With no clothes or shoes, and flooded out of their innundated homes, the staff of Lismore’s St Vincent’s Hospital kept showing up to work after the February flood.

Their dedication and resilience was recently rewarded when Lismore’s Presentation Sisters raised thousands of dollars to help 64 of the most flood-affected 64 staff from the devastating flood.  

St Vincent’s CEO, Steve Brierley, said out of 600 staff members, about 200 of them were cut off from work when the February 28 flood happened.

“I realized how many staff didn’t live in the immediate area, because they couldn’t get into the island that Lismore had become,” Steve said.

“But a number of staff whose houses went under in North, South and East Lismore, or Corkai still came to work - many without clothes.”

Borrowed scrubs

“We could give them scrubs to wear, but they had no shoes, but friends and colleagues helped them out.

“It was amazing the resilience some people showed.

“Some were in shock in the early stages and still hadn’t processed what was happening to them. Some had lost all their possessions.

“We wanted them to feel welcome to come back to work and realized it would help them to get back to some sort of normality to be with colleagues who loved them - not surrounded by the bleakness of flooded houses.”

Sleeping at work

Steve said some of the staff with nowhere to go would sleep at the hospital.

“We have an old cottage here for accommodation with six rooms that we cleared for staff,” he said.

“We also had staff sleeping in vacant beds on wards and in the admissions area.

“Some of the renal staff also stayed so they could treat renal patients who had to board at the hospital too.”

“Many are still not able to return home and some will never able to and are living on the kindness of families and friends as best they can.

“We already had a housing crisis here and now it’s much worse.”

Sisters come to help

That’s when Sister Anne Jordan from Lismore’s Presentation Sisters stepped in.

 “They were aware of the plight of our staff and raised a substantial amount of money, which was divided between 64 staff. They each received about $250,” Steve said.

“We are grateful for their kindness – and the sisters said it was from the it was from people who donated to the appeal.

“They also had a three bedroom unit in Dalley Street that they made available for our staff to stay in.”

Presentation Sisters

Steve said, said the Presentation Sisters set up their congregation on the Northern Rivers in 1886 – and had a long association with the hospital.

“Until recently, they took over pastoral care at St Vincent’s 42 years ago when the Sisters of Charity handed over the hospital to the Diocese of Lismore,” he said.

Each of the donations given to staff members came with the message:

“Our foundress, Nano Nagle, worked during challenging times. Her family motto of ‘Deeds not words’ inspires us still at this time. Please know our prayers are with you.”

The board

Steve said the board of St Vincent’s indicated it will supplement donations and other offers of help with in-kind and financial support as appropriate.

“The board already unanimously supported a special wage and salary payment to flood-affected staff,” he said.

Herosim

 “After the sudden impact of the floods, we witnessed great heroism from our flood-affected staff, and most have returned to work despite their losses,” he said.

“It’s a testament to their dedication to patient and resident care, and their desire to reclaim a sense of normality and dignity through work.

Collective trauma

“However, the hospital is mindful this is just one phase of a long response to collective trauma.

“The next phase, which is a sense of disillusionment, will need to be fully appreciated and sensitively worked through before the rebuilding and restoration phase can begin.”

St Vincent’s program of assistance has included helping find ongoing accommodation for displaced staff, transport, supplying essential items, supporting their social, emotional and spiritual needs where appropriate, and providing a secure and stable work environment.