Rae pictured with her husband Andrew
Blowing her own trumpet is something Rae O’Grady, the Manager of Chalmers Home, feels quite uncomfortable about.
She graciously allowed us to interview her to mark her 25th anniversary as Manager of Chalmers Home this month.
Rae grew up on a farm in the coastal district of Warea. Rae’s parents were one of the first settler families in the district. One of six children, Rae attended the Warea School which was closed in 2006. “I have very fond memories of my days at Warea School. My nephew now owns the family farm and his children also attended the school until the time of its closure”, Rae noted.
Her nursing career started in 1965 when she graduated as a Registered Nurse from Barrett Street Hospital in New Plymouth. “In those days we used to work six days a week and have one day off”, Rae recalls. “The friendships I made at that time remain some of my closest and dearest”, she said.
After a short stint in Wellington Rae returned to New Plymouth as a Ward Sister. She married Andrew O’Grady in 1967. Andrew can best be described as Rae’s rock. “Andrew is a supportive family man who still has the ability to make me laugh and continues to challenge me with his strong opinions on various issues.”, Rae said.
Family became Rae’s priority as it did for most women in those days. They were very special and happy times. Their eldest son Joseph was born in 1971 followed by Katherine and Daniel.
Once the children were at school Rae started working part-time at the Polytechnic as the Industrial Nurse. In 1983 she began work at Chalmers Home in the Hospital wing. After four years as the Deputy Manager Rae saw an opportunity to move more comprehensively into management. “Life experiences coupled with my clinical experience meant I felt ready for the new challenge”, she remembers. “I have very firm beliefs that we need to look after our staff. We can’t expect the staff to give 100% if we don’t respect and appreciate them –it’s a two way street”, Rae explains.
Rae had only been in this full time position one week when she got a call from a local orthopaedic specialist who had been reviewing their son Joseph’s health. “He called me and said that he needed to talk with me. Joseph had been complaining of constant leg pain and after a number of investigations a diagnosis was determined”.
Joseph was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, the common name for primitive neuroectodermal tumour. It is a rare disease in which cancer cells are found in the bone or soft tissue. Ewing’s sarcoma is more common in males and usually presents in childhood or early adulthood. A year of treatment in Palmerston North resulted in five years of relatively good health for Joseph who spent this time enjoying country life on the family farm. Joseph died in 1986 aged 22.
“Death and loss often force us to re evaluate what’s important in our lives. Caring for and appreciating one another, keeping life simple, and being grateful for what we have has become my motto”, Rae explains. Rae was brought up as a Catholic and continues to attend Mass weekly. “For me worshipping with my church community helps me cope with the diversity and the challenges of every day life.
“You don’t have to be Presbyterian to live in our Homes; in fact we encourage and support a diverse range of spiritualities”, she said. During Rae’s tenure at Chalmers Home she has been instrumental in the development of a number of key community services. Community Support, the Day Activity Programme and Meals on Wheels are now an integral part of the local community and Chalmers Home.
“We recognised the demand and need and developed services that would assist people to live in their own homes and link them into the greater support system based at Chalmers”, Rae explains.
The future looks bright for Chalmers Home with the redevelopment project underway. Chalmers Home has a unique seaside position and offers the perfect environment and quality of life people are looking for. “I have huge confidence in the process and objectives of the redevelopment of Chalmers Home”, Rae states. Rae is an active member of the development team and is consulted every step of the way to ensure that her knowledge is taken into the future.
“The thing I treasure most about my career is the long lasting relationships I have formed with staff, residents and their families. For many people it’s frightening to hand over the care giving reigns to someone else. At Chalmers we make it our key priority to establish trust”, Rae emphasised.
When asked what the future holds Rae replied “I’ll be booking myself into a suite at Chalmers Home on the top floor, with sea or mountain views”. Now that’s a good recommendation!
