The outstanding work of Karen West, an Aboriginal health worker from Mornington Island, has been honoured at the National Rural Health Conference, reports Marge Overs.
And towards the bottom of the post, you will find short interviews with some conference attendees.
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Recognising a quiet achiever
Friends of the Alliance have honoured Aboriginal health worker Karen West, of Mornington Island, as the 2013 Unsung Hero.
The award honours the quiet achievers – the volunteers or paid workers who go above and beyond what is normally expected, in particular someone who has made a special contribution to the health and wellbeing of a remote, Indigenous or rural community.
In presenting the award at the NRHC dinner, Friends of the Alliance chair Pauline Glover said Karen worked tirelessly for her community.
“Knock off time is notional,” Pauline said. “If people need her, Karen would walk on glass to get to them. She is known as someone that people can talk to, who won’t judge them.”
Karen, a team leader, thanked the Alliance for the award but acknowledged every Aboriginal health worker around Australia.
“There are many like me in remote communities,” she said. “Aboriginal health workers are part of a team and we have to work as part of a team and respect each other and what skills we have.”
Karen, 64, says she has no plans to retire: “The work sounds hard but I love what I do.”
Karen West (centre) receives the award from Pauline Glover, chair of Friends of the Alliance (in dress up for the conference dinner), with NRHA’s Lesley Barclay in the background. Photo credits: Penny Bradfield
Karen West with her award:”known as someone that people can talk to, who won’t judge them.”
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Vox pops: Hearing from some of the conference attendees
Tere Garnons-Williams
Registered nurse, midwife, community health consultant, remote area. Location: Northern NSW, WA, rural SA and NT
How many National Rural Health Conferences have you attended?
This is the first.
Why did you come to the conference?
I have been a friend of the Alliance for six years and have wanted to attend for the last couple of years. I value what the Alliance stands for and the various rural health groups they represent and speak for. This year I had the time and was able to attend.
If you had to choose one, what is the best presentation you have seen and why?
There were a lot of presentations that I would have liked to attend! However, there were so many to choose from, I decided to attend those that had at least something to do with my area of work, that being community development and maternal/child health.
As anyone who attends this conference knows, rural health is multi-focused and although these are my areas of specific interest, most topics that were covered touched on my specific interests to some degree. Rural health concepts overlap into all areas of health.
I think that the most animated presentation was the short but sweet presentation “Storytelling and new media: why not?” by Moya Sayer-Jones. Her comment “Life is a story… constantly unfolding…” embraces the feeling of rural life. It makes sense that this particular medium can be of benefit to those who wish to influence health outcomes in rural Australia.
What have you marked in your program as a ‘can’t miss’ session?
Anything to do with the creative tendency of the human condition; maternal health services, as well as midwifery care. There are a lot of disease-related issues that become evident and are influenced during life in utero, which eventually turn into chronic health conditions.
As some of our elders have indicated, we have to see health as a long-term project. Health is not something that can be fixed in a day or a year; it may take generations to rectify previous insults.
What one key recommendation do you hope comes out of this conference?
That we go beyond ego – that we put aside our various interests and passions – and view rural health on a person to person; group by group; community by community basis. We need to see rural health as reflected at a grass roots level.
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Chris Hanna
Integrated Care Coordinator, NSW Health. Location: Northern NSW
This is my first NRHC, and hopefully it won’t be the last.
Why did you come to the conference?
This is a great opportunity to get together with other health professionals, to share ideas, to support each other and to go home inspired and full of ideas.
If you had to choose one, what is the best presentation you have seen?
A really interesting idea of how to reduce waiting times for paediatric speech pathologists.
What have you marked in your program as a ‘can’t miss’ session?
There are so many people who have worked so hard and have opened themselves up to present I really don’t think it’s fair to single out just one.
What one key recommendation do you hope comes out of this conference?
I think we really need to show politicians and powerbrokers that health services in rural areas must be a priority, a necessity, not a luxury or a maybe.
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And thanks to Parri Gregory for contributing this vox pop.
Shannon Nott
Co-Chair, Future Health Leaders; Resident Medical Officer, Orange Health Service, Orange, NSW
How many National Rural Health Conferences have you attended (and when/where)?
– Perth 2011
– Cairns 2009
– Albury 2007
Why did you come to the conference?
The NRHC is one of the best conferences that I have ever had the pleasure of attending. It has a buzz about it that no other conference I have been to has been able to replicate. The delegates are all a part of our rural health family and for me, the NRHC is very much a family reunion.
It is a place where learning happens, where we share our yarns and where we collectively are reinvigorated in improving health all rural and remote Australians.
Importantly it is a conference that reminds me of just how much I love rural Australia and want to continue being a part of it!
If you had to choose one, what is the best presentation you have seen today and why?
Best presentation on Tuesday would have to Alison Fairleigh’s (@AlisonFairleigh) discussion on empowering our communities through social media. She’s an absolute gem!
What have you marked in your program as a ‘can’t miss’ session?
Would have to be Katherine Galligan and Sabina Knight’s presentation on student-assisted clinics. Such an important area of health we need to explore.
What one key recommendation do you hope comes out of this conference?
That all levels of government, health organisations and education providers involve health students and early career health professionals in their discussions about health reform. They offer such a unique perspective and are our future so their voice should be heard.
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Previous Croakey articles on the 12th NRHC
• NDIS is shifting the paradigm, and the balance of power
• Talking about some good news in Aboriginal health
• An update on efforts to reduce Indigenous smoking
• Spotlight on Indigenous health and the value of physician assistants
• What are the critical health issues for rural and remote communities?
• Introducing a new Croakey service, launching at the national rural health conference
Details and declarations re the Croakey Conference Reporting Service are outlined here.
