Secretary crosses the finish line
Nelson woman Rae Goodwin has clocked up almost 50 years in the health sector and now, the oncology secretary is retiring after 39 years at Nelson Hospital.
For Goodwin, the best part of the job had been the interaction with staff and patients alike.
‘‘I wouldn’t still be here if I hadn’t loved working here.’’
She began working at Nelson Public Hospital, as it was then known, in 1978.
Goodwin has worked in different departments, starting off in medical records and progressing to the oncology department, where she had been for the last 20 years.
When she started out it was all ‘‘biros and electric typewriters’’ and now that had been replaced with computers.
‘‘It’s amazing what we have gone through.’’
Goodwin was the secretary for three oncologists, each who had a corner dedicated to them in her office. But a sign on the wall, ‘‘Rae’s Junction’’ declared it was her domain.
She arranged outpatient clinics between the patients and doctors and was very fond of her colleagues, who she said were like a family.
‘‘I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with these guys.
‘‘Isn’t it neat when you wake up in the morning and go to a job you love.’’
Before the hospital, Goodwin spent 10 years working for the Department of Health, but her preference for people over paperwork saw her move to the hospital.
‘‘It’s the people that make it, who you work with and the patients.’’
Goodwin said she’d had a ‘‘lovely life’’ filled with many different things.
The former stockcar champion and pool player was also a drummer in Nelson band The Ladybirds in the 1970s.
‘‘Once I’d won it, I left, I do things like that,’’ she said of her time on the track. ‘‘Nobody can beat me.
‘‘I’ve filled my life really good.’’ In retirement, Goodwin planned to take time out for herself, gardening and travelling.
‘‘I’ve worked all my life and now I just want some time for me, my garden used to look lovely but lately it hasn’t.’’
She was sad to leave and said she would miss her colleagues, the doctors and the patients.
‘‘I love it here, and I hope my replacement gets as much kick out of it as I do.’’