By Craig Wilson.
GARRY Tierney clearly likes people.
About a minute into my interview with Garry I realise he’s the real deal, a nurse with 45 years under his belt who still has a passion for people and caring for them.
Garry has been at Willaura Hospital for three years, following a long stint working as a nurse in Ararat and New South Wales.
He started training 45 years ago at Sydney’s Adventist Hospital in 1977 in a class of eight men and 32 women.
“It was a great place to meet my current wife.”
“We married in 79, two years after we met and she blames me for dropping out of the nursing course. She became one of the first female ambulance officers in New South Wales,” he said.
From there he and wife Julie moved to Goulburn where Garry worked at the local base hospital, then as a psychiatric nurse at Kenmore Hospital before heading back to Sydney to work at Camden Hospital.
After the birth of their twin boys, Garry and Julie returned to Victoria where they have been ever since.
“I was from Melbourne and Julie was from Horsham so we though the Grampians would be a good spot, so we bought a bush block and owner-built our own house at the foot of the Grampians.”
“At the time, I went to see Miss Hinchey at Ararat Hospital and she kindly offered me a part time job so I could earn some money while building the house,” he said.
That part time job started a long and productive career nursing in the Ararat district.
“I started off on the private wards on the top floor with Edith Thomas, the charge nurse and Gwen Knight as her able assistant in 1988.”
“It was a great place to work, some wonderful people worked there. Miss Hinchey the director of nursing was a real character and Garry Lewis was head surgeon in those days,” he said.
Garry said once his house was built, he was able to secure a full time role at the hospital.
“After finishing the house I wanted to go full time and I was offered the job of charge nurse on the first floor which was then the medical, surgical and children’s ward, so it was quite a mixture.”
“I then went to Pickford House for nine years in charge of the nursing home and then spent 14 years nursing people in palliative care.
‘In palliative care, you are a stranger into someone’s house so you have to be on their level, you can’t come in gung-ho and say you need this or that. You’ve got to come into a persons house, find out where they are at, everyone is at a different level and a different stage, and you do what they want.
“Getting people to trust you in that situation is so important,” he said.
After his time working in palliative care, Garry was looking for a change, taking on positions with Budja Budja and Willaura Hospital, before taking on a permanent role at Willaura.
He said Willaura Hospital is an amazing facility, offering exceptional care and comfort to elderly residents.
“It’s like working in a big family here, the staff are fantastic, the kitchen staff, cleaners, domestic staff all work really well together,” he said.
“It’s a very old, historic hospital. I regularly get people coming in saying they were born here,” he said.
When I asked what made a good nurse, Garry said the ability to listen to people is the key.
“I’ve found that just being a good listener is so important. Everyone has a story to tell and everyone has something they want to share with you, to share what their condition is. You have to sit quietly and listen and ask questions at the right time. Being a good listener is half the battle,” Garry said.
“Caring for older, vulnerable people is a great privilege.”
“You learn so much and its just a wonderful opportunity to make new friends. They’ve all had vastly different backgrounds, careers, experiences, adventures and you can never stop learning and admiring and sharing in their excitement and joy of life well lived,” he said.
Garry said after 45 years of nursing, he’s taking life one year at a time.
“Two years ago when I was riding my bike to work (from Moyston to Willaura) at six in the morning, in the dark, I was slowed down a bit when I hit a kangaroo. I ended up with a fractured hip and that slowed me down, I got an ambulance to Ararat and a helicopter rise to Royal Melbourne Hospital where we landed on the roof.”
“Now I only ride my bike in daylight hours, at my wife’s insistence,” he said.
Cycling had been an important part of Garry’s life, especially the annual Murray to Moyne.
“I have ridden 13 Murray to Moyne’s, it has been a wonderful privilege to be with East Grampians Health Service to raise money for various items along the way. We had a fantastic group of people with us and it was great fun along the way.”
“I wish I would still do it but I have an e-bike now so I don’t think they would let me in,” he said.
Garry said nursing was an incredible profession, encouraging young people to consider it as a career.
“It opens so many doors. It is such a wonderful opportunity to experience so many fields, I mean look at me, I have worked in so many different areas and I’ve had such a wonderful time. You can work wherever you like in any part of the world,” he said.
“I’ve even worked in Goulburn Jail, it just takes you so many places.”
Garry said his wife Julie had been his “rock” over the past 45 years.
“She has been a great support to me. Without her I wouldn’t be here today.”
“I am a Christian and I owe a lot of my achievements to God because he has supported me all of the way. It has been a great blessing to have him in my life,” Garry said.
“To be a Christian gives you great values and teaches you to love and care for your fellow man and be humble. Without God, I don’t think I would be here today,” he said.
Garry said his next stage of life is all mapped out.
“I’ve got a caravan at home and we love travelling and exploring Australia. In 1999, we had long service leave and travelled around Australia with our children when they were young and we’d love to go back again.”
“We have four grandchildren now so we are tied to Victoria and Tasmania and we have a daughter in Perth, so we are spread around a bit,” Garry said.