Mary “Lou” Beresford 1937 – 2024

I am not aware of how much you know about the years before the government funding became available and nurses were able to be paid a proper nurses wage and be employed full time, as well as administration staff. 

I was a fully qualified, registered nurse when the position was advertised for a nurse to establish a home based Palliative Care service for our district. My nursing experience was extensive and varied – including working for 7 years as a missionary nurse in Papua New Guinea, and four years in Vanuatu (New Hebrides as it was then). I returned to Australia, and studied for and achieved a diploma in Nursing Education at the College of Nursing Queensland (this level of education was the highest available for nurses at that time.) I would have returned to Vanuatu to establish a qualified nursing training program for the people there as I had been asked by the government to do, but a handsome farmer from Goomeri won my heart and I got married instead. This was followed by a year working as a nurse educator at the Royal Brisbane Hospital, and a further 18 months in the clinical area and as a nurse educator at the Mater Public Hospital in Brisbane. 

Burnett obtained a good job with International Harvester in Biloela, so we moved up there. I was employed as the Director of Nursing in the Biloela Hospital for 5 years. We had to return to Goomeri for Burnett to care for his aging and dependant parents. From Goomeri I commuted to Gympie Hospital and worked in the clinical area before becoming the only qualified Nurse Educator in the school of nursing. Burnett’s Father passed away and his mother came to live with us when we relocated to Gympie. I developed the new 1200 hour nurse curriculum which had a large emphasis on Community based care. We then had a baby, and when I returned from maternity leave a position was available in Community Health to which I was appointed. I worked in that area for about 6 years. 

Phyl Little and her helpers were raising money for a Hospice building. Architects Plans had been drawn up. Phyl moved down the coast and was no longer directly involved (she passed away not so long after) The world trend was towards home based palliative care and the committee decided to discontinue working towards a hospice and to implement a home based service.

The committee had something like $280,000 invested so it was a long way from the over $2million needed for the hospice. They advertised the position for a nurse to commence this service. I was the successful applicant. For a few years I worked from our own home, using our own car, our own phone, our own storage space for equipment etc. As a matter of fact the phone number for Little Haven was our personal phone number. But because that number was on all the Little Haven letter heads and other literature it was easier for us to obtain a new phone number ourselves and leave 5482 9091 as the little haven number.

For over 5 years I worked for about $200 a week as that was the interest on the money invested plus the average of donations at the time. I knew it was a good thing for the community and I was willing to make the sacrifice to get the service established. My husband had obtained a job by then so we had his income too. 

To keep faith with the residents who had given money for a hospice, one of my first tasks, assigned by the committee, was to ne.gotiate with the hospital management to obtain the use of the two rooms that were eventually set aside as Palliative Care rooms. The L.H. Committee paid for the rooms to be enlarged and other facilities added to make them comfortable for family members, if they wished, to be able to spend 24 hours a day there with their loved one who needed hospital care. 

We put in a submission to the Gaming Machines Community Benefit fund and were granted the money for a motor vehicle, which was obtained with help from Madills. A Commodore station sedan was more appropriate for carrying equipment to patients than our little Mazda, although I must mention that St. Vincent De Paul volunteers were always helpful in delivering larger equipment that wouldn’t fit into our car. 

The next advancement was that I was appointed to the Gympie District Health Council. Through that I learned that the Health Department was planning to demolish the old maternity ward. So the outcome of further negotiations resulted in Little Haven being given the use of the end of the building it has now occupied for many years. 

As I was the only person employed I was not able to give 24hours a day seven days a week hands on nursing care. I also attended service clubs etc. to explain to the community what Palliative care is and to encourage their :financial assistance. 

On the patient care scene I visited patients and families referred to us by doctors, or self referred, and assessed their needs – what kind of care did they need? Did they need home nursing equipment? What family support was there? If they needed direct nursing care at home, beyond the family’s capabilities, or my time restraint, they were referred to the Blue Nurses at that time. If they needed equipment we were building up a stock of equipment and were mostly able to help out with that. This got too much for our storage at home and one of the owners of storage sheds gave us a very good deal for the use of a shed to store the equipment. Then with the move to the hospital there was room there for some equipment. IfI hadn’t been a nurse I couldn’t have guided families in the care of their loved one, or I may not have known what sort of equipment would be helpful or to teach them how to use some of it. I suppose I really spent more time supporting families and guiding them in their care of the patient rather than giving direct hands on care myself, although sometimes I was able to do that. I visited as often as possible and as needed, as well as being on call all the time. We had patients all over the district even in those early days. Also I frequently spent a night caring for patients to give the carers a good night’s sleep. 

We recruited a team of volunteers, who I trained in appropriate care. They provided mainly respite care in the homes or in the centre, as well as helping as receptionist and helping in other ways around the centre as well as some fund raising. 

On the education field, every year we had a big dinner seminar with content relevant to Palliative Care, which always attracted more than 100 people including doctors, nurses, carers etc. etc. some coming from Nambour, Maryborough, Murgon etc. as well as locals. These were held at Gunabul Homestead with people paying – we didn’t cater. 

Sue, I could not have laid the foundation for Little Haven’s work in the community if I had not been a well experienced and qualified nurse. In fact much of my previous nursing experience prepared me for my work in Little Haven. I had had a broad range of clinical experience, my cross cultural experience nursing in P.N.G. prepared me for the different cultures I cared for, my nursing education experience prepared me to train volunteers, and to provide a wider education to health professionals and the community about Palliative Care, my experience as Director of Nursing gave me management skills, and my time as a community health nurse prepared me for the community based care. 

Whilst there was not a 24 hour, seven days a week, nursing service, nursing care was given in the name of Little Haven Palliative Care for the 6 ½ years I was employed. It was the granting of Government money that enabled the current level of care to be given – and as you know I worked with you and the committee in preparing the submissions to the Government for funding. Evidence that a good standard of nursing care was being given was fundamental in securing that funding.. 

I believe I laid the foundation of good nursing care, and you have all built on that foundation to provide a service much appreciated by the community. Keep up the good work. 

Regards, 

Lou Beresford 20TH July, 2013