Lois Hore has made her mark on many departments across Bendigo Health in the last 50 years – and she’s not ready to stop yet.
Lois has enjoyed her time caring for patients in early versions of aged care, administration in the psych centre, working in the medical unit, immunising people during the COVID pandemic and now getting patients home in the Discharge Lounge – to name just a few.
“I’ve loved every minute,” she said.
“I don’t want to give it away.”
Lois has experienced the changes to nursing training first hand after she started her career as a nursing aid in 1975.
“It was every little girl’s dream (to become a nurse),” she said.
“I dropped out of school in year nine and applied for the job and was accepted.”
Lois went on to become a state enrolled nurse and then started her Bachelor of Nursing at La Trobe in 1998.
“I was the first in my family to ever go to university, I was very proud,” she said.
“It was interesting to go through that process of becoming a nurse, it’s all so much easier now.”
In all that time, Bendigo Health has been her home, aside from a leave of absence to complete her graduate training in Castlemaine.
Lois reminisced on all the changes she had seen happen at the health service during her time.
“I remember watching the Hyatt Building being constructed as well as the North Wing,” she said.
“Technology has changed too – I saw a lot of people retire when we transitioned to the electronic patient record (ePR). But change was all part of the journey.”
Her favourite memory of all was watching her daughter Elise grow to become a midwife here.
“We will often catch up for a coffee when we cross over shifts, it’s the highlight of my day,” she said.
“I’m hoping her daughter might follow in our footsteps too.”
And what keeps Lois coming to work every day? The patients of course.
“My interactions with patients in each role have been very different, but you’re here to support and care for them regardless of where you are,” she said.
“I have seen patients coming in at their very worst and it’s been a pleasure to be one part of their journey and helping them improve their health and wellbeing.
“But now being in the discharge lounge, I get to see them going home almost completely well again, it’s a great side of nursing.”
Lois said she couldn’t have achieved 50 years’ service without the support of her family and all the colleagues she’s had over the years.
They have created a support network, even helping her through the ovarian cancer diagnosis she received in 2024.
“There have been so many times I’ve been told to retire, but I just can’t,” Lois said.
“Caring for people and my work really keep me going, I don’t know what I would do without it.”
Lois is one of our many staff members who were recently celebrated for their dedication to our health service.
Check out the our Facebook page for gallery of our Recognition of Service pictures.