Sue Spackman. Sue Spackman has officially retired from her long and wonderful career as a nurse, finishing her last shift on Sunday, November 28. After devoting much of her life as a loving nurse, the 71-year-old has decided it is now finally time to have a well-deserved break. Sue is the eldest sibling of five children, developing a caring and compassionate nature from an early age by helping raise her youngest siblings with her parents. Sue then went on to have five children of her own with her late husband Bill, including four sons (including a set of twins) and one daughter.
Kellie O’Brien, daughter of Sue, told The Times of her mother’s pathway to become a nurse. “When she was 38, she had a bit of a health scare and moved back to Harden,” Kellie said. “She wanted to do some good and feel like she’s contributing to society, so she decided after all these years of caring for other people she wanted to do it professionally.” Sue applied for an enrolled nursing course through Mercy Care Hospital in Young to begin her career. She completed her training in April 1992 and started as a casual at the Harden Hospital in the same year before transitioning into a full-time nurse. After eight years in that role, and with a lack of nurses wanting to do night shifts, Sue decided that she wanted to do permanent night shifts, approaching her supervisor for the role.
Sue has been predominantly working night shifts for the last 20 years. Sue has cared for many members of the community over the years, with lots of happy and sad times along the journey. She also shared the duties with her sister, caring for her own parents at Stockinbingal for a number of years. “It’s time for her to enjoy her own family now, with her grandchildren and great grandchildren,” Kellie continued. “She’s got two grandchildren getting married in the next year or so that’s exciting and something to look forward to.”
A funny story that encapsulates Sue’s spirit and wit was when the fire alarms went off and the staff were taking the nursing home patients out and putting them in a safe zone before going back and collecting more residents. As they were coming back with the next lot of residents, the first bunch were walking back in, but without hesitation Sue snapped into gear, explaining the situation, and helping all patients back to safety. Sue left some words to thank the community for their support over the years. “In nursing you have to be kind, compassionate and caring. I’m thankful to all the families that have entrusted thier loved ones to me, and for being able to care for them at their lowest of lows,” Sue said. “You’ve got to love and care for the families and support them in an empathetic way because their loved ones are sick and the families are feeling very vulnerable.” “I’d love to thank the community for entrusting me with their care during my time at the hospital.” Kellie said her siblings and grandchildren are looking forward to spending some more time with their courageous nurse in retirement. “It’ll be nice to spend some quality time with mum and finally have her back to ourselves. We’re looking forward to seeing her more,” she said.
“We’re very proud of her. Everyone she has touched has helped to make us who we are today because of her kindness and hopefully she can enjoy life in retirement. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she goes back and visits the nursing home regularly on her time off.” In retirement, Sue hopes to travel abroad and domestically, with tongue-in-cheek suggestions of her joining son Scott as a stable hand in Wagga. The community of Harden-Murrumburrah would like to thank Sue for her service to the district. Tim Warren
