More from far away

An exciting part of working on this blog is making a connection with so many wonderful people who live and work in places that many of us will only hear about. Meet Laura, a nurse who comes to us from across the globe to share her nursing story.

I am writing from Australia but am originally from South Africa and I speak Afrikaans. I was born and raised in South Africa and did my training as a nurse in the good old days when nurses still wore capes and little neat white caps on our heads. I am really not old – I qualified in 1984!

I always had a passion for older people and did not mind death and dying. When the possibility came my way to stretch my wings I did, onboard a airplane to Australia. My only condition on my application was: 'old age and a country town.' So I was snatched up by a country town in Victoria where my children and I were welcomed "with open arms" – which is exactly what our hospital’s logo is!

Many people have asked: "How did it happen that you picked Casterton?" It gives me a bit of joy to reply: "I did not pick Casterton, they picked me".

It makes me proud to be part of the team and the community. I love caring for the residents and practicing palliative care. It has not always been easy as a lot of things are different. The language is a bit of a barrier, but with time everything seems to be falling into place. I believe it was meant to be this way.

Laura Luus