On duty: Staff and board members celebrate the achievements by workers reaching long service milestones.
Photo by
Aidan Briggs
Echuca Community for the Aged held its long service ceremony for staff, celebrating years of service at Wharparilla Lodge, one of its aged care facilities.
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The service, which Wharparilla Lodge’s committee ran on Tuesday, March 19, featured touching tributes from residents to all types of staff, including food service, personal care, nursing, management, and physiotherapy.
The staff were overwhelmed with the warm gratitude and appreciation from the residents and the board of Wharparilla Lodge.
13 staff members were celebrating various milestones, with five hitting 10 years, five celebrating 15 years, and three achieving 25 years with the organisation.
Christine Letcher, who has had various roles at Wharparilla Lodge but is now an enrolled nurse, was recognised for 25 years of service.
Ms Letcher was happy that the residents were present for the ceremony as it made it feel more personal, with the residents recognising her hard work.
“It was really nice to have the residents involved,” she said.
Ms Letcher reflected on her quarter-decade of service and the relationships she has built with the residents and their families over the years.
“It’s not just the residents you build a rapport with; it’s with the families, too,” she said.
“It’s a real privilege to work here and engage with the residents, and I often say to them that it is a real privilege to be part of their family because that’s what you become.”
Acknowledgement: Board member Ian Maddison (left) addressing the ceremony and giving thanks to the hard work of the Wharparilla staff.
Photo by
Aidan Briggs
Personal care assistant Nicole Murray achieved her 15 years of service at Wharparilla Lodge and was grateful to one of the residents who said some kind words during the ceremony.
Ms Murray also reflected on the residents’ wisdom they give the workers, which she holds close to her.
“It was very special that a resident would say something like that, and I think the majority of the residents do feel that way, too” she said.
“You learn a lot from the oldies; they have a lot of wisdom and stories to share.
“You do feel like a big family, so what they said was really lovely.”
Wharparilla Lodge’s physiotherapist, Rebecca Cladingboel, took a moment to appreciate the nature of her job and her 10 years of service achievement.
“It’s satisfying to give them the best care and quality of life they can have in their later years; to be a part of that is an honour,” she said.
Ms Cladingboel highlighted the closeness of Wharparilla’s staff as a reason for the success of the facility and its excellent resident-staff relationship.
“Because the staff work so closely with each other, we develop a family, not just with the residents and their families, but with the staff,” she said.
“Some days are more challenging than others, but we’ve always got each other’s backs.
“To be here for this amount of time, 10, 15, 25 years, it just shows that Wharparilla is more than just a workplace; we are a big family.”
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