Marie Curie volunteers retire after 50 years of joint service
TWO dedicated volunteers, who have retired after more than 50 years supporting the work of Marie Curie, say they will miss the feeling of “being useful”.
Liz Brown (80) and Dorothy Mclean (79) are enjoying a wellearned rest after spending decades giving their time to help support the hospice, based on Kensington Road in east Belfast.
Dorothy joined Marie Curie as a bereavement team volunteer 26 years ago and then moved into a role as a refreshment volunteer.
She was soon joined by Liz and for another 25 years, the pair always made sure the patients had everything they needed – and always with a kind word and a smile.
Dorothy, a former teacher at Tullycarnet Primary School, was prompted to volunteer following the death of her husband Harold in February 1994.
The grandmother-of-nine said: “As it was coming up to the summer holidays, I wanted something to do as my two children were grown up and had left home.
“I applied to join Marie Curie part-time and in the evenings to help cover holidays for other volunteers and later I trained with Cruse Bereavement Care.”
For Liz, joining the hospice seemed like a natural step when she retired after a long nursing career at the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald.
“I had always been a people person so I was keen to use the time I had on my hands to help out on the hospice wards,” she said.
“We’re still not quite sure how we ended up being put together but it has certainly worked out and thankfully we have never fallen out!”
Dorothy added: “We never felt that we were anything special, we just came in every week and did what we could.”
While the two ladies have seen huge changes down the years as the facility grew in size and moved from large wards to smaller single rooms, they say the level of staff dedication has remained steadfast.
Liz said: “From the moment I arrived, I was always found there was a very calm and peaceful atmosphere in the unit.
❝ We never felt that we were anything special, we just came in every week and did what we could
“The main concern of the staff was always for the patients and their families and going the extra mile for them.”
Marie Curie is one of the biggest charities caring for terminally-ill patients in Northern Ireland and Dorothy acknowledges that while volunteering was rewarding, it could also be very tough.
“There were times when you came in and spoke to people who looked perfectly well and then when you returned the following week, you learned that they had passed away,” she said.
“It was very sad, especially if it was a young person and they had been with their parents when you last saw them, but you had to realise that this happens.
“People would often say to me that this was an awful place and ask why I came in every week but it was never like that.
“Instead I would tell them that it was a very friendly place and that there was as much laughter as there were tears.
“Christmas was always a time that we tried our best to make as special as possible with carol singing and decorations.
“We also had a wedding on one occasion for a lady who sadly didn’t live very long afterwards but it was a lovely moment.”
Now, after volunteering and providing refreshments for patients for a remarkable 51 years between them, the pair, who have become firm friends, say the time has now come for them to hang up their aprons.
Liz added: “We talked about it at the end of last year and came to a truce that because we had been together for so long that when one went so would the other.
“We both enjoyed our time here and the feeling of being useful but we wanted to leave while we were still fit.”