Recognition of Length of Service for Bingara MPS staff

December 28, 2017

A few weeks ago, David Quirk, General Manager of Mehi Sector Hunter New England Local Health Network presented staff of Bingara MPS with length of service awards for recognition of 25 years and 40 years service with NSW Health.

John Gill and Diane O’Brien both received 40 Year service Certificates and engraved Celebrity pens. Susan Mack, Betty Parsons, Tricia Porter, Debora Armstrong received 25 year acknowledgments.

David Quirk addressed the gathering “The people receiving certificates today have worked for periods ranging from 25 years up to 41 years; the combined total being 192 years of service between them. This represents an exceptional continuum of service that reflects a long history, a deep commitment to the health service, and an extraordinary amount of dedication, loyalty and clinical care provided. These years of service represent 192 years of empathy and concern provided to patients, clients and their families.

“These 192 years also represent valued friendships, of trusted colleagues and an interdependence that has evolved and been forged between you and your colleagues and the health service. In reflecting on the years of service provided by these individuals I’m reminded of how important it is to recognise the ordinary things that make up our lives; that enrich them and make them worthwhile.

“I use the term ordinary not lightly nor to undervalue, more so to highlight the increased value and preciousness of those things that occur as part of the ordinary, that happen day in and day out, that pass us by at the time and not seem remarkable, until whatever that something is, it is no longer there and then we realise and see it in a different light, for the extraordinary, the wonderful and the joy it brings to us, and regrettably to late, we discover what we thought was the ordinary in fact turns out to be the extraordinary.

“So in this context what might be the ordinary, coming to work every day, pulling on that extra shift, doing that bit of overtime, checking on colleague, follow up with a family or a patient, dealing with critical event.

“A colleague that is kind and compassionate and there for you every day, for years on end, a colleague who is also a friend, who knows your children, who knows your parents, who has cared for your children or parents, who knows so much about you, a colleague that can remember an event an occasion or a person from long into the past.

“We spend so much time and energy in this modern era celebrating the latest new thing to come along, and often in a short while it goes just as quickly as it came, in that same short while it is totally unremarkable, not remembered and quickly forgotten.

“Unlike your years of service and contribution to this community and health service which will be remembered by for a long time and in some case precious moments will be remembered by people until the day they die.”

Sue Mack, John Gill, Tricia Porter, Betty Parsons and Diane O’Brien with David Quirk, General Manager of Mehi Sector Hunter New England Local Health Network

Left: Sue Mack, John Gill, Tricia Porter, Betty Parsons and Diane O’Brien with David Quirk, General Manager of Mehi Sector Hunter New England Local Health Network

The day was also an opportunity to acknowledge the hard work of the Bingara MPS Volunteers who make themselves available to assist the Diversional Therapist with community clients and the residents of the MPS.

“Without their wonderful support, Bingara MPS could not provide the services that they do,” Bingara MPS Manager, Sue Mack, said. Volunteers who were acknowledged included Faye Edwards, Ann Hunter, Kerry Ann Thomas and Lee Louden.

Congratulations to all,” Mrs. Mack said.