As I look back over coming close to 43 years as a nurse, I'm struck by how difficult it is to know what to include and, more importantly, what to leave out. Since being a toddler, I had a passion for horses and wanted to be a horse-riding instructor. But my dad insisted there was no money in it unless you owned the land and the business, so there was no way he was going to let me be "someone else's lackey." So I left school with no direction and meandered my way into several different jobs — Customs Officer, NZ Dairy Board freight clerk, and eventually NZ Telecom as a switchboard operator because I wanted to work shift work.
After some careers advice suggesting either veterinarian or nursing and counselling, I chose psychiatric nursing. Back then in New Zealand, the three hospital-based nursing training options were General and Obstetric, Psychiatric, or Psychopaedic. I chose Psychiatric nursing and rang the Psychiatric Nursing School — only to be told the next intake wasn't until February. I rang the Psychopaedic Hospital and was told the same, but that I could start almost immediately as a hospital aide to see if I even liked the work. And so it began — the start of a career in which decades feel more like months.
I completed my three-year Psychopaedic nursing training and worked as a newly Registered Psychopaedic Nurse. After a year I was attracted by the glamour and perks of the travel industry, so I gave that a go. But those perks paled quickly — it was all about maths, dollars, and profit. Whilst in the travel industry, I discovered I really liked helping people and became a volunteer counsellor with Lifeline. The more I learned about counselling and experienced face-to-face counselling and group training, the more interested I became. Then one day there was an advert in the local paper for the next Psychiatric Nursing intake for the Auckland Hospital Board. I applied and was accepted for a two-year bridging course — before I knew it, I was a double registered nurse, Psychopaedic and Psychiatric.
Then came a magic moment. My then 5–6-year-old daughter saw an advert for an equestrian therapeutic riding centre and said, "Daddy, you should get a job here and then I could ride a pony!" From the mouths of babes. Within a couple of days I had convinced the Director that they needed me on staff for my mental health qualifications and nursing experience, coupled with my absolute passion for horses. Then followed ten amazing years combining my love of helping young people with mental health challenges with my love of horses. I was incredibly happy and felt like I had found my niche.
When the Centre became a gazetted school and I was no longer a qualified teacher, I opted to pursue higher education — completing a Bachelor of Health Science (Nursing) and then a Postgraduate Diploma in Child and Family Health with a mental health specialty. Since then, it has been mental health nursing all the way. For a while I trained and worked as a family therapist in a South Auckland Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, working with colleagues trained at the Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic with Salvador Minuchin. Then, after moving to Melbourne in 2005, I reconnected with the ACMHN — initially as the Professional Development Coordinator and then as the Victorian Branch Chair, a role I continue to hold.
Among many profound decisions I have made along my nursing journey, choosing to be an active member of the College has been a big one. Attending the International Conferences as often as I can, applying for and maintaining my Credentialing, becoming a Fellow of the College, and engaging with the fantastic people in our National Office have all enabled me to make both professional and personal connections with some amazing people — mostly nurses — who've had a very positive impact on my ability to stay in nursing for four decades. Many of these connections have turned into deeply rewarding friendships and others are more like family. And it feels like only months since my first meeting.