From apprenticeships and paper charts to executive leadership and flexible work, generations of women have helped shape GV Health into the service it is today.
Catherine Meredith, Associate Midwifery Unit Manager – Domiciliary Services, began her nursing career at GV Health in 1982. Over more than four decades, she has seen significant change.
“When I started, everything was paper based and most doctors were male,” she said.
“Now there’s much more collaboration and many more female doctors.”
Front: Associate Midwifery Unit Manager – Domiciliary Services Catherine Meredith, Chief Librarian Brenda Freeman, and Divisional Operations Director, Medical and Critical Care Kim Read. Photo: Supplied
Catherine has worked in domiciliary midwifery for more than 30 years, watching the service grow from seeing a handful of women each week to supporting up to 10 families a day.
Heather Guilfoyle joined GV Health in 1983 as a 17-year-old apprentice chef and has remained ever since.
“I just like cooking for people and when they like it, it makes them happy,” she said.
Chief Librarian Brenda Freeman, who started in 1990, remembers when the library operated with a single DOS computer and bound medical journals.
“The change has been dramatic,” she said, noting greater diversity in leadership.
Director of Nursing and Midwifery Education Cathy Scott said flexibility has been transformative.
“We didn’t have paid maternity leave back then. Now there are more options to balance career and family.”
For Divisional Operations Director Kim Read, GV Health has been both workplace and community.
“I put my heart and soul into GV Health, and in return it’s given me a wonderful life and career.”
