October 2007

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Page

Vision Mission Statement …….….....3

Annual General Meeting Agenda …….….....4

Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting …………..5

President’s report …………..8

Co-ordinator’s report ……….....11

Nurses Special Interest Group ………….14

Grief and Bereavement Counsellor’s report ……….…15

Co-ordinator of Volunteers report …….……16

Friends of Hospice report ………….17

Opportunity Shop report

………….18
Fund Raising reports: ………….20
Woody’s Murray to Moyne
Hospice Fruit Loop
Committee Members / Staff ………….21

Friends of Hospice ………….22

Palliative Care Volunteers ………….23

Opportunity Shop Volunteers …….……24

Audited Financial Statements …….……25

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VISION

Excellence in Community based Palliative Care

MISSION

The provision of a 24-hour Community based Palliative Care Service.

OBJECTIVES

1. The Service will be provided 24 hours a day, 7 days a week;

2. Palliative care will be available to all persons free of charge;
3. To support the needs of the terminally ill person, to limit pain and distress;
4. To support and assist their family and friends throughout the illness, death and
bereavement;
5. To provide a comprehensive service, which is integrated with all appropriate
community services. In particular specialist medical, nursing and pastoral care,
bereavement counselling and volunteer support.
6. Adherence to the wishes and priorities of the ill person.
7. To recognise and respect cultural and religious beliefs in respect of death, dying
and bereavement.
8. A strong commitment to education for both itself and the community.

ETHICS

1. Respecting the autonomy of the ill person, medical treatment will be in

consultation with them, and be directed towards management of the illness in
order to provide effective symptom management.
2. Experimental procedures will not be a part of the palliative care program.
3. The Service adopts Palliative Care Australia recommendations on euthanasia
and end of life decisions. http://www.pallcare.org.au/

“Death should become simply a discreet but dignified exit of a special person from a helpful
society without pain or suffering and ultimately without fear”. (Phillip Aires)
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ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

AGENDA
The Nineteenth Annual General Meeting of the Goulburn Valley Hospice Care
Service is to be held at 5.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 3rd October, 2007
at Rotary Hospice House, 32 Packham Street, Shepparton.

1. Opening and Welcome.

2. Apologies.
3. Confirmation of Minutes of last Annual meeting.
4. President’s Report (to be presented by John Hetherington)
5. Treasurer’s Report (to be presented by Greg Luscombe)
6. Co-ordinator’s Report (to be presented by Carmel Smith)
and including the reports of the -
Grief and Bereavement Counsellor;
Palliative Care Nurses’ Special Interest Group;
Co-ordinator of Volunteers.
7. Fund Raising Reports comprising:-
Opportunity Shop;
Friends of Hospice;
Murray to Moyne Sub Committee;
Hospice Fruit Loop Sub Committee.
8. Appointment of Auditor.
9. Annual Subscription: In accordance with the Rules of the Association,
to confirm that the Annual Subscription for the year 2007/2008 is $10;
for volunteers the subscription is $2.
10. General Business.
11. Election of Committee of Management.
12. Presentation of Long Service Certificates.
13. Closure.
Refreshments
 Page 5

GOULBURN VALLEY HOSPICE CARE SERVICE INC.

Minutes of the 18th Annual General Meeting of the Goulburn Valley Hospice
Care Service held at 5.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 8th November, 2006 at Rotary
Hospice House, Packham Street, Shepparton.

The President Dr. John Hetherington welcomed everyone to the 18th Annual General
Meeting.

PRESENT: John Hetherington, John Beaver, Pat Gibson, Greg Luscombe, Rob
Sands, Paul O’Dwyer, Michael Blake, Andrew Neaum, Wendy Cook,
Marg Watts, Carmel Smith, Kerrie Frappell, Carmel Johnson, Jeanette
Powell, M.L.A., Christine Ryan ADON G.V.H, Barbara Evans,
Richard Moloney, Ian Barker and Stephen Merrylees.

APOLOGIES: Mayor Jenny Houlihan Mayor of Shepparton, Bob Laing C.E.O City of
Greater Shepparton, Catherine Hattersley Hume Palliative Care, Dr.
Sharman Stone Federal Member for Murray, The Hon. Wendy Lovell
M.L.C, Dr. Bruce Warton Director of Medical Services G.V.H, Greg
Pullen C.E.O G.V.H, Chris Thompson C.E.O Shepparton Private
Hospital, Dr. Adrian Buncle, Wendy Lewis, Peter Ross-Edwards A.M.,
Les Young, Bunty Gundry, Julie Poon, Annette McDougall, Sonia
Allert, Celie Cameron, Sharon Bover, Annette Cudmore, Lorraine
Tuckett, Sharyn Oxenbury and Sally Parker.

CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES OF LAST MEETING:

Moved by Michael Blake, seconded by John Beaver, that the Minutes

of the last Annual meeting be received as a true and correct record of
the proceedings. Carried.

REPORTS:

PRESIDENT’S REPORT:

Dr. Hetherington presented his Annual Report of the Committee of Management. He

summarised some of the special achievements of the year – listed in the written report – and
the plans to increase involvement with the wider community.

Moved by John Hetherington, seconded by Wendy Cook, that the report of the President be
received. Carried
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Reports cont.

TREASURER’S REPORT:

Greg Luscombe presented the Audited Financial Statements for the financial year ending
30/06/2006.

Moved by Greg Luscombe, seconded by John Beaver, that the Audited Financial Statements
be received. Carried.

CO-ORDINATOR’S REPORT:

Carmel Smith presented her report which also incorporated the report of the Bereavement
Counsellor, the Co-ordinator of Volunteers, Nurses Special Interest Group and the Clinical
Advisory Committee which comprises Dr. Adrian Buncle and Dr. Paul O’Dwyer.

Moved by Rob Sands, seconded by Greg Luscombe, that the report of the Co-ordinator be
received. Carried.

HOSPICE OPPORTUNITY SHOP REPORT:

The Opportunity Shop report was tabled.

FRIENDS OF HOSPICE REPORT:

The Friends of Hospice Report was tabled.

FRUIT LOOP – MURRAY TO MOYNE:

The Fruit Loop and Murray to Moyne reports were tabled.

Moved Wendy Cook, seconded by Andrew Neaum that the reports of the fundraising
committees be accepted. Carried.

APPOINTMENT OF AUDITOR:

Moved by Greg Luscombe, seconded by Marg Watts that Mr. Frank Metzke of Metzke &
Allen be appointed Auditor for the 2006/2007 financial year.
Carried.

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION:

Moved by John Beaver, seconded by Wendy Cook, that this meeting confirm that the Annual
Subscription for membership of the Goulburn Valley Hospice Care Service Inc. is $10. with
the exception of volunteers’ subscription which is set at $2. Carried.

GENERAL BUSINESS:

No items of General Business had been received as per the Rules of Association.
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ELECTION OF COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT:

The President declared all positions vacant; Mrs. Carmel Johnson an inaugural member of
this Committee was invited to take the chair for the election of the Committee and to outline
the establishment of this service in 1988.

MRS. JOHNSON –
Paid tribute to the Committee, Co-ordinator Carmel Smith and Staff of the service for their
continuing work for the community and how wonderful it was to see how far the service had
come.

Recalling the humble beginnings of the service noting the first meetings were held in a small
room at Ambermere House which was cold and had minimal kitchen facilities. The first
grant of $15,000 was graciously received from the Fairley Foundation. The passion and
enthusiasm in these early days of people such as BOBBIE HOLMES, JENNY LEWIS and
FRANK PURCELL resulted in an initial grant from the Health Department of $60,000,
which was used to employ JENNY LEWIS a well respected Palliative Care Nurse in the
community. Mrs. Johnson also paid tribute to Roger Coates, Ian Barker, Margaret
Humphreys Robin Holmswood and Brian Bradbury for their support in the early days.

Mrs. Johnson stated that Nomination Papers had been received for the following people:
John Hetherington, John Beaver, Pat Gibson, Greg Luscombe, Paul O’Dwyer, Rob Sands,
Les Young, Michael Blake, Andrew Neaum, Marg Watts and Wendy Cook.
As the number of nominations did not exceed the number to be elected, Mrs Johnson
declared the above persons duly elected to the Committee of Management.

Dr. Hetherington resumed the Chair.

PRESENTATION OF SERVICE CERTIFICATES:

The Chairman advised that the following members have completed 10 and 15 years’
volunteering service:

PAT GIBSON – Committee of Management. (15 Years)

PAT ANDERSON – Patient Volunteer. (15 Years)
JO BARKER – Opportunity Shop Volunteer. (10 years)

As Pat Anderson and Jo Barker were not present the Chairman will present their certificates
on another occasion.

CLOSURE AND THANKS:

The Chairman closed the meeting, thanking those who attended for their continued support
and issued an invitation to remain for light refreshments.

MEETING CLOSED AT 6.30 p.m.

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Since its eighteenth Annual Report the Goulburn Valley Hospice Care Service (GVHCS) has
enjoyed a year during which clinical services have gained breadth and depth. We are now
able to do more for our patients, who come to us with more diverse and more complicated
problems – and their families.

Voluntary work remains the backbone of the infrastructure which supports our clinical staff.
It remains true that government funding would provide a “nine to five”, five days a week
service by community nurses assisted by a nurse specialist. Our service is provided by
specialist nurses 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The twelve members of our Committee of Management possess a collective pool of

experience and skills which is made freely available to the service; we continue to benefit
from the generosity with which time and expertise is enthusiastically provided. We welcome
Mr. Richard Moloney to our committee; he was soon put to work and has already assisted in
fund raising and presently a review of our constitution. Fund raising is an ongoing need and
many teams and “auxiliaries” come to our aid by presenting events and activities which are
of high quality and therefore enjoyable for those taking part. This is important: a well
organised, well produced enjoyable event reflects well upon our service – generating
goodwill as well as dollars. There is no better example of a team doing just that than our
“Friends of Hospice”. The garden tours are popular to the point of being over-subscribed.
The Christmas cards are of a high standard and their bi-annual “Tea and Harmony” event is
truly remarkable. Of course, all the “Friends” are due our thanks but on this occasion those
on our Committee of Management – Pat Gibson, their chair and Wendy Cook deserve
particular mention. We were nearly blinded by an astounding collection of spectacular
diamond jewellery, by Cerone, which “just happened to be passing through” Shepparton on
its way for exhibition in Dubai. Stewart and Pam Lynas obtained the use of the collection
and, together with Carmel Johnson, mounted a “James Bond – Diamonds Are Forever”
social function where the dazzling diamond encrusted pieces were modelled and of which we
were beneficiaries – though not of the gems themselves!

Our voluntary fund raising is aided considerably by the generosity of the Community Fund
which has once again come to our assistance with money towards improving our storage area
for equipment and records. As well, we benefit from cycling events; the “Murray to Moyne”
in April remains popular and the “Fruit Loop” in September generates much interest amongst
riders and many dollars for us. These events don’t just happen and it is not just the riders
who put in the effort. They happen because of active enthusiastic groups of people who work
long and hard behind the scenes, doing the ground work and inspiring the sponsors. If riding
a bike is not your scene we can offer a weekend motoring tour – called “The Hospice
Rallye” which is held in May. Again, a lot of work, a lot of fun, a lot of money.

All these people volunteer their time and effort and as well we have specific teams of
volunteers doing defined jobs. One way to make a nurse’s hours go further is to assist a
patient and family at home with a “patient volunteer”. We have a panel of these fine folk and
we are about to train more recruits. This is in the hands of Tanya Holt whom we welcome to
our service as Co-ordinator of Volunteers.
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Tanya brings with her expertise at her job, a bright personality and an ability to raise money.
Welcome, Tanya! She will also co-ordinate that other important team of permanent
volunteers – those who work in the Opportunity Shop. The “Op Shop” continues to produce
the income stream which underwrites our expenditure over and above our government
grants. It therefore remains a central plank in our model of care. Sharyn Oxenbury is now the
manager, ably assisted by Julie Argus who has just joined the staff. They, along with all the
volunteers, keep that essential but well oiled machine running.

It is a pleasure to be able to report that all this voluntary activity has supported a nursing
service which is increasingly broad and deep. As anticipated a year ago, the Department of
Human Services brought into effect major changes in the way Palliative Care is delivered in
Victoria. In the Hume Region, wherein lies Shepparton, this has meant more funds have been
diverted from a central bureaucracy to the front line services which provide the care. Because
we employ nurses with great experience in Palliative Care we provide consultative advice to
smaller services in the western and southern parts of the region. At the same time we are able
to access expert medical advice from the medical team with which Hume Region is
contracted. This is valuable when our own small team of expert (voluntary) medical
practitioners is not available.

Our Co-ordinator, Carmel Smith’s role has had to change to allow more of her time to be
spent on administration and less on clinical nursing. Annette Cudmore has re-joined our
nursing staff as Clinical Nurse Consultant and as well as nursing is busying herself with
matters pertaining to Strategic Planning and renewal of Accreditation of Standards. Last year
we employed Sharon Bover on “nurse bank” but it was not long before she started permanent
part time hours so the nurse bank is again empty! And this is at a time when we can foresee
the need for more nursing hours as we establish the system of electronic record keeping and
communication which we are planning to introduce.

Electronic communication has a well established place in obtaining pathology and radiology
reports but systems are less well developed for providing relevant and timely information
when patients have to move between different health care facilities. The need for “old
ground” to be covered again can be tiresome and inconvenient for all concerned when a
patient has to be moved between our service and the hospital but it can be diminished or even
removed with well planned communication. Such communication allows admission/
discharge to proceed more smoothly and more quickly. But electronics alone do not allow
this; it requires co-operation and planning. Our staff and that of Goulburn Valley Health (GV
Health) have co-operated and planned most successfully – to the point where “Direct
Admission” of our patients to the medical ward of the hospital now occurs. In another
example of co-operation for the benefit of patients and families GVHCS is committing funds
for decoration and furnishings to permit the opening of a second dedicated “Palliative Care”
Single Bed Ward at GV Health. This much needed facility should be available soon and will
be a welcome addition to the existing bed and the Respite Care Bed we currently lease at
Ave Maria Village.
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Recently a survey was carried out, by the Press-Ganey Organisation, covering USA and
Victoria (being the first part of Australia into which they are expanding). That survey sought
to find out how satisfied recently bereaved families were with their experience of home
based palliative care. It is wonderful to be able to report that GVHCS came out on top. Yes!
Number One! That really does say a lot about our standards of care but we are aware that our
model of care requires more nurses with specialist training than simpler models so we are
committed to continuing education.

Our Staff are involved in the education of medical students at the Rural Medical School of
the University of Melbourne. They are all involved in the on-going education of nurses
working in Aged Care Facilities. Under the leadership of Sonia Strachan there is a (Palliative
Care) Special Interest Group of nurses in the Goulburn Valley. We were pleased to be able to
support our Clinical Nurse and Bereavement Counsellor Julie Poon in her study for her
Masters of Health Studies at the University of Queensland. She has just gained her
qualification. As well as all of these activities there is something else happening which is
really exciting. We have entered into a co-operative arrangement with Banksia Palliative
Care Service, based in Ivanhoe, to provide formal Palliative Care training for nurses – in
Shepparton. Banksia is the pre-eminent provider of such education within Victoria and its
successful students gain credits with the University of Melbourne. So it is not just education
that we are providing locally but first class education of high repute. The first course, for
twenty five students, is due to commence in early July and is already over-subscribed. We
look forward to this venture continuing and hopefully expanding because an ageing
population with a longer life span is bound to demand more palliative care.

This Annual Report outlines a year in the life of our small but busy service. I hope that it
informs you and interests you enough to maintain your support, for we are truly a grass-roots
organisation. We believe we do those things you ask of us and we intend to go on doing them
and doing them well for a long time to come.

JOHN HETHERINGTON. PRESIDENT.

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My fourth annual report reflects another busy year at Hospice House and in the community.
Our wonderful team has once again worked their magic in supporting many families to
achieve the wishes of their loved ones to die in their place of choice. In most cases this was
at their home, but if not, the staff were able to ensure that their time at home was maximised
before they were transferred to hospital or into our Ave Maria bed for their final days. We
have had many wonderful and challenging experiences and our clients have ranged in age
from 3 to 99.

There have been some changes to our staff at Hospice House and at the Opportunity Shop.
Jacinta Goodman (Clinical Nurse) resigned and was replaced by Annette Cudmore. Celie
Cameron (Co-ordinator of Volunteers) also resigned and was replaced by Tanya Holt.
Lorraine Tuckett (Opportunity Shop) resigned and was replaced by Julie Argus. Sharon
Bover has joined our staff as a permanent part time Clinical Nurse. I would like to thank
Jacinta, Celie and Lorraine for their valuable contribution to GVHCS and wish them all the
very best in their future endeavours. I would also like to extend a warm welcome to Annette,
Tanya, Julie and Sharon who join our team.

Throughout 2006/2007 we continued our involvement in the many government initiatives in

the area of palliative care. John Hetherington was our representative at the Hume Consortia
meetings and I attended the Advisory group meetings. The Advisory group targets the
implementation of the Hume Plan within the region. It is lovely to be part of these meetings
and to see the progress that we are making as a team and to be able to share knowledge and
ideas with the other Hume Region palliative care providers.

The nursing staff have had a busy year fulfilling the education requests from the area. We see
this as an important role that we play in the region to help upgrade the qualifications and
knowledge of all those who are involved in the care of dying patients. We provide education
to nurses from aged care facilities, acute hospitals, student nurses both Division 1 and
Division 2, and also to medical students as requested.
During the year we teamed up with Partners in Training to present education to all the local
aged care facilities especially in relation to syringe driver competencies. The demand on our
staff in this respect required some careful resource planning. We introduced an “Education
Calendar” to help us plan in advance and ensure that there is enough staff to service the
patients while someone is away presenting education. We plan to continue to commit to
delivery of education throughout 2007/2008 which includes education to the Moira and
Lower Hume Shires.
We are all very excited about the commencement of the Banksia Palliative Care Course,
which is running for the first time out of Melbourne. We are supporting Banksia to provide
this valuable accredited course in Shepparton. Our first intake of 25 nurses is from all over
the Hume Region, and with various nursing backgrounds. We have enough expressions of
interest to warrant running another course in 2008. The Banksia Palliative Care Course will
help with the broader education of general nurses throughout our region. We hope that in
time, the increased understanding of palliative care amongst the general nurses in the
community will provide an important positive link when seeking specialist palliative care
support from our Hospice Service and other palliative care services in the region.
 Page 12

Our regular meetings at GV Health continued, and we have formalised a Direct Admission
Policy for clients who require admission to the hospital. The direct admission is seen as a
logical and necessary procedure for our clients requiring medical interventions. Being able to
admit them directly to the ward ensures that they are seen and treated promptly, without
having to have lengthy waits in casualty.

Another great step forward is that we are now able to access our clients’ Goulburn Valley
Health pathology results electronically, which reduces otherwise lengthy waiting times for
phone and fax results, and further streamlines our clients care.

Our respite bed at Ave Maria Village continued to enhance the services we provide to our
clients and their families, and our room is fully utilised. We continue to maintain an active
role in the management of all our clients while they are in Ave Maria, and to support their
respective families and carers.

Professional development is an ongoing priority for all the staff at Hospice. The nursing staff
have continued to be involved in formal study, including attending conferences and
workshops relevant to palliative care. All other staff are actively involved in appropriate
education opportunities as required. We again thank the Committee of Management for their
ongoing financial commitment to our professional development.

We continued our commitment to maintain our Accreditation status and our quality practices.
Annette Cudmore took over this important part of our service and is ably assisted by Kerrie
Frappell. Our committee meet monthly and included Margaret Watts and Rob Sands, whose
support and expertise in this area were greatly appreciated by the team. We have passed our
mid cycle review and will go through another formal review in 2008.

Clinical Advisory Meetings:

Our monthly meetings with Dr. Adrian Buncle and Dr. Paul O’Dwyer continue to provide
the nursing staff with ongoing support and medical expertise. We are always grateful to
Adrian and Paul for their continued involvement and support for the service. We all enjoy
these meetings and look forward to the opportunity to obtain advice and also to debrief in an
informal environment.
At a regional level, we have access to expert medical advice from the new medical model,
which was established in the Hume Region. This allows us access to the expertise of a team
of Palliative Physicians from Barwon Health. One of their specialists visit a palliative care
service in the region every fortnight to provide clinical expertise to the nursing staff and our
GP’s. The visiting specialist commits as required to home visits on complex clients, the
provision of formal education sessions for our GP’s and nurses in the acute and aged care
sectors, medical students at the university and our young doctors at GV Health.
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Palliative Care Week was as always a wonderful time to reflect on the year gone, and to
remember those we have lost and support their wonderful families and carers in our
memorial service. Bunty Gundry continued to put her special mark on this wonderful
memorial service, and was well supported by all the other staff and the volunteers. Palliative
Care week offers us an opportunity to make the community aware of the practice of
palliative care and the many ways we are able to support and care for the terminally ill
clients and their carers who need our help.

Statistics:
• Patient referrals 118

No of palliative patients cared for: 231

Total no of deaths: 100.

Home or Residential Care – Home - 43; Aged Care Facilities –17;

Ave Maria Village (Hospice bed) - 6;
Goulburn Valley Health – 21;
Rushworth (Palliative bed) - 1;
Tatura (Palliative bed) - 6;
Shepparton Private Hospital - 4;
Other - 2.

Total number of patients discharged: 11

Again it is interesting to note that the 27 patients who passed away at Goulburn Valley
Health and Tatura had been in the our service for a total of 1,274 days, and although they
passed away in hospital, which in all cases was planned, they only spent 124 days
collectively as inpatients in their final days.

I look forward to the year ahead with all its challenges and again would like to thank my
wonderful team for all that they do to make this such a special service. Our team could not
achieve what we do in the community without the wonderful support and work done by all
our volunteers, whether they be working at the Op Shop, on committees or along side us with
our clients and their families. My heartfelt thanks to all of you for making my position at
Hospice House so enjoyable. My team and I look forward to another exciting year.

Carmel Smith
Co-ordinator
 Page 14

It is with much pleasure that I present the annual report from the Goulburn Valley Palliative
Care Nurses Special Interest Group.

This group was established in 2003 for the main purpose of providing an opportunity for
nurses with a particular interest in palliative care to meet and exchange ideas, network and
overall offer support to one another.
This group has 4 meetings through out the year and hold these at Hospice House in Packham
Street.

Speakers for the last 12 months have included the Co-ordinator of the Hume Integrated
Cancer Service, Sharyn Oxenbury the National Palliative Care 2006 short story competition
winner, Barb Robinson – Head of Anaesthetics at GV Health who presented on the use of
Ketamine and Frances Dias, Mundipharma Drug Rep who presented on the use of Norspan
and Oxycontin.

Each meeting has had approximately 12 nurses attend. These nurses are from Shepparton,
Kyabram, Nathalia, Numurkah and work within the community, aged care facilities,
oncology, medical wards and palliative care services. The number of attendees may not
appear large but when you compare this to the Melbourne Special Interest Group who gets
approximately 20 nurses at their meetings I think we are doing really well at a local level.

The group welcomes any new members that work in palliative care or have an interest in this
specialised area.

Goulburn Valley Palliative Care Nurses Special Interest Group acknowledges the support of
G.V. Hospice Committee of Management.

Sonia Strachan
Clinical Nurse Consultant
 ! "

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Bereavement support is made available to patients and their carers during the period of care
and for 12 months following the death of the patient. General support is provided by nursing
staff and patient volunteers with the counsellor providing individual and family counselling,
routine contacts and facilitating group work activities (walk, creative crafts and men’s
groups).

The following statistics are presented for the year July 2006 to June 2007:
Number of bereavement counsellor workdays: 71
Contacts: Visits – 123, Phone calls – 263, Letters – 228
Number of families involved in bereavement support program: 67

During the year I have been involved in the following projects:

• Palliative Care Victoria Loss and Grief Interest Group – writing a new leaflet
“about Bereavement Counsellors”;
• Local chapter of National Association for Loss and Grief;
• Research project “Preference for place of death” investigating whether the people
we care for achieve their wishes has been finalised and written up.
It was presented at the inaugural Palliative Care Nurses of Australia conference in
September;
• Community information on grief;
• Attended reference group for state-wide psycho-oncology service.

On a personal level I have completed a Masters in Health Studies this year.

I would like to thank the volunteers for their valued assistance in running group work
activities.

Julie Poon
Bereavement Counsellor
 !

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Earlier in the year I had the pleasure of joining the Goulburn Valley Hospice Care Service
team, taking up from where Celie Cameron had left off, as Co-ordinator of Volunteers.
Since then I have come to appreciate the role our patient care volunteers can play in the life
of our patients and their families; small actions can continue that vital link a patient has with
their community, or enable a carer to keep caring at home that bit longer.

2006-2007 has seen the continued professional development of our volunteers with many
attending seminars on spirituality, self care, grief and bereavement among a few other things.
Volunteers have been involved directly with patients and their families, helping out with the
Bereavement Walking program and the Day Hospice at Ave Maria Village assisting at the
Hospice Opportunity shop each month and the Memorial Service.

The ‘Strengthening Palliative Care- Palliative Care volunteers standards’ were published by
the Department of Human Services in April 2007 and we continue to work towards
implementing these standards. GVHCS was successful in receiving a small grant from the
RACV Foundation to contribute towards training more Patient Care Volunteers and team
building activities.

I would like to thank the entire team including (but not limited to!) the Volunteers, Carmel,
Kerrie, Annette, Annette, Sharon, Bunty, Sonia and Julie for their warm welcome,
encouragement and support.

Tanya Holt
Co-ordinator of Volunteers
 ! !

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In his opening remarks at HOSPICE TEA AND HARMONY, Guest Speaker: Rob Gell, said
that as he looked out from the lectern, he realised that The Windsor Hotel, in Spring Street
would have to lift its game: the beautiful china and silver and the delicacies were
sensational!!!

HOSPICE TEA AND HARMONY:

Held at “Eastbank” on 26th June, this major fund-raising event raised $9,800. As referred to
above, Rob Gell, Geographer and Sustainability Strategist, was Guest Speaker. Mezzo
soprano Alison Lemoh, was Guest Artist; she was accompanied, at the grand piano, by Julie
Tracy. The Opportunity Shop staff were invited to again conduct a Trading Table at the
event, selling china and glassware, silverware and napery. Proceeds of this stall amounted to
$1,700. Forty ladies joined with members of “Friends of Hospice” in hosting a table each.
Hospitality Course students, at Mooroopna Secondary College and Notre Dame College, also
hosted tables. Students from Goulburn Valley Grammar School acted as ushers.

CHRISTMAS CARD SHOP:

“Friends of Hospice” is represented on the Combined Charities’ Christmas Card Shop
Committee. Despite the efforts of Mr. Les Young, a shop could not be obtained, so the Card
Shop was set up in Scots’ Hall. Hospice had a varied collection of cards for sale. Cheque
paid to Hospice, at the conclusion of trading was $763.

SPRING GARDEN COACH TOUR – 13/10/06:

Two coaches transported our “paying guests” to visit gardens at Tolmie, Bonnie Doon and
Shean’s Creek. Friends of Hospice served Morning Tea at the Swanpool Memorial Hall,
Lunch at the historic Tolmie Hall, and Afternoon Tea at the Euroa Gardens. $5,355 was
raised.

VICTORIA’S OPEN GARDEN SCHEME- October 21/22, 2006:

Graham and Chris Mitchell opened their gardens and their family baked muffins each day
and served Morning and Afternoon Tea – raising $220. John and Glenda Megson opened
“AMAROOKA” to the public – where ‘Friends of Hospice’ served home-made scones and
cookies with Tea and Coffee throughout the two days. This refreshment stall, plus Glenda’s
plant stall, raised $625.
Both the Mitchells and the Megsons donated to Hospice their 35% of entrance fee – totalling
$638 (the other 65% is retained by the Victoria Open Garden Scheme organisation which
arranges publicity and insurance).

FRIENDS OF HOSPICE meet at Hospice House on the second Wednesday of each month at
10.30 a.m. New members are welcome. During the year ended 30/06/07, Ailsa Cook,
Margaret McMaster and Barbara Lorains joined the group.

Pat Gibson
Honorary Co-ordinator
FRIENDS OF HOSPICE
 Page 18

For another year, the Opportunity Shop continues to perform well thanks to the continued
dedication of Staff and Volunteers.

Again, the challenges we have faced over the past year are the same as those faced in the
previous years.
Mostly those challenges are ensuring that there are the Volunteers and support staff to make
sure the daily operation can be performed efficiently, and that we have a regular supply of
good stock at all times.

During the year our long serving Supervisor, Lorraine Tuckett retired. Lorraine had been
with us for more than 5 years, and her efforts and contribution in making the Hospice Op.
Shop what it is today, cannot be understated. When we moved from Maude St. to Fryers St.,
at the time when we were entering ‘the big league’, we were struggling with Op. Shop
methods. Lorraine came to us and pointed us in the right direction, managed the Volunteers,
arranged Work for the Dole and Department of Corrections participants, and ensured all the
correct stock was in the shop at the right time, Lorraine’s husband Lou, also provided
invaluable assistance, hands on at the start of the Fryers St. operation, and more lately as
support for Lorraine.
We sincerely thank both Lorraine & Lou for their contribution to the success of the Op.
Shop.

When Lorraine retired, Sharyn Oxenbury moved into a Managers position, and Julie Argus
was employed as Assistant Manager, and runs the retail side of the Op. Shop. So far this
arrangement is working very well, and the Op. Shop is thriving.
Also during the second half of the year, we said farewell to Sally Parker, who was working
one day a week in the shop.

Some positive volunteer recruiting has been occurring over the last twelve months, and we
are grateful to the ‘boys’ at the Op. Shop, a group of male volunteers who contribute many,
many hours over the course of a year, and whose assistance is greatly appreciated by all. In
particular, our ongoing thanks go to Kevin Finteln, Rod Kelley and Trevor McGown who
have all been with us for several years, and are being joined by a good group of newcomers.

Sadly, last October, Margie Williams, one of our long serving volunteers passed away.
Margie will be remembered as a cheerful, long-serving volunteer, who always had her little
dog ‘Chelsea’ with her.
Both Margie and Chelsea are sadly missed.

We still have a group of loyal and hardworking Volunteers, who without their efforts, the
Op. Shop could not operate. We thank all Volunteers for their support.

The ‘Work for the Dole’ arrangement with Central Victoria Group Training (CVGT)
continues, and we rely on the help that the people placed with us provide. We again thank
CVGT for their continued support.
 Page 19

The Op. Shop Administration Committee continues to meet to provide the commercial support
for our Manager, and help make decisions for the shop, without every item having to go to the
Committee of Management.

To everyone involved in the operation of the Op. Shop a big thank you for all the things you do.
Our Staff, Volunteers, Administration and Agency workers, all contribute significantly to help
make our Op, Shop the success it is.

A big thank you to you all.

John Beaver
Opportunity Shop Representative.
 !

Page 20

Woody’s Murray to Moyne Bicycle Relay:

Murray to Moyne 2007 creaked reluctantly and rustily into action with an ageing and
increasingly slothful organiser finally being goaded into co-ordinating the requisite numbers
of cyclists, buses, volunteers and sponsors to get a team on the tarmac for the ride from
Echuca to Port Fairy. Much of the grunt work in this endeavour was done by Rohan Dealy,
who provided great practical support and kept those e-mails flowing.
This year we blooded many new and enthusiastic riders to balance the jaded hacks of
yesteryear. Much valued inspiration was gained from the epicurean delights of Heather
Gange, who provided meals of a standard unprecedented in the annals of the M to M!
{Wasted on us really}.
As usual, heartfelt thanks go to the bus companies {Fords, Shepparton Transit and
Jacobson' s} for the transport and the wonderful Pat and Tina’s Service Station for the
provision of all fuel for the trip. Thanks also to all other sponsors, volunteer drivers and
Marilyn' s Magnificent Massage Service, which resurrected several would-be cyclists, long
past their use-by dates. Ultimately, a good time was had by most and I think we raised some
money $15,046.75.

Paul O’Dwyer
Murray to Moyne Representative.

Shepparton Hospice Fruit Loop Ride:

Fruit Loop Cycle 2006 was conducted in much more favourable conditions than the previous
year with just some ‘slight breezes’ that gained momentum throughout the day. The 50 km
distance has proved a popular addition which attracted some 60 entrants.
Our sincere thanks to the BUG members for supporting this distance inclusion and providing
the volunteers and support people to man the check points and drive the back up vehicles.

Overall 400 cyclists took to the roads and barring a couple of mishaps, and one minor
casualty (who was given first class care by all the Hospice Nurses in attendance). All were
welcomed back safely at Lemnos Club Rooms for a well earned lunch, most ably provided
by the Shepparton Kiwanis Members.

The ride was preceded by a Pasta night at the same venue which was well attended and the
auction items generously donated by Pacific Brands our major sponsor were enthusiastically
contested.

The Ride Committee, chaired by Trevor Morris, were delighted with the $35,000.00 raised
and are sincerely grateful to all those who assisted with the ride on the day, including the
many volunteer drivers, check point marshals, masseurs and all those who give their time
throughout the year to assist with the organising of this wonderful event.

The Committee would also like to acknowledge the contribution of Ian Bull and Peter Hill
who organised and conducted a very successful Trivia Night preceding the Bike Ride which
contributed $3,500.00 to the total.

Paul O’Dwyer
Fruit Loop Committee.
 ! !!

Page 21

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