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Christmas workers in good cheer

Posted on December 25, 2009, 9:09am and updated on December 26, 2009 at 10:07 am

Nurse
While most people are enjoying Christmas Day in the company of relatives and friends, others are at work protecting or serving the community.

After almost 35 years in the health profession, Mount Gambier Hospital midwife Margie Atwell (pictured) has worked more Christmases than she can recall and said she enjoyed every minute of it.

Today, she will work from 7am to 3.30pm, then take off with her husband to a family-get together in Port Lincoln.

Margie finished training at the Adelaide Children’s Hospital in 1975 and said she had probably worked half the Christmas and New Year’s Days since.

“It’s rare to score both off,” she said.

She has been a midwife in Naracoorte and Mount Gambier since 1984 and half-jokingly said she had to plan her life two years ahead when it came to the holiday season.

“It’s been a big commitment from my husband and two kids to understand mum’s got to work with babies or sick children on Christmas Day,” she said.

“My husband doesn’t always understand, but the kids do.

“My shift work has impacted heavily on our family at Christmas. We’re not always together — that’s shift work — but we are close and it’s still a big day.

“You just slip the celebrations in when you can; we’ll have it later this year.”

Margie said the maternity and paediatric wards were always busy on Christmas Day, with patients being admitted for childbirth, illness and the odd inevitable accident, a common one being kids falling off their new bikes.

“There are quite a few inpatients already and we expect more,” she said.

“You can’t plan the day, but that’s what we’re here for.

“Father Christmas will bring presents for mums and bubs in the ward today, and the kitchen does a traditional Christmas lunch for staff and patients.”

Margie said delivering babies on Christmas Day is rewarding.

“The Christmases I’ve spent working have been mostly happy times,” she said.

“It’s a privilege to be part of a birth at any time, but on Christmas Day, no matter what your religion or persuasion, you can’t beat it.”

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