Ayr Hospital Honours Long Serving Employees

Two of Ayr Health Service’s longest serving employees were recognised with a morning tea and presentation on Monday, February 19.

15 staff members received awards at the Townsville Hospital and Health Service – Length of Service Awards presentation, most notably Executive Support Officer Ana Mooney who is celebrating 45 years of service and Raylee Hervey who has worked in Laundry Operations for 40 years.

Ms Mooney, who was born at the same hospital she went on to work at for 45 years, started when she was 16, saying she always wanted an administration job and applied after seeing an ad in the paper.

“What’s kept me here is the people; the people that we care for in our community and the people who I work with,” she said.

“I meet new people all the time and I’ve made some great friendships through people that I’ve worked with, so it’s definitely the people who have kept me here all these years.

“We work as a team and that’s what I like.

“I’m not directly involved in patient care but I’m happy to support our clinicians with their payroll, paperwork, and I’m also a secretariat to many committees, so I support the clinicians who ultimately provide great care to our community.”

Ms Mooney has seen many changes throughout the decades, the most significant being the advent of technology.

“When I first started, we had no computers, everything was done manually,” she said.

“We had the old-fashioned typewriters, we had gestetners for the reprinting of reports, so technology has made a big difference in the way we operate and the way we work.”

Ms Hervey is also Burdekin born and bred, starting at the hospital at 15 years of age.

“I remember, mum had to pick me up from school to bring me here, I think it was an 11 o’clock start,” she laughed.

Similarly, technology and equipment advancements has changed Ms Hervey’s role drastically over the years.

“The washing machines went from big ones that we had to put chemicals in and you had to actually open them up and get in them to get the linen out then take them to a spinner, spin it there and then take it out and put it in the dryer,” she reflected.

“Now, your washing machine spins it all and everything’s automatic so it’s a lot easier in that way.”

Ms Hervey agreed with Ms Mooney saying the people she works with make her job worthwhile.

“The girls are good to work with and I just love doing my job,” she said.

“They’re a good group to work with and they help the community out, I love it.”

Ayr Health Service Director of Nursing and Facility Manager Tracey Gabiola said she was thrilled to celebrate with the hospital’s length of service awardees.  

“Ana and Raylee’s dedication to our health service truly portray the values of this organisation,” she said.

“Within their individual roles from the laundry to the Executive office, they are vital members of our service and contribute to our strategic goals.

“330 years of service has been recognised here this morning across all disciplines - operational, administrative, allied health, nursing and medical.  

“Applauding our colleagues in this manner is just a small token of our appreciation for their dedication and loyalty to our organisation.”

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Caption: L-R Service Group Director Ann Marie Mallett, Raylee Hervey, Ana Mooney, Nursing Director Rural Hospitals Service Group Sari Holland and Tracey Gabiola. Photo credit: Sam Gillespie

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