It has been a busy last few months for our alumni members! In this edition of Alumni News we celebrate milestones, recognise our nurses and midwives and bring exciting news to all of our members.
This year is an exciting time for the Sisters of Mercy who celebrate 150 years since Mother Mary Vincent Whitty and five other Sisters disembarked on the banks of the Brisbane River and set to work helping the community. The story of how the Sisters came to be in Brisbane and the vision they had for Mater is showcased in our cover story.
May was a particularly joyous month as we recognised our nurses and midwives—past and present. Each year, around the world, nurses and midwives celebrate International Day of the Midwife on 5 May and International Nurses Day on 12 May, providing a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge the tireless work that our nurses and midwives undertake in our community. Also in the month of May we held our annual Alumni Reunion, bringing together nurses and midwives— past and present—to celebrate our proud history.
Often our nurses and midwives neglect to look after themselves while they work effortlessly to care for others. Early in June we had our third professional development seminar, 'Nurses and midwives need nurturing too'. This was a great seminar that provided our nurses and midwives with tips and techniques on work/life balance.
On an exciting note, I am pleased to announce that membership to the Mater Nursing and Midwifery Alumni is now free. I'm hoping that this will encourage new nurses and midwives to join the alumni and take advantage of our great development and social networking opportunities.
Cheryl Clayton
Chairperson—Mater Nursing and Midwifery Alumni