Right: Gwyneth at the Beaconsfield Maternal and Child Health Centre where she works part time.By Sarah Schwager
BEACONSFIELD nurse Gwyneth Jones achieved a milestone this year after working for Cardinia Shire for 20 years.
Ms Jones has had an eventful career, one of six winners out of 277 nominees across Victoria at the prestigious Nurse Care Awards in 1999, when she was last reported in the Gazette.
She also pioneered Pakenham’s Proud Young Mums Group, which is now an established group in Pakenham after it was set up by Ms Jones and a visiting nurse nine years ago.
Ms Jones recently moved from the Pakenham Maternal and Child Health Centre, where she started in 1983 as a relieving nurse and 1985 permanently, to the Beaconsfield equivalent.
She said she was happy with the way the Young Mums Group was going and that it was so successful.
“It is entrenched now, which is lovely,” she said.
“It was good to kick it off and it’s lovely that it is now flowing with ease.”
Ms Jones said setting up the Young Mums Group had been really hard work.
“One time only one person turned up. I got excited if there were three.”
She said it was great to see the young mums becoming friends, spending Christmases together and being each other’s bridesmaids, especially since they had not known each other previously.
Ms Jones now works seven days a fortnight at the Beaconsfield Maternal and Child Health Centre and lives in Pearcedale with her partner, after moving from Upper Beaconsfield.
She said she was still doing all the same things at the centre, that is, monitoring the growth and development of children under five and their families.
“Ideally, we respond to their needs so they can go out and feel confident. We support them in their parenting roles.”
Ms Jones said when she had started there had only been two nurses for the whole Shire of Pakenham and now there were 10 nurses and it was continually growing.
Ms Jones said winning the Nurse Care Award had been very special and she had felt very honoured.
“I knew I’d been nominated but there were so many people,” she said.
“It was a really lovely thing to happen. Everyone likes that. It’s nice to be acknowledged.”
