General News
20 December, 2023
Janet shows she cares
THE fifth annual Heart of Timboon and District Healthcare Service (TDHS) Staff and Volunteer Awards night was held recently.
The night was a celebration of TDHS’s dedicated staff and volunteers, the beating heart of the healthcare service.
Staff were excited after two years of holding the event virtually, and postponing the event from the usual March date, all due to COVID-19, they could finally get together in person at the Port Campbell Surf Life Saving Club Sunset Room..
TDHS chief executive officer Gary Castledine opened the night by acknowledging the work TDHS staff and volunteers do.
“Whether you are an award recipient tonight or not – I would like to take this moment to formally acknowledge and recognise the hard work, dedication, commitment and enthusiasm, but above all resilience of all our staff and volunteers that make up our healthcare service,” he said.
On the night the following awards were presented:
Service Awards;
Heart of TDHS Volunteer Award;
Heart of TDHS ICARE Dr Peter Fox Staff Award.
The TDHS Service Awards represented a collective of 300 years by 19 recipients, ranging from 10 years to 45 years by TDHS district nurse Corry Kerr, who received a standing ovation from her peers.
TDHS community engagement officer Sabine McKenzie said the collective number of years TDHS volunteers have dedicated to the healthcare service since its inception is boundless.
“TDHS is grateful for all our volunteers and their dedicated hard work, depth of commitment and the invaluable donation of their gift of time and energy,” she said.
“We could not operate without our volunteers; they make our community stronger, especially during times of need, crisis, or isolation.”
The Heart of TDHS Volunteer Award is for the most outstanding service as a volunteer, who is nominated by their peers for going above and beyond their duty as a volunteer.
This year’s winner was Cobden-based community transport volunteer Sue Lyons.
She was nominated because of her compassion through understanding, caring and listening to those who are alone.
Unfortunately, Ms Lyons was not able to attend the awards night, but she was grateful for the acknowledgement.
“I love all my clients and became friends with many of them sharing their stories and history," she said.
“It is a privilege to have received this honor, but we don’t do this to be recognised.”
Community care worker Janet Goodall received the ICARE Dr Peter Fox Staff Award.
The Award was named after Dr Peter Fox, who served the community for over 50 years and whose work defines the history of our healthcare service.
The coveted award acknowledges the outstanding contribution made by a staff member each year, who demonstrates the healthcare service’s ICARE values, Integrity, Compassion, Accountability, Respect and Excellence, to an exceptionally high level and goes above and beyond in their role.
TDHS peers nominated Ms Goodall for displaying all of the TDHS values, but the most outstanding one was compassion.
She could not have been more surprised and was completely overwhelmed by the award.
“I love working in the community and making sure my clients are cared for in the safest and kindest way,” Ms Goodall said.
After the official proceedings, attendees continued the celebrations laughing and chatting with colleagues and/or busting a move on the dance floor.
“It’s often difficult to stop and take time out of our busy day-to-day schedules to formally recognise the fantastic work that our team does,” Mr Castledine said.
“They are our most valuable asset, and being able to highlight their contributions and celebrate their successes is a huge component of building appreciation and foster a deeper sense of unity and belonging.
“It also reinforces cohesion among the team as everyone is working toward a common goal.”
