Ask Shirley Roach what the best thing about her 50-year nursing career is, and she’ll tell you it’s her colleagues, friends and supportive family.
As testament to this, former nursing staff, mentors and family members came from far and wide, to join local staff and dignitaries at a large gathering honouring Shirley’s longstanding service to the Casino Hospital and community.
“This celebration has blown me away,” Shirley said.
“The people that have gone to so much effort in all this preparation, and the people who have come from away to be here, and the older staff. They’ve been mentors to me, that have moulded me into the nurse and the person that I am.”
Shirley has worked in many departments at Casino, including Medical, Surgical, Maternity, and Day Surgery Admissions, and is well known for her hard-working attitude, inclusiveness and patient advocacy.
As Executive Officer/Director of Nursing, Ellen Palmer said, “Shirley is a delight to work with and is very highly regarded by her peers.”
Shirley is quick to point out that teamwork and embracing change are some of the keys to a positive experience for herself and her patients.
“This hospital doesn’t just work by nursing staff alone; each area cannot function without the other. I embrace everybody that’s here, the domestic staff, the catering staff, the maintenance, the physio, the community health, they’re the people that keep this system going.
“I actually started my nursing career at Lismore Base Hospital. When I came here to Casino, I was only going to do two weeks’ work, and I have been here now 49 years.
“I love the place, and I have embraced the changes. We’ve got to be prepared to make change, because they’re often for the better.”
