Dad tells me he knew I was going to get this one, as soon as he heard I’d been called for an interview. I wasn’t so sure, in fact on leaving the interview I was thinking philosophically about having missed out. I’d felt rather like a cold square peg trying to fit a warm and fuzzy round hole!
The position is for an administration assistant, just two days a week for now. The work is pretty easy, the workplace – not morbid or sad at all but quite energising, people care about the work they do and are genuinely kind and friendly. My job is to help the Administration co-ordinator manage the raising of funds for operating costs – the centre needs to raise $700m a year. There is some state funding but most of it is raised largely through donations and sponsorships from the local community.
The centre looks after no more than six guests at any one time, and has two nurses on duty around the clock. There are about 20 – 25 staff (I believe) and about 200 volunteers on the books. Needless to say, volunteers and training are very important in the centre’s operations.
In my first week, one of the guests died. She was an elderly Aboriginal woman who had been living with her daughter’s young family. She had mentioned to one of the nurses that she was happy to come to the centre where it was a bit quieter. It is a lovely, peaceful place for both the guests and their families with all the comforts and facilities of home.