Sally Gould OAM, 2006 Senior Australian of the Year, and Toni Hoffman, 2006 Australia’s Local Hero, will talk about their life experiences on Wednesday 2 August from 1.30pm to 2.30pm.
Sally will discuss the impact of being named 2006 Senior Australian of the Year has had on her. She will also talk about her life experiences in training to be a nurse, the issues in Indigenous health today, and the work of CATSIN in furthering the participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in nursing.
Sally is a registered nurse and the inaugural Chairperson and Executive Director of the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses, an organisation which aims to increase the participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in nursing. She is believed to be the first Aboriginal registered nurse in New South Wales.
Her career has been a source of great pride to Sally and her family, who encouraged her to pursue her dream, particularly since she trained in a time when education was not considered a right for Aboriginal people. She now encourages other young people to follow her lead and set themselves goals to achieve, and has been involved in training nurses in hospitals and universities.
In honour of her achievements, the Queensland Nursing Council has established a book bursary in her name. Sally remains active in the community, advising the government as a member of the National Indigenous Council.
Toni will talk about her role in raising awareness about Dr Jayant Patel, and facing a Royal Commission, etc. She will also talk about the need to train locally more doctors and the need to encourage more people to take up nursing. Toni will share her experiences on the opportunities nursing has offered her and the impact of receiving the 2006 Australia’s Local Hero Award.
Toni Hoffman has shown true dedication to her profession as a nurse and to her personal values. She spent two years raising her concerns about patient safety in the Bundaberg hospital. Her ethics and values would not allow her to walk away from the problems she identified and she placed her concern for patients and their families above her own well being.
There are many who understand and appreciate Toni’s compassion for patients and her strength in standing up for what she believed in.
This presentation takes place in the Menzies Seminar Room, John Mathews Building, Royal Darwin Hospital campus.
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