It is increasingly unusual for someone to remain with the same employer for a long time, but Sue Oliver, of Clyde, has notched up 42 years as a nurse at Dunstan Hospital.
In her early 70s, she has just retired and is looking forward to working in her garden and catching up with family.
She also wants to continue her involvement with the Central Otago Friendship Network, which provides friendship and support to newcomers and lonely people, and hopes to do further volunteer work.
Mrs Oliver trained for 18 months at Dunstan Hospital’s training school and was about 19 when she graduated in 1966.
‘‘I trained as a community nurse, which is now an enrolled nurse,’’ Mrs Oliver said.
‘‘I was in the first class to graduate in New Zealand.’’
She recalled arriving for an interview with the matron at the time, to join the training course, but she could not be found. She was in the kitchen making jam for the patients.
Mrs Oliver said she had seen some major changes in her time at the hospital, including the hospital’s rebuild and the addition of new equipment, donated bycommunity and service groups, that other hospitals could be envious of.
The hospital now provides a huge range of multidisciplinary services that were not possible in the 1960s and 1970s.
She has seen the Roxburgh and Cromwell hospitals close down.
In the early days, Dunstan provided long-term care for the elderly.
‘‘Dunstan Hospital also had an operating theatre and training school when I started.’’
At that stage, the two Alexandra doctors, Dr Gould Cook and Dr Brian Hay, also ran the hospital in addition to their own practices.
‘‘They also did all the deliveries, as midwives did not do them then.’’
At the end of 1966, she left to get married to the late Robin and have their four children.
She and her husband were orchardists and had the Clutha Terrace Orchard.
She returned to work in 1977 and this time, she stayed for 40 years.
She spent seven years doing night duties in the maternity ward and also worked in palliative care and ‘‘rehab’’.
‘‘Palliative care was a real privilege, especially when helping those on their final journey.’’
She knew many of the patients and their families, which could be bittersweet, depending on the circumstances.
‘‘I also helped a bit in the operating theatres, but that was probably not my forte.’’
She said Dunstan was regarded as one of the top rural hospitals in the country and she was grateful for the friends she had made among her colleagues.
‘‘We are a big family.’’
She also helped organise the hospital’s 125th and 150th anniversary celebrations.
