Creina Findlay retired after 46 years, including 37 years as a qualified technician.
Charge anaesthetic technician Lyall Trethowen said Ms Findlay (67) was "one of the pioneers". Her knowledge of the team’s equipment and systems was a major loss.
"She’s looked after the equipment. She loves playing with the toys — she likes to tinker with screwdrivers and spanners.
"Her experience and her knowledge is going to be deeply missed. It’s something that you can’t ever replace, all those years of experience," Mr Trethowen said.
First employed as a nurse aide, her interest in anaesthesia started as a "yellow hat" theatre assistant. When she qualified in 1980, she was the country’s 38th anaesthetic technician.
Introducing trained professionals to help the anaesthetist improved patient safety, as did big advances in monitoring gear.
However, patients feared anaesthesia.
"Everyone is anxious, when you don’t have control of it, and that’s normal. It’s all part of it.
"It is a lot safer. The technology, and the machines, and the equipment," Ms Findlay said.
Technicians carried out detailed checks of anaesthetic machines, sometimes fixing them, before the anaesthetist arrived.
"It’s like a pre-flight check ... so before the anaesthetist turns up we’ve got everything ready, checked," Mr Trethowen said.
They also assisted with patient care.
The pair had a special bond as both were early trainees.
"The trainees [now] don’t realise how lucky they are to have the training that they do and have the support.
"We’re the people who made that happen," Mr Trethowen said.
The team of 29 anaesthetist technicians covered 14 locations in the hospital campus.
