Karen Kim was MC and opened the meeting highlighting this evening conversation as the Club’s Spring special event, which this year celebrates World Kindness Day which coincided on the same day. Karen gave a special welcome to Esteban (Pianist) and Daniel (Tenor), who performed superbly for us during the event. Karen thanked everyone present for attending, particularly healthcare workers, and speakers Professor Catherine Crock AM, founder of the Hush Foundation, and Bronwyn Shipway Head of Donor Engagement at the Eastern Health Foundation. Karen acknowledged all visitors and highlighted several healthcare workers as our guests (see details later in this bulletin).
Karen then invited Catherine Crock to tell us a little about the Hush Foundation, and the Gathering of Kindness events being staged during the week. Catherine noted widespread celebrations in health institutions across Australia and stressed the importance of the Hush Foundations mission, making the Healthcare industry kinder to all of its workers wherever they worked.
Event Chair, Sana Malik then took over the event to introduce Bronwyn Shipway. Bronwyn spoke passionately about the leadership led commitment to kindness in care of all Eastern Health staff and patients. She highlighted moving examples of kindness of staff to patients and their families confronting enormous health challenges. While Bronwyn’s role focusses on engagement with donors to the Eastern Health foundation, many of the donations have been made because of the exemplary kindness of staff to themselves or a loved one.
Bronwyn shared the view of the hush foundation that there is a close link between the kindness that health care employees experience day to day in their work, and the translation of this into kindness to patients and their families.
Bronwyn noted that the Hush Foundation had donated a piano to Box Hill Hospital (part of Eastern Health) and the calming impact of it being played regularly in the welcome lobby. One of the healthcare workers responded during the Q&A time how she valued the impact of the piano being played has had on her relaxing after a stressful day’s work.
More than 60% of the time at this event was spent in fellowship and networking. It was uplifting to all of us present to see and experience connections being made and everyone having an enjoyable time.
Closing remarks were then delivered by President Catherine Baxter who presented the traditional Rotary socks by Phil Endersbee’s Wilderness Wear. Thanks were given to Rosemary Nixon for arranging the venue at the Skin Health Institute, and the CEO of For ChangeCo, Miranda Cambell, for arranging marvellous catering for the event. Catherine invited Past President, Reg Smith to come forward to Award Door Prizes to two major Contributors to organising this event: Karen Kim who arranged the music received the Gathering of Kindness Anthology; and Kenza Dairi received the newly published book by Lucy Mayes, Beyond the Stethoscope, Doctors' Stories of Reclaiming Hope, Heart and Healing in Medicine.
President Catherine gave special reminders of the festive gathering on the evening of 4 December at a venue to be advised and the next Club lunch-time meeting will be at Sofitel’s No35 Restaurant with Guest Speaker Simone Carson AM, SecondBite, Founder, Deputy Board Chair. Simone will be presented with the 2024 Vocational Service Award. Please join us. Bookings via Humanitix are essential.
The event ended with wonderful renditions by Daniel accompanied by Esteban, singing Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Waters, and the aria, Nessun Dorma by Giacomo Puccini.
Please note that a recording of this evening conversation was not made.
