Support for a vital community service

Why doesn’t someone do something about it?

We often hear it said about lots of issues – but Narrabri resident Lexie Killen decided to act and ‘do something.’

“I became aware that experienced local palliative care nurse Fiona Campbell was obliged to undertake a course of study to gain certification to be able to continue her vital role as a palliative care nurse,” said Mrs Killen.

“Fiona was already doing the valuable work that the certificate would apparently validate, but she was now obliged to have that piece of paper to fill the palliative care role permanently.

“As many thankful people across communities in the region well know, she is a Registered Nurse of 30 years’ experience and undertakes palliative care.

“It emerged that a requirement for her to be able to keep working in the role she has been dedicated to is to have a Clinical Nurse Consultant’s graduate certificate.

“To achieve that, she had to undertake the 12-month course and pay for it herself.

“The course cost about $10,000.

“Fiona was already performing this important work.”

Mrs Killen thought to herself, ‘people see these kinds of situations and think, why doesn’t someone do something about it?

What to do?

Mrs Killen is herself a registered nurse – and also a keen hobby quilter in her spare time.

“I decided to make a quilt and raffle it to raise funds to help a little towards Fiona paying for her own training,” Mrs Killen said.

“Training which as a CNC benefits so many in our community.

“This wonderful service will in some way be needed by many of us eventually.

“We need to support the amazing staff in this role which covers such an enormous geographical area.

“Fiona has to travel regularly through that area. There are supportive staff in the region who assist in providing the care, and as a consultant, Fiona assists them – that’s her role which she undertakes so conscientiously.”

Over the past few months, Mrs Killen set about selling raffle tickets, with the quilt as the prize and found a generous response from the community.

“People would walk past and contribute, some not necessarily wanting a ticket, just wanting to support the cause, saying ‘we wanted to help.’”

“There was plenty of support.

“Thanks to Dennise Simshauser, who was happy for me to sit at the front of the Lisa Dee’s shop numerous times to sell raffle tickets, Michel Trindall, who sat with me to help sell tickets, Ursula Fish, who sold tickets for me when I was away, Woolworths was very supportive and set me up with a table at the front of Woolies, Tricia Hadley helped me organise to sit with a stallholder at the Narrabri markets.

“And thanks to everyone who bought a ticket or made a donation.”

Meanwhile, Fiona has finished her course and continues in her role as Clinical Nurse Consultant to the regional community.

The fact that further expensive training was deemed necessary, at her own expense, for a vital health professional to continue providing an essential service to the community has highlighted the wider issue, Mrs Killen said. “We need to look at the big picture. I see this as an  issuethroughout the whole health system – it’s not just a local issue.”