Burdekin healthcare workers celebrate a lifetime of care

A combined 135 years of dedication to the Burdekin community have been celebrated as three local healthcare workers mark 45 years of continuous service between them with Queensland Health. 

Support services officer Bertilla Scodellaro, clinical nurse Joanne McBow, and enrolled nurse Jocelyn Tuffin started as teenage trainees and have seen the evolution of healthcare in the Burdekin first-hand. 

For Jocelyn, who began her career at just 15 years old, the technology may have changed over the last four decades, but the core of the job remains the same. 

"I just love looking after people and being there for them at often the worst time in their life," Ms Tuffin said. 

"People really just want a caring, compassionate person to look after them; they remember it, and it gives you a good feeling at the end of the day to know you’ve made a difference." 

Ms McBow, who trained alongside Jocelyn, said working in a rural facility offered a unique "whole of life" career that specialised nursing couldn't match. 

"I can't imagine being specialised in one particular thing; I like that one minute I can be caring for someone who is ill, and the next minute I could be in theatre helping with a caesarean," Ms McBow said. 

"It is a privilege to have that trust to care for people you know in the community and be that support for them." 

While the clinical team keeps patients safe, it is staff like Ms Scodellaro who keep the hospitals running. 

Working across both Ayr and Home Hill facilities, Ms Scodellaro was described by her colleagues as the “instrumental link” that keeps the service ticking, ensuring equipment and supplies are exactly where they need to be. 

"Every day is different, and that is what I like about it," Ms Scodellaro said.