflects the community has become fitter, healthier, more resilient and grateful.

"There is strong evidence to show that being grateful and showing gratitude every day leads to increased happiness. We have learnt to celebrate and be grateful for the small things, even when things get tough.

"We, as a town are now moving forward and open for business with some cautious optimism. We welcome the new visitors to our town but want to remain safe in order to stay open.

"We need to learn to live with COVID-19 as it has not gone away.

"I'm grateful and proud of the community in which I live and grateful for the natural environment that I can appreciate every single day. The smell of the ocean, the sound of the waves and the wind in my hair.

"There is no better place to live, work and play than Port Campbell, the place I call home."

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