Echuca Moama Magazine Issue 11

2020

FRONTLINE HEROES BEHIND THE SCENES OF ERH

Echuca-Moama’s premier entertainment venue.

Come and see why.

Award winning hospitality in Echuca-Moama’s premier entertainment venue.

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Free shuttle service.

FreeCall 1800 806 777

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Rain, hail or shine

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Rediscover Junction Moama The The perfect perfect spot spot to to enjoy enjoy sensational sensational food, food, wine, wine, cocktails cocktails and and craft craft beer beer that that showcases showcases everything everything the the region region has has to to offer. offer.

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The The Greens.

Greens.The Theperfect perfectplace placeto toenjoy enjoyaabrew, brew,have haveaaroll rollwith withfriends friendsor orhost hostaafun funfunction. function.

Our Ourclubhouse clubhousecan cancater caterfor forany anyoccasion occasionwhat whatever everthe theweather. weather.

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5 EchucaMoama

STORI E S

Welcome to E M. AS DIFFERENT parts of Victoria crumbled under the pressure of COVID-19, Echuca inadvertently became the envy of the rest of the state.

Tyla Harrington, Editor tyla.harrington@mmg.com.au Ivy Jensen Charmayne Allison Alex Gretgrix Brayden May Andrew Johnston Spencer Fowler-Steen

PHOTOGRAPHY Cath Grey

ADVERTISING

Kristy Hayes, Advertising Manager kristy.hayes@mmg.com.au

PUBLISHER Riverine Herald 28 Percy St, Echuca, VIC 3564 P: (03) 5482 1111 W: www.riverineherald.com.au facebook EchucaMoamaMagazine

Its hospital, Echuca Regional Health, was prepared for the pandemic — it just didn’t know it at the time.

The 2012 redesign included pandemic modes in the airconditioning, giving the team an advantage and putting the hospital years ahead of its time.

In this issue of EM, we pay tribute to the hospital staff — those on the frontline greeting patients and those behind the scenes doing all they can to manage a virus that has been difficult to understand and, at times, impossible to defeat.

The threat, fortunately, never eventuated at Echuca. No doubt this had a lot to do with the hospital itself and the employees working around the clock to make sure there was nothing that left them at risk of a different — more fatal — story being told.

From emergency doctor Mathew Adamson and nurse Sue Jilbert, who along with everyone else was preparing for the worst and hoping for the best, to Jess Verhey in palliative care, who had arguably one of the most difficult jobs in refusing family members access to their dying loved ones.

Behind the scenes, we get a glimpse of what it takes to be a cleaner — to be part of the A-team, a critical part of the fight against the virus. Then there’s ward clerk Velda Mitchell, another

woman on the frontline at emergency but no stranger to the pressure, with a background in Army Reserves.

We also find out what it’s like to be a paramedic during a pandemic, and speak to the police inspector in charge of one of the biggest border closure operations between Victoria and NSW. Plus much more.

While Echuca-Moama hasn’t been challenged as much as other areas during COVID-19, our hospital workers and emergency services have certainly been put to the test. And have, so far, passed with flying colours.

I know personally what it takes to be part of the hospital team — my mum has worked at the hospital as a ward clerk and pathologist for all of my life. She was — and continues to be — my hero.

And now, having read their stories, so are all our frontline workers.

While we’ve watched our television screens for updates from Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, they’ve answered our questions, alleviated our concerns, tested thousands of people for the virus, and all the thankless jobs in between.

Today we thank them for a job well done, and trust after reading their stories, you will too.

Enjoy,

TYLA HARRINGTON Editor

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contents 8

Doctor is ready for any emergency When Echuca emergency doctor Matthew Adamson refers to the potential of COVID-19 to run rampant in the community, overwhelming hospital systems, he calls it a “code brown” — to be managed and prepared for accordingly. SPENCER FOWLERSTEEN spoke to the 36-year-old about how he coped with the fear and anxiety of being a frontline worker, and how Echuca’s hospital responded to the threat of the virus.

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Many weapons ready to fight the virus When COVID-19 hit, Echuca Regional Health prepared for the worst. Staff set up dedicated intubation facilities in its two negative pressure rooms, which prevent cross contamination between

beds, for any patients who required hospitalisation. But as ANNA McGUINNESS discovered when she spoke to nurse Sue Jilbert, it was the community’s fear that was almost worse than the disease.

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Helping people to say goodbye

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Serving the community for 21 years

Working in palliative care has always been challenging, but COVID-19 restrictions —a nd having to tell family members they cannot see their dying loved one —h as made 2020 the most difficult of Jess Verhey’s career.

BRAYDEN MAY reports.

The Kostoglou family knows the challenges of owning a business for more than two decades. But as SPENCER FOWLER-STEEN found out, Con and Kathy are about so much more than the pharmacies they

own — they’ve helped raise $150,000 for disability provider Community Living and Respite Services and hope to one day build a house in Echuca to help people with their mental health.

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From one frontline to another Velda Mitchell is familiar with the term frontline — having worked in the Army Reserves and now at Echuca Regional Health’s emergency department. As she explained to CHARMAYNE ALLISON, the same principles apply.

Paramedic is standing strong As a paramedic, Austen Todd has one simple wish — to make a difference to his patients’ lives. And while COVID-19 has affected the way he does that, IVY JENSEN discovers the Echuca man is still clearly on a mission.

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A hospital ahead of its time 40 Mark Hooper considers himself fortunate the 2012 redesign of Echuca Regional Health included pandemic modes in the airconditioning, giving his team an advantage over the rest of Victoria and putting the hospital years ahead of its time.

ANDREW JOHNSTON caught up with the man who not only put his hospital and its team first — but also his hometown and all of its people.

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Calm in the eye of the COVID storm When the Victorian-NSW border was closed at Echuca-Moama for the second time in history, 600 officers were deployed to the twin towns’ checkpoint on a weekly rotation. At one point there were 11,000 cars crossing the bridge daily, making the operation one of the busiest on the border.

BRAYDEN MAY reports how the police inspector juggling the process — Paul Huggett — has taken it all in his stride.

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Cleaners wage an unseen war The COVID-19 pandemic has raised the status of cleaners — and rightfully so. They’ve been working around the clock and taking every precaution to make Echuca Regional Health as safe as possible. ALEX GRETGRIX caught up with Jane Leetham, who is part of the A-team doing its part to fight the virus.

Scientists put to the ultimate test Colin Anderson is the man behind arguably the most important job during the COVID-19 pandemic – testing people for the virus. ANNA McGUINNESS caught up with the Echuca Regional Health pathology services manager, who has been with the team since April and was integral to finding out the truth behind the mystery case that stumped the rest of Victoria.

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Grateful to have a second chance Denise Wrest will never take life for granted again. Being prescribed an antibiotic for an infection made the Echuca grandmother so sick she thought she was going to die —a nd nearly did. But it was the hard work of hospital staff, including at Echuca as well as those closest to her, who made sure she wasn’t going anywhere. IVY JENSEN reports.

Cover: Echuca Regional Health Covid-19 screening clinic nurse Jenny Newell.

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DOCTOR IS READY

EchucaMoama

FOR ANY EMERGENCY

When Echuca emergency doctor Matthew Adamson refers to the potential of COVID-19 to run rampant in the community, overwhelming hospital systems, he calls it a “code brown” — to be managed and prepared for accordingly. SPENCER FOWLER-STEEN spoke to the 36-year-old about how he coped with the fear and anxiety of being a frontline worker, and how Echuca’s hospital responded to the threat of the virus.

NO MATTER how many helicopters fly in with people on the

and went to university in Edinburgh, Scotland. He went to

brink of dying, or how bizarre the situation seems, for Echuca

Townsville in north Queensland to start work in a hospital

Regional Health emergency doctor Matthew Adamson, it’s all

while he decided on his career path. He didn’t expect to fall in

in a day’s work.

Whether it’s listening to a drug-fuelled rant from a street

love with the land down under, or emergency medicine, but that’s what happened.

straggler or treating a sprained finger, he has developed a

Eventually, he made his way to Melbourne, where he finished

quiet appreciation of the privilege that comes with helping

his emergency training.

people in all different situations.

“I took a holiday in 2017 to go to South Africa for a year to

Working in cities as well as Echuca, Dr Adamson has gained

work as a doctor, and that was great exposure to the high

insight into the challenges and advantages of working

level of interpersonal violent trauma and those kind of

regionally — especially during the initial anxiety-inducing

injuries we occasionally deal with here.”

stages of COVID-19 on the frontline.

Aside from his aptitude for dealing with the extreme,

“It’s rare that anyone comes in with something that really stops you in your tracks and you haven’t seen before,” he said.

“After two or three years working in emergency, you see enough to really raise your threshold for what’s surprising.

“As a patient, if you think you have an unusual, embarrassing or a particularly strange issue — chances are we’ve seen it

Dr Adamson’s passion for medicine began as mixture of interests in science and philosophy.

“Essentially I was always interested in human nature and equal parts biology, but also psychology and how to optimise life in a more philosophical sense.

“There’s always more to learn about how to best deal with life.”

before.”

When he refers to the potential of COVID-19 to run rampant

Dr Adamson, 36, isn’t local — something his accent gives away

in the community, overwhelming hospital systems,

pretty quickly. He was born in Durham in north-east England

Dr Adamson refers to it as “a mass casualty event” — a “code >>

9

EchucaMoama

10

“ECHUCA HAS RUN AN EXTREMELY TIGHT RESPONSE TO COVID-19.”

EchucaMoama

>> brown” — to be managed and prepared for accordingly.

It helps him deal with the fear associated with being a frontline worker facing up to a lethal and not well-understood virus.

“Yes we were anxious, but it would be wrong to say we were trembling and fearful, because we had really good plans and could see the worst case scenario, and it wasn’t long before it became likely the worst case scenario wouldn’t unfold.

“Echuca has run an extremely tight response to COVID-19.”

Dr Adamson works part-time at Echuca Regional Health.

“Echuca’s hospital is essentially run by very skilled rural general practitioners, which makes it very different to working in a city hospital where the main hospital is run by sub-specialists,” he said.

“As an emergency specialist here at ERH, that presents challenges in some ways because you don’t have specialist colleagues down the corridor to call on for consultation for things that are complicated.

“But the advantages are there is a little bit of room to work a bit more flexibly with common sense, patient-based, holistic plans for patients.”

However, it’s not all smooth sailing and not everything can be dealt with as easily as he would like.

One aspect of the job that regularly frustrates him is the emergency department’s capacity to deal with mental health problems.

“We have a lot of patients present with mental health problems in ED.

“Despite our best efforts, I feel like we’re not able to address these problems in a meaningful way, because we’re helping them over a short time frame and there’s not enough time to build trust and provide the care we would like.”

Asked about highlights of his career, Dr Adamson found it difficult to answer.

“In emergency medicine we’re not really doing it for moments of triumph, or moments of success and reward; it’s just something we can quietly appreciate the privilege of being able to help everyone every day.

“No matter how many helicopters have been involved, or how sick the patients have been, it’s no different than a mundane Wednesday afternoon when perhaps you and one of your nursing colleagues happens to turn someone around who’s presenting with depression.

“The people who come in who’ve been on a methamphetamine binge for three days and the things they say that would be bizarre to normal people, it’s normal for us because we know what comes with that.”

In his spare time, Dr Adamson is an avid guitar player and fitness enthusiast.

But Australian rules football has him stumped.

“I’ve been in Australia for a long time and still haven’t learnt how to kick a footy, so I consider this the start of my AFL career,” he said.

“I would say I barrack for St Kilda because they seem pretty rubbish; you don’t want too much success.”

41 YEARS ON AND it’s FULL STEAM AHEAD! bigger & betta than ever before

Locals

supporting

Locals

ECHUCA 161-168 Ogilvie Ave, Echuca VIC 3564 | (03) 5482 4511 | echuca@my.betta.com.au 45 Moore Street, Rochester VIC 3561 | (03) 5484 2242 | rochester@my.betta.com.au

Mick & Sue Fragiacomo have been in the retail biz for over 40 years. It’s with great pride that they hand the reigns over to their sons Anthony Fragiacomo & Owen Egan.

A long time before the internet, high-definition, Android TV’s & smart phones my parents Mick & Sue Fragiacomo opened up their small family business. In Deniliquin, my parents Deni Discounts Electrical Store, before joining the Betta Group in 1979.

Forty one years later we’ve moved locations and we’ve grown beyond that small and humble business by expanding the entire range to electrical, furniture & homewares. Driven by Anthony, Owen and their amazing team.

Mick & Sue will always play a key role in the business, their continued guidance keeps pushing us to do better in all of our endeavours. Although they have since retired, we still have weekly meetings so that they’re always kept in the loop and can offer advice, words of wisdom and experience where needed.

ANTHONY FRAGIACOMO (Proprietor & Management) Anthony, being a bit of a “Yes Man”, has gained hands on experience over the past 25 years. Starting with his parents and then venturing off to Ballarat & Melbourne where he worked with franchises such as Retravision/JB Hi-Fi and in the 7Eleven marketing & merchandising in various state offices in extremely fast paced environments. “I could never say no to trying something new. If someone was offering a new experience or something I'd never done before I saw it as an opportunity to grow. I'm glad I did it and had that mentality and drive for experiences. The best bit of advice my parents & grandparents ever gave me was to keep an open mind, we all learn something new every day”.

OWEN EGAN (Management & Administration) Owen started out in engineering and technology where he obtained a variety of skills in 3D printing, designing programs and using CNC machines while working for AUS Proof Engineering in Queensland.

From there he moved onward and upward to spend the next 16 years as a land surveyor, first with McKnee Surveying in QLD and then Planright Surveying here in Echuca. In his spare time he helps on his parents’ property as a farm hand. Owen, being one of the more social members of the team, is always

up for a chat. Sometimes you can’t get a word in!

Owen really enjoys helping people, sourcing products for clients and the community. With his techsavvy abilities he has become the master mind behind our marketing campaigns and social media competitions. “As much as I enjoyed my time as a surveyor, I really do get a kick out of the client facing role I have now with Betta Home Living and I can put my tech skills to good use in the marketing side of the business”. Like Anthony, Owen’s parents instilled the wisdom of being open to new things and “not fearing change. Some of the best things in life come out of it”.

While the Echuca & Rochester Betta stores continue to grow, so does the team. Each new member brings along their own experience and expertise. Now with a much larger selection of appliances our multi stores cover all things electrical, furniture, bedding and homewares. Everything but the kitchen sink!

(Although we can probably get that too if a customer asked!). A one stop shop with house hold packages available for people building their first homes or maybe needing a full refresh of their existing home with a price range to suit everyone. Pop in today and talk to our friendly staff. We have a wonderful mix of personalities working with us here at Echuca & Rochester Betta. You'd be hard pressed to find a staff member who doesn’t enjoy coming to work!

And as far as work places go, it’s pretty awesome!

“We're very proud and humbled by how much our staff enjoy their work and when it comes down to how dedicated and hardworking our staff are, it's obvious where our success in business lies. Our work family loves this industry. We live it, love it & breathe it every day and for that we are blessed and very grateful in these uncertain times”, Anthony said.

In the country with a business like Betta Home Living, it isn’t just about selling products, but helping our customers and supporting our community in kind and our community supports us. Here, we try to always take the time to get to know our customer and support them with their specific requests and requirements.

“Over the years I have worked in the metro area and the sales people are inclined to push products at you that have nothing to do with the product you’re enquiring about, which can be nothing but infuriating to a client. Hence why we have always made it a key element to listen to all our clients' needs and wants. If we don’t have it in stock, we will always do our best to obtain it for you” Anthony mentioned.

Because of this, the support from our local clients has been overwhelming and from all of us here at Echuca & Rochester Betta Home Living we say a big THANK YOU! We couldn’t do what we do without you!!

The Echuca Betta team is here 7 days a week to help with any enquiries you might have. We are located in the Home Makers Centre 161-168 Ogilvie Ave, Echuca.

Stop in and make your life a little Betta today.

Shop Local, That’s Betta!!

Your local betta team is here to help 7 days a week

“COVID-19 has taken its toll on our town. It has been extremely tough on our friends with small businesses, yet they have remained humble and adapted to suit these unprecedented circumstances. As we all try to move forward past COVID-19 our hope is for our town to once again flourish, with all businesses reopening. Our restaurants, retail and trade services (which in our opinion are all also essential, valued and needed services) and we encourage the community to continue to support these local businesses as they rebuild and come back to life”, Owen said.

Let your Local team help CREATE YOUR

PERFECT KITCHEN, SEE OUR HUGE

KITCHEN DISPLAY ECHUCA

161-168 Ogilvie Ave, Echuca VIC 3564 | (03) 5482 4511 | echuca@my.betta.com.au 45 Moore Street, Rochester VIC 3561 | (03) 5484 2242 | rochester@my.betta.com.au

Meet the Echuca betta team BRETT VINCENT

JANET MURPHY

KEN BROWNFIELD

(Electrical Sales Manager)

(Furniture Sales Manager)

(Rochester Store Sales)

Brett Vincent is the man with over 45 years of local retail experience under his belt. Like Anthony he was born into a family business. If the name VINCENT rings a bell you will definitely remember Vincent’s Retravision in town.

Janet Murphy is the gal with over 40 years’ experience in the electrical & furniture industry. She was a valued member of Deniliquin Retravision & Deniliquin Betta Home and Leisure.

“My father, Echuca-Moama local Roy Vincent, was one of the founding members of both Retravision and Rich River Golf Club.

“After Retravision closed its doors back in 2012, I ventured out into other industries to expand my knowledge for a few years and it has been wonderful to come back to another family business in the same field.

“I have a great rapport with people and the locals here. I live, breathe and love what I do here at Echuca Betta. It’s a great family work environment to be a part of”.

WADE BAKER (Furniture & Electrical Sales & Store man) Wade Baker joined the family just over a year ago coming to us from Planright Surveying and has excelled in the retail field. He's great with people and up to speed on today's technology. He is another staff member you should consider asking for his expertise the next time you’re looking to upgrade your TV, soundbar or anything from our audio & visual department. Although technology is Wade’s passion, he has quickly adapted and is quite knowledgeable with a whole range of other products in our store, from furniture to bedding and cooking.

Across the board… a great sales man.

“Working here has given me the ability to learn how to work in a hands-on team driven environment yet I have been able to work independently researching products and warehouse organisation.

After 15 years working for Deniliquin Betta, Janet has moved onward and upward to join us as one of our most valued team members here at Echuca Betta Home Living.

Ken Brownfield is another great team member with a wealth of over 40 years' experience in the electrical & furniture retail industry with experience in the rag trade as well. He's a salesman through and through and is brilliant at what he does. When the Fragiacomo family opened the Rochester Betta Home Living store back in April 2018, Ken was quick to join the team and they’ve been more than happy to have him.

“Running the furniture department and coordinating supply to the commercial care and community groups here in Echuca-Moama, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting such wonderful humble people needing help during this unforeseen & uncertain time. From what I've experienced here with the commercial care groups there really is a lot of people out there trying to give back and do some good in the world which I'm blessed to be a small part of”.

“It’s been wonderful to be working in Rochester again. The support from the locals has been overwhelming. Our clientele have now extended out to the south and west regions with farmers from Lockington and the greater city of Bendigo, Heathcote and many more locals coming up to the store.

“I couldn't be happier working in an environment where we are treated equally with genuine respect, care and fun. It’s refreshing to feed off good energy from your peers every day. It really is a lovely family orientated business in which I feel blessed to be a part of”.

“It always feels like I'm selling to friends rather than clients in Rochester. Everyone's always up for a chat while buying an appliance”.

NATHAN BOUCHER (Furniture & Electrical Sales & Delivery) Nathan Boucher joined our team 3 years ago coming to us from 10 years at Jayco where he was involved with building and repairs as a tech/handyman & sales representative. With a wicked sense of humour, a bloke that in times of stress has kept the crew laughing all the way. He is a real trooper and top bloke. As our main delivery man, Nathan is known for going above and beyond for our clientele, with a “can do” attitude there’s nothing he can’t or won't do...for a price that is!!

“I’d say that I’m a real social person and enjoy meeting new people and taking the time to be more personal with the clientele getting to know their needs and requirements.

PAUL WELLING (Furniture & Electrical Retail Sales) Paul Welling, originally an engineer by trade, joined the Betta Team just over 2 years ago working in both our Rochester & Echuca stores. Paul enjoys the change of pace from his previous trade days and has a world of tech experience when it comes to the world's latest technology from Android TV’s, Google Home, and audio & visual. If you’re after the latest in technology, he’s the man to see!

“It’s been an absolute pleasure to be involved with Rochester & Echuca Betta Home Living. The sharing of experience and knowledge with the crew has been amazing. The proof is in the pudding if you can teach an old dog new tricks. I’ve learnt so much about new products working here and have been able to pass on my own wealth of knowledge to my peers.

Let your Local team help CREATE YOUR

PERFECT KITCHEN, SEE OUR HUGE “As a young person in a field that can sometimes be dominated by experience, it’s great to come to work and feel recognized for my strengths. The opportunity to learn and share my abilities with my work mates has made me feel accomplished and grateful to be a part of the Echuca Betta family”.

“It certainly has made an impact on my life working with this crew, I really do feel like one of the family and I’m treated as such. It is really awesome to feel appreciated for what you do, which in any job is hard to find”.

KITCHEN DISPLAY (In cheesy singing voice) “Well I’m doing, all I can...to be a BETTA DELIVERY MAN”!

“So far, a very rewarding time in my life and sharing my days with a great crew of people”.

ECHUCA

161-168 Ogilvie Ave, Echuca VIC 3564 | (03) 5482 4511 | echuca@my.betta.com.au 45 Moore Street, Rochester VIC 3561 | (03) 5484 2242 | rochester@my.betta.com.au

@echucabetta

Bedroom

Kitchen & Laundry

Office

Lounge

Rugs & Homewares

ECHUCA 161-168 Ogilvie Ave, Echuca VIC 3564 | (03) 5482 4511 | echuca@my.betta.com.au 45 Moore Street, Rochester VIC 3561 | (03) 5484 2242 | rochester@my.betta.com.au

Dining Suites

15 EchucaMoama

Let your Local team help CREATE YOUR

PERFECT KITCHEN, SEE OUR HUGE

KITCHEN DISPLAY ECHUCA

161-168 Ogilvie Ave, Echuca VIC 3564 | (03) 5482 4511 | echuca@my.betta.com.au 45 Moore Street, Rochester VIC 3561 | (03) 5484 2242 | rochester@my.betta.com.au

ECHUCA 161-168 Ogilvie Ave, Echuca VIC 3564 | (03) 5482 4511 | echuca@my.betta.com.au 45 Moore Street, Rochester VIC 3561 | (03) 5484 2242 | rochester@my.betta.com.au

MANY WEAPONS >>

EchucaMoama

THE VIRUS

17

READY TO FIGHT

18 EchucaMoama

“WE WERE FORTUNATE PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY WERE RELATIVELY WELL AND ONLY HAD MILD SYMPTOMS BUT WE WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT SUPPORT AND THE EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL SUPPORT AS WELL.”

>>

Because, at the time this story goes to print, the twin towns have pretty much escaped it all.

Eight months into the COVID-19 era and Campaspe Shire has recorded just nine infections. Murray River Council has not even had one.

But at the start of the pandemic, as death tolls in the Northern Hemisphere soared and the spread of the virus was mapped as almost daily its tentacles stretched further out to encompass the world, Echuca Regional Health was preparing for the worst.

Staff set up dedicated intubation facilities in its two negative pressure rooms, which prevent cross contamination between beds, for any patients who required hospitalisation.

Those staff had also been trained to look after ventilated patients, were constantly put through their paces with simulation training and had a back-up plan to transfer patients to Bendigo if they needed more intensive support.

It was equally clear COVID-19 would prove just as dangerous for healthcare workers as their patients, and infected staff would simply multiply the domino effect of the virus.

Making a treatment strategy that would deliver the care and support local cases would require while ensuring vital frontline staff were not put at risk was absolutely vital.

The immediate solution was technology —i n this case, telehealth.

For COVID-19 patients who didn’t require hospitalisation, Echuca Regional Health’s Hospital in the Home (HITH) staff used video calls to monitor patients enduring their illness in home quarantine.

Leading the HITH team are co-co‑ordinators Sue Jilbert and Alira O’Brien.

Sue, who started nursing more than 40 years ago, said they developed a plan in April to use telehealth when the first wave of COVID-19 hit Australia.

“That initial wave was really in Sydney and I read one day there were actually more patients admitted to HITH with COVID-19 symptoms than there were put in hospital beds,” she said.

“I discussed with other HITH services in the state and worked out how we could do that when we needed to in Victoria.”

The strategy needed to keep healthcare workers safe, while ensuring the patients were well monitored.

“When we developed it back then we only had one COVID-19 patient in Campaspe Shire; and he was relatively well.

“Then in this second wave there were three people diagnosed initially —o ne returned to Melbourne and the other two people who remained here were monitored twice a day by us using the telehealth connection.”

Once a positive case was confirmed, community nurses would deliver a thermometer and pulse oximeter to the patient’s home and activate the telehealth program with an emphasis on monitoring oxygen levels while still keeping an eye on any other symptoms.

Oxygen levels were the litmus test for the infected as reports from the rest of the world had shown a patient’s condition could really deteriorate between days five and 11 —w ith suddenly and rapidly falling percentages of oxygen in the blood as the early alarm their condition was going downhill.

“Because they’re in isolation, they could deteriorate without anyone knowing, and that’s been proven in other parts of the world; people just died in their apartments on their own because no-one was providing that care and support,” Sue said.

An escalation process was put in place if the patient’s levels did start to drop, incorporating a standby for an ambulance for an immediate response if necessary.

Sue said the plan was a success.

“It’s about providing support and care for them and it was good to be able to see them and for them to see us,” she said.

“The community fear has almost been worse than the disease.

The repercussions of the community’s reaction to that positive test is huge.”

In September, as regional Victoria was set to come out of stage three restrictions, a false positive COVID-19 test was recorded in Echuca.

The man in his 60s tested positive before being told a day later that there had been a “rare laboratory error” and he was in fact negative to COVID-19.

Sue said the man was well supported through the process.

“We’d already enveloped him in care, he was admitted to the program, the equipment was dropped off and we’d started the phone calls.”

The support was more than just keeping an eye on symptoms; the staff also delivered provisions and educated patients about home delivery of meals and supplies.

“We were fortunate people in our community were relatively well and only had mild symptoms but we were able to provide that support and the emotional and mental support as well,” Sue said.

“We had some really good responses from the care we delivered to people with COVID-19 in the community.”

And for everyone in the twin towns it was a valuable comfort factor knowing the local support was on standby for them, around the clock, if things got worse. 

EchucaMoama

HOW history judges Victoria’s response to the 2020 pandemic will make fascinating reading —b ut if EchucaMoama gets a mention it will surely be as a footnote.

19

When COVID-19 hit, Echuca Regional Health prepared for the worst. Staff set up dedicated intubation facilities in its two negative pressure rooms, which prevent cross contamination between beds, for any patients who required hospitalisation. But as ANNA McGUINNESS discovered when she spoke to nurse Sue Jilbert, it was the community’s fear that was almost worse than the disease.

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22 EchucaMoama

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23 EchucaMoama

goodbye

HELPING PEOPLE

TO SAY

Working in palliative care has always been challenging, but COVID-19 restrictions — and having to tell family members they cannot see their dying loved one — has made 2020 the most difficult of Jess Verhey’s career. BRAYDEN MAY reports.

>>

“AS A TEAM WE’RE VERY SUPPORTIVE OF EACH OTHER AND THIS YEAR THAT SUPPORT HAS BEEN AS IMPORTANT AS EVER.

24 EchucaMoama

>> DEATH is unavoidable, but COVID-19 has dramatically changed how people can spend their final days.

“It’s not easy telling people they aren’t allowed to come and visit their family members,” she said.

Hospitals have been forced to cap the number of visitors at just two, instead of the 10 people patients could have in their rooms previously.

“We’ve had a little bit of backlash from people, but most have been understanding of the situation.

Elderly people desperate to see their grandchildren haven’t been able to, with no-one under the age of 16 allowed to visit.

But the nurses at Echuca Regional Health, including Jess Verhey, have been doing everything they can to make their patients comfortable in their final moments.

“The pandemic has changed everything, and it hasn’t been easy,” Jess said.

“All of these people deserve to have more friends and family but unfortunately they aren’t allowed.

“It’s been difficult for a lot of people and we’ve had a lot more people choosing to die at home.”

Jess, who has been with ERH for about five years, said 2020 had been the most difficult of her career.

“All of the restrictions we’ve put in place are about keeping our patients, their visitors and the community safe.

It has been about limiting any risk there may be.

“We’ve had to do everything we can to reduce the potential spread of any virus.”

While the nurses are focused on helping the family, it is just as important they take care of their own health.

“Our team does a good job of coping with death,” Jess said.

“As a team we’re very supportive of each other and this year that support has been as important as ever.

“You need to make sure everyone is okay because our jobs aren’t easy.

“When a patient dies, we will always have a debrief and speak about that person.

We find it really helps us as a team.”

Echuca-Moama has been fortunate to have no patients enter the palliative care ward with COVID-19.

And Jess believes this has saved the team a lot of stress.

“We’ve been very lucky in that regard because it would change a lot about the ward.

“I couldn’t imagine what some of the nurses in Melbourne are going through and having to be a support person for someone who is dying and can’t see a family member.

“Telling someone they can’t see a dying family member would be one of the hardest things I would ever have to do.”

Despite being thrown countless challenges throughout the year, Jess said the admission of young people to palliative care was still the one which threw her most.

“When you see someone around my age come in it really hits close to home,” the 28-year-old said.

“And then there are the cases of those parents that are a similar age to my parents.

Losing a family member would be devastating without getting to say a proper goodbye.

“Some people like to come into the hospital once the person has died but they can’t even do that at the moment.

“Even trying to help people plan funerals has been a challenge because restrictions are always changing.

“Everything is starting to improve and hopefully that means it’s easier for people to say goodbye to their loved ones.” 

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26 EchucaMoama

Serving the community FOR 21 YEARS

The Kostoglou family knows the challenges of owning a business for more than two decades.

But as SPENCER FOWLER-STEEN found out, Con and Kathy are about so much more than the pharmacies they own — they’ve helped raise $150,000 for disability provider Community Living and Respite Services and hope to one day build a house in Echuca to help people with their mental health.

AFTER 21 years in Echuca, Amcal pharmacy owners Con and Kathy Kostoglou are still dreaming of a brighter future — for their business and the community.

They’re not drifting off easily into the gentle sunset of retirement either.

Quite the opposite.

The coronavirus pandemic has them working harder than ever and planning for a better future.

“I’m turning 50 in December, and I kind of feel Con and I are in the best position we’ve ever been in,” Kathy said.

Con and Kathy moved from Melbourne to Echuca in 1999 with their two young sons, Elias and Evan.

27 EchucaMoama

“We moved from Melbourne to give our family a country and community lifestyle,” Kathy said.

“We didn’t feel we were cut out for city life; long working hours and too much time spent on the road commuting from A to B. “When we looked to pick a country town, Echuca ticked all of the boxes.”

Their sons went to 208 Primary School and St Joseph’s College, and eventually Elias moved to Bendigo to study pharmacy, following in his father’s footsteps, while Evan moved to Melbourne to study business management.

Both returned to Echuca and are actively involved in the business.

Elias, 28, now manages the pharmacy, and is married to Hannah with two children, Kyah and Kaleb, living in Echuca.

Evan, 25, also lives locally with partner Louise and helps with the logistics and business side of things.

Con started with two business partners, Robert Symons and Shane Weller.

Robert and Shane had just finished building Rich River Medical Centre and also had Echuca Amcal Pharmacy at 222 Hare St, Echuca.

The trio then bought Hart’s Pharmacy and amalgamated it into their stores, with Shane resigning from the partnership in 2001.

Con and Robert then moved the 222 Hare St Pharmacy to Echuca Square Pharmacy, relocating their photography lab from Amcal to Echuca Square.

At the time, Amcal had St George Bank and Medibank Private services within its store.

Through a series of partnerships, the Nathalia Pharmacy was purchased — making it four pharmacies in the group.

Kathy said Amcal had a “massive” renovation — adding a bulk-billing medical centre, the only one in town, giving people seven-days-a-week access while minimising hospital pressure.

“Eventually in 2015, the partnership was dissolved and we kept the Echuca Amcal Pharmacy and Echuca Square store which was moved to the previous Dick Smith site and renovated to Priceline Pharmacy,” she said.

Over the years, husband and wife said they have had many business partnerships, each with their distinct advantages and disadvantages.

“The journey has been interesting,” Kathy said.

“As a family we have been through some tough times but have managed to always come out better on the other side.

“When there’s darkness, there’ll always be light, and where there’s hurricanes, there’ll be sunshine and rainbows.

“COVID-19 gave us the opportunity to keep everyone safe and focus on our community, and it’s honestly been the best thing that’s ever happened.

“We’ve never been closer.”

Along with maintaining their businesses in Echuca — Amcal and Priceline — Kostoglous said there were a number of projects they were hoping to launch in the near future.

“Our biggest goal is to build a house in Echuca to assist people who need help with mental health,” Kathy said.

“We also don’t have a homeless place here; if you’re homeless in Echuca and Moama, it’s really difficult.”

And now after 21 years servicing the Echuca-Moama community, they’ve finally had some breathing space to reflect on what it all means.

When you’ve been in a town for as long as the Kostoglous, you get to know people — the regulars, the transient travellers popping in for a visit and the people who have been a part of the fabric of the place for as long as people can remember.

“But I’d say the biggest highlight for us is that our son became a pharmacist — it made it easier when he decided to stay,” they said Kathy also volunteers in Echuca, having helped raise more than $150,000 in 10 years for Community Living and Respite Services.

“I think the biggest advantage of being in business is that it gives us an opportunity to be close to family and also gives us a passion for travel,” she said.

“We have had many trips back to Greece with friends and family, but Echuca is our home.

“They say you’re a local after 21 years.” 

28 EchucaMoama

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Velda Mitchell is familiar with the term frontline — having worked in the Army Reserves and now at Echuca Regional Health’s emergency department. As she explained to CHARMAYNE ALLISON, the same principles apply.

NOT many passions take you from the frontlines of the Army Reserves to ground zero of a hospital in the middle of a coronavirus pandemic.

But for Echuca’s Velda Mitchell, paperwork and people — the two pursuits closest to her heart — have done that and so much more.

After years as a clerk in the 4th/19th Prince of Wales’s Light Horse and later the 8/7 Battalion R.V.R., she transferred to another high-pressure setting — Echuca Regional Health’s emergency department.

But while it’s a whole new battlefront, Velda said the same principles applied when fighting COVID-19.

“My time in the reserves taught me skills I still use to this day,” she said.

“It taught me organisation and the importance of following processes and procedures.

“I just like that as a ward clerk, I can provide people with admin support so they can do their job.

“And I love dealing with people all the time.”

Born in England, Velda was just three years old when she moved to Australia with her family — her parents, plus seven brothers and one sister.

Her dad was in the Navy, so they moved around quite a bit throughout the years.

After graduating school, Velda worked at an office in Richmond and for horse trainers in the Macedon Ranges before getting married and starting a family.

However, after her first marriage broke down in 1990, Velda found herself “at a loose end”.

“That’s when my family suggested I join the reserves,” she said.

“At that time, I had three brothers in the Army Reserves — the defence force was a family thing.”

She still reflects on joining the reserves as the best decision she ever made.

Velda had progressed to her corporal training in 1993 when she met her now-husband Steve Mitchell and they moved to his hometown of Echuca.

That same year, Velda started working part-time for ERH as a personal carer at Glanville Village, while also juggling a part-time gig as clerk for the 8/7 Battalion in Shepparton.

But after six years in the reserves, Velda made the tough decision to pack away her army uniform for the last time.

“Steve and I had eight kids between us, so by the time the children became teenagers it was getting harder and harder to balance everything,” she said.

“I was doing my sergeant’s training at the time, so it was a difficult decision — but I knew it was the right one.”

After several years with Glanville, Velda was ready for a change.

So in 2005, she transferred to become a ward clerk with ERH’s emergency department.

Throughout the past 15 years, she’s watched the ED grow to the point ERH clerks are now providing 24-hour coverage. >>

EchucaMoama

FRONTLINE

29

From one

>> “There’s just so much more work now,” Velda said.

“Especially with COVID-19.”

30

When Velda first heard about the mysterious virus threatening Australian shores, she knew it was inevitable it would make it here, to Echuca-Moama.

EchucaMoama

But she also knew when the time came, the community would knuckle down and “do what had to be done”.

By the time COVID-19 reached the region’s doorstep, ERH was already ready.

Velda had worked closely with the ED unit manager and senior nurses to ensure the hospital was prepared for the worst, doubling orders of most stock.

“We knew once things ramped up, we wouldn’t be able to get stock when we needed it.”

Velda said there was an underlying sense of anxiety in the hospital when the first wave of COVID-19 hit.

“The biggest thing for our department was, ‘are we going to be able to cope?’, because we saw all these images coming in from overseas.

“But by the time the second wave came, we felt, ‘yeah, we can deal with this’.

“And the general public was also a lot less anxious.”

During the first wave, Velda helped process all potential COVID-19 cases that presented at ERH, in addition to handling the usual ED chaos.

Prior to the second wave, the hospital assigned an additional admin clerk to the COVID-19 testing clinic as the workload became too much for one clerk.

But ED remains the first port of call when a possible case walks through the doors.

“We’ve had to manage the flow of people through ED,” Velda said.

“If we don’t have anywhere for them in the COVID waiting room, we send them out to their car and just call them to come through when we’ve got room for them.”

Velda admitted working as a ward clerk — particularly during a pandemic — could have its tense moments.

“People can come in with heightened emotions, and ED has been much more tense because of everything going on in the world lately.

“I’ve learnt to keep things as relaxed as I can, and just reassure people they’re going to get seen, they’re going to get treated, everything will be fine.”

Throughout her past 15 years in the department — and especially in the past few months — Velda has learnt to leave the stresses of the day at the hospital door.

But while working on the frontlines of the ERH emergency department in the depths of a pandemic can have its moments, Velda said the rewards outweighed any challenges.

“I like my job — that keeps me going during this uncertain time.

“And we often have lots of people thanking us, or dropping off cards.

“It’s gestures like these — of just saying a simple thank you — that keeps me going.”

31

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34 EchucaMoama

PARAMEDIC IS

standing strong As a paramedic, Austen Todd has one simple wish — to make a difference to his patients’ lives.

And while COVID-19 has affected the way he does that, IVY JENSEN discovers the Echuca man is still clearly on a mission.

WHEN Austen Todd became a paramedic, he never thought he would be working through a global pandemic.

As COVID-19 spread around Australia and the world, first responders on the frontline were increasingly vulnerable to contracting the virus.

And the death toll included a growing number of ambulance workers.

"I have paramedic friends around the world. In London, it’s prolific and I’ve got friends who have had it, some of them quite bad," Austen said.

"I was just chatting to one of our paramedics who used to work in Melbourne, and she was saying she came into contact with a lot of COVID patients and a person at her branch contracted it. Thankfully, they’ve all recovered now."

Austen is quite aware he could have been one of them — he is from Melbourne and worked as a paramedic in London between 2015 and 2017.

But a twist of fate on his return to Australia saw Austen and his new wife Sarah, also a paramedic, posted to Kyabram.

A town he had to Google to find its location.

Buying a house in Echuca, the couple commuted to Kyabram for 18 months before being recruited by Echuca Ambulance Service.

And with their first baby due in November, they couldn’t be more grateful to be in an area relatively free of coronavirus.

"I feel lucky to be up in the country in an area where there’s

less density and less people," Austen said.

"Everyone has been doing the right thing in the community which has really stopped the spread."

And while Echuca-Moama has been lucky enough to avoid a deadly outbreak, changes to procedures have been a source of fatigue and stress for paramedics.

"Life has changed a lot, especially day-to-day life as a paramedic," Austen said.

"It was challenging when it first started. It was a new virus, so things were changing daily as the experts were learning more and more about the virus and how to control its spread."

The call-outs ambulance workers are attending haven’t necessarily changed, but the logistics certainly look different.

The biggest changes include the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and cleaning requirements.

"Keeping up-to-date and PPE has been ramped up a lot," Austen said.

"For every patient contact we have, we’re wearing gloves, goggles and an M95 mask, which is splash-proof and filters out finer particles.

"That’s a standard interaction with patients and then if we meet the patient and the job meets the criteria, then we also have gowns and tie-back suits as well. It’s a lot more uncomfortable but necessary.

"Then we also have strict decontamination procedures. Once a patient meets that criteria to potentially get tested, >>

35

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36 EchucaMoama

We were born with ink in our veins

>> we take them to hospital and then have to do a thorough decontamination of all our equipment and our ambulance."

Amazingly, Austen hasn’t been in contact with anyone who has tested positive to COVID-19.

"I think there’s probably a bit of anxiety within our patient groups who have underlying medical conditions, but for the most part I think people have been really cautious, so if they do have an underlying medical condition, then they stay at home.

"People have been taking a lot of precautions I think to make themselves safe."

And he stressed the importance of continuing to do the right thing.

"Wear a mask, social distance and wash your hands.

"We’re almost through this and it’s important everyone makes a difference.

"It’s easy for people to think they won’t have any impact, but if everyone thinks like that, there’s going to be a slip-up somewhere, so we need to make sure we keep doing the right thing."

The impacts of the lockdown and restrictions have been significant for the Echuca-Moama community, and it’s something Austen sees on a regular basis.

"It’s good having a wife as a paramedic because she understands if you do go to a stressful situation, it’s easy to debrief with her," he said.

"We don’t always talk about the job though. When we go home we’re pretty good at separating ourselves from it.

"Because the job is stressful at times, I think it’s important to have other hobbies outside the job.

"I put a lot of emphasis on work-life balance.

"I like mountain biking, going to the gym and walking our two dogs. We’re very outside outdoorsy people and like getting out and about.

"I found even with stage three restrictions early on, it was really nice to see people out and about in the environment a lot more.

"I was down at the Moama mountain bike track and there were so many people there just enjoying the outdoors.

I think people have become more grateful to be out and about exercising."

Living in such a beautiful part of Victoria, being active in the community and having outlets away from work have seen Austen and Sarah come to love their new home.

"I think it’s definitely challenged people’s mental health within the community.

"I love the community aspect that Echuca provides. It’s more friendly, we don’t get stuck in traffic and I love how close we are to nature," he said.

"People are a lot more isolated than they would (normally) be, so I think there’s some people who are really struggling out there."

"I love to ride my bike down the river or go for a run, it’s really convenient and very sports-oriented which I like. We plan to stay here for quite a while."

As a paramedic, Austen is not only living through one of the worst health crises in history, he is working in it.

That, combined with the routine stresses, burn-out and risks of emergency work, is something Austen is more than aware of.

"Occupational violence is everywhere within the job," he said.

"It is unfortunately part of the job because you are called to those situations where people are vulnerable or alcohol or drug-affected, so they do things they shouldn’t be doing and so occasionally you do get abused."

In London, it was pretty rife.

"Over there, I found myself in situations where whether it was drug or alcohol-related emergencies, I was verbally abused and sometimes I got spat on by patients or bystanders," Austen said.

"It’s tough because when you’re on scene with a patient, you have their best interests at heart, so psychologically it’s hard when you’re trying to help someone and they end up spitting in your face. That can be quite hard to deal with."

Unfortunately, death also comes with the job.

"I guess some of the worst experiences I’ve had was dealing with family members who have lost a loved one.

"Breaking the news to them and dealing with those tough

The twin towns will be where they raise their child and Austen will have fatherhood to contend with.

"I’m super excited to be a dad. I feel like I’m in that stage of life where there’s more important things than just me.

"I feel ready to bring someone else into the world and do my best to be a good parent."

Part of being a good parent is being a good role model — and that’s something he demonstrates in his career every day.

"The main thing is remembering that every time someone calls an ambulance, that’s their emergency. It’s important to remember that each interaction you have means a lot to someone.

"It’s probably quite easy to become complacent after you do it for a long time.

"But it’s important to remember why you’re doing it. I’ve found that really helps me; trying to empathise with people about their situation and I actually get a lot out of that.

"Some of the best moments are when you can make a really great impact on someone’s life.

"It doesn’t have to be a life-threatening emergency, but just making someone feel supported and being able to make a difference to their life." 

EchucaMoama

"Everything we’re doing is very safe, so I feel very confident if we did come in contact with a positive patient that there’s a very, very, very low — if not no — risk of transmission.

Dealing with trauma is just another occupational hazard, but something Austen has learnt to deal with — thanks to a range of psychological supports through Ambulance Victoria, his wife and a good work-life balance.

37

"It hasn’t worried me because we have such strict guidelines and procedures," he said.

emotions of other people is hard."

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40 EchucaMoama

L A T I P S O H A

Mark Hooper considers himself fortunate the 2012 redesign of Echuca Regional Health included pandemic modes in the airconditioning, giving his team an advantage over the rest of Victoria and putting the hospital years ahead of its time. ANDREW JOHNSTON caught up with the man who not only put his hospital and its team first — but also his hometown and all of its people. >>

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42 EchucaMoama

>> ECHUCA means everything to Mark Hooper.

And in a lot of ways the 47-year-old is everything that makes Echuca the town it is. The executive project manager at Echuca Regional Health, Mark loves his home, and has always cared about his community.

“Echuca born and bred,” he says with a smile.

“I studied engineering at university before working for 10 or so years in the dairy industry, but I’ve always been an Echuca person.

“The opportunity presented to stay locally based, not to drive an extended period every day.

“Since I’ve been in this role I’ve had the privilege while here of rebuilding about 80 per cent of the hospital.”

That love for his hometown and job work perfectly together, and has seen him and his team work tirelessly to improve the hospital for the residents of his town.

So when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, he was ready to hit the ground running to get the hospital ready.

But that wasn’t as difficult a job as you might expect.

In fact, a major element of the hospital’s COVID-19 response has been operational for quite some time, with many residents none the wiser.

“We were very fortunate when we did the design in 2012, we included pandemic modes in the airconditioning system,” Mark said.

“In a typical hospital bedroom, a certain amount of air has to change every hour. That will be a combination of outside air and recirculated air from within the facility.

“We don’t do that, we are using 100 per cent fresh air all the time. The air that goes out of our bedrooms goes through what is called a heat recovery wheel where we get the heat energy and can put it back in the air.

“It’s incredibly efficient, and when you are trying to keep air change rates up due to something like COVID, you have a massive advantage.

“As a result we are probably better off for handling the situation than a lot of other places are.”

It’s lucky in many ways, but the fact the planning for the hospital was so far ahead is something Mark is incredibly proud about.

“It’s a point of pride for our department anyway,” he said.

“We were integral in the new hospital, we planned for this in the hope it would never arise. We charted that course early, and as such we’ve done it a lot easier.

“We pride ourselves in a way on the fact people don’t even

43 EchucaMoama

realise we are involved. Our efforts are in making sure these systems are available for people to use for its intended purpose at all times.”

But while the hospital was in many ways ready to handle the situation, there have still been many small steps to have the hospital operating safely.

“We’ve had to make a lot of minor changes, stuff like your signage and changing hand sanitising stations,” Mark said.

“The short stay unit was turned into our COVID unit, we’ve had to close some beds in our surgery department and convert some airconditioning systems.

“It small things like that which challenge you to think outside the box, but they’ve been good for us.

“COVID isn’t everything we work on, we have multiple projects which are still in the background.

“The COVID response is just a part of that, it’s something we have to respond to and we continue to work on it.”

It’s a testament to not only his team’s work, but also those in the hospital who have worked hard to protect those around them.

“I have not for even a second felt stressed about the COVID situation impacting me personally.

“I don’t feel at risk at any stage when I walk into this building.

Hospital engineers know and understand the physical infrastructure better than anyone, so from that point of view I feel fine.

“But we’ve also been educated on COVID, understanding how it works and what it actually is, and we know our team here is always prepared to deal with that side of the virus, so not for one second does anyone feel as though they aren’t safe.”

For Mark, the full hospital’s ability to adapt has been the most impressive outcome of the crisis.

“Everyone has been prepared to change and adapt quickly to the situation.

“For example, reacting to supply shortages, changing from automatic to hand pump sanitisers —m aking small changes around the place is where everyone has had to come to the game and adapt.

“Our ability to quickly move and adapt is something we are really proud of.

“There is always something that we are working on to improve the hospital, and we will continue to do so in the future.”

Such is the goal of keeping Echuca safe. 

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Proudly managed by the Echuca Neighbourhood House.

Echuca Neighbourhood House Pre-Accredited Courses Echuca Neighbourhood House provides a range of pre-accredited courses for community members, and each of these courses provides you with an opportunity to improve your skills.

Course categories: • Digital Literacy & Communication • Adults Literacy & Numeracy No Interest Loans Scheme (NILS)

We have two stands located in our front yard that are stocked on weekdays with a variety of grocery items.

These items are FREE. Please take what you need. Leave what you can.

Be mindful of others.

Our Community Garden operates all year round.

Our garden produces food to share.

The No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS) provides individuals and families on low incomes with access to safe, fair and affordable credit.

Loans are available for up to $1,500 for essential goods and services such as fridges, washing machines and medical procedures. Repayments are set up at an affordable amount over 12 to 18 months.

To be eligible for NILS you must have a Health Care or Pension card or earn less than $45,000 a year after tax ($60,000 for joint applicants or people with children). Loans cannot be used for cash, rent arrears, debt consolidation or bills.

Feed it Forward – Food Bank & Community Garden Food Bank operates Monday - Thursday.

Food parcels can be ordered over the phone, in House, or through our website.

When the produce is ready to pick, we will let you know with signs in the garden.

Harvest Swap Come along to our FREE monthly Harvest Swap on the last Sunday of each month (excluding December), starting at 11am at the Echuca Back 9 Golf Course.

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Echuca Neighbourhood House 261 High St, Echuca | 5482 6914 | 5480 1026 | info@enh.org.au | www.enh.org.au ABN: 43 374 311 705

Calm in the eye of the

46 EchucaMoama

C O V I D ST OR M

When the Victorian-NSW border was closed at Echuca-Moama for the second time in history, 600 officers were deployed to the twin towns’ checkpoint on a weekly rotation. At one point there were 11,000 cars crossing the bridge daily, making the operation one of the busiest on the border.

BRAYDEN MAY reports how the police inspector juggling the process — Paul Huggett — has taken it all in his stride.

IF THERE is a date that will always live in Paul Huggett’s memory it is July 8, 2020.

For only the second time in Australia’s history, NSW closed its border to Victoria — the first time was for the Spanish flu pandemic.

As the Murray River Police District western sectors inspector, it has been Paul’s job to co‑ordinate the border closure operation, which has covered 11 bridges.

While others might have been put off by the mammoth task, he has simply taken it in his stride.

“The border closure has just been part of the abstract nature of my job.

“You just don’t know what’s going to happen at the start of the day and I think that’s something I have always enjoyed.

“At the start of the pandemic I didn’t expect for the border to close but the decision was made to keep the community safe.

“It was certainly a challenge to set up on short notice, but the process has definitely improved as it has expanded.”

Just like the public, officers have continually been challenged with trying to keep up with the latest information being released by the government.

And the dangers of social media have given police another added layer of difficulty during the border operation.

“What is and isn’t allowed has obviously changed a lot and it can be easy for members of the public to miss out on the information,” Paul said.

“Social media can be a dangerous place sometimes, because there is so much misinformation being circulated and that does frustrate police.

Paul said he had received nothing but good feedback from those who had travelled to the twin towns.

“It makes you really proud to live in this community.

“The support we’ve received is absolutely outstanding.

We’ve had people provide us with meals and buy us coffees.

“It might not sound like a lot, but you really do appreciate the little things when you’re away from your family.

“I think the metropolitan officers in particular have loved the opportunity to connect with members of the community because it’s something they might not usually get back home.

“This period has shown just how important regional policing is to the community.”

The NSW Government’s decision to close the border hasn’t just stopped people from entering the state.

It has also allowed the NSW Police Force to catch people for other offences.

In Echuca-Moama alone, there have been people caught in possession of drugs, trying to cross the border without a permit and others sneaking people across the border.

“We’ve been very fortunate in that regard,” Paul said.

“Across the border there have been a number of incidents so it’s pleasing we’ve been able to cover other parts of the job at the same time.”

“It can be a challenge to convince some people that Bob from Facebook hasn’t been posting the right details.

NSW police have not been the only people on the border checking permits —A ustralian Defence Force personnel were also deployed to checkpoints during the operation.

“But the majority of people have been understanding.”

And Paul couldn’t be happier to have their support.

The operation has seen about 600 police officers from across NSW deployed on the Echuca-Moama bridge checkpoint alone, with a new deployment every week.

On each occasion, Paul has been in charge of trying to make the process as smooth as possible.

“At all times of the day we are trying to get people across the bridge as quickly as possible,” he said.

“We really do appreciate the patience members of the community have shown and just how understanding they have been.

“Our goal has been to give everyone the same experience each time they’ve crossed.

“Obviously there has been some delays at peak times, but that’s because of an increase in traffic as restrictions have been eased.

“At one point we had 11,000 cars travelling over the bridge each day, making us one of the busiest checkpoints on the border.

“They’ve taken a lot of weight off our shoulders.

“We do need to remember that we’re leaving other communities disadvantaged by taking their police officers, and the Army guys have helped us to do that.

“All of their members have been great to work alongside, and I thank them for their support.”

As this story goes to print, it remains unclear when the operation will end.

But Paul will always be thankful to the Echuca-Moama community for their support.

“Thank you to everyone for your understanding during this process.

“We’re on the frontline against COVID-19 together.

The police can only be as good as the community allows it to be.

“Echuca-Moama allows us to be good.” 

EchucaMoama

But in 2020 he was front and centre.

The need for police on the border has meant many officers working at the checkpoints have been taken away from their family and friends, with many coming from metropolitan areas.

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Paul’s only knowledge of the 1919 event comes through stories he has been told and read.

“I’m very proud of how every officer has handled themselves during this operation.”

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CLEANERS WAGE AN U NSEE N WAR

EchucaMoama

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised the status of cleaners — and rightfully so. They’ve been working around the clock and taking every precaution to make Echuca Regional Health as safe as possible. ALEX GRETGRIX caught up with Jane Leetham, who is part of the A-team doing its part to fight the virus.

HOSPITALS, the real deal as well as the soap operas on the small screen, are all about doctors (the ones with stethoscopes around their necks) and nurses (different coloured outfits and occasionally with stethoscopes around their necks).

They all front the cameras as the ‘stars’ of the healthcare industry; as the heroes of the war against COVID-19.

But the pandemic has raised the status of some other hospital staff — from the unseen and unknown to the trenches at the frontline of the fight.

Cleaners now, as much as anyone, are making sure our hospital and all hospitals are as virus-free and contaminationfree as possible.

The weapons in this unseen war are disinfectants, elbow grease and a determination to do the job right — around the clock.

Right now, without them, the system would buckle — maybe even break — under the load.

Without them hospitals (and medical practices, too) wouldn’t have clean and sanitised seating, walkways, toilets, handrails — clean anything. Cupboards would remain empty or others in the chain would be expected to double up on their work.

Even when you are there you might see them, you just won’t notice them. No-one thinks ‘cleaners’ when they think ‘hospitals’.

Until now.

Now our cleaners are part of the A-team (without stethoscopes); an integral part of the fight against the virus.

Jane Leetham is one of the many cleaners at Echuca Regional Health who is experienced enough to see both the funny side of this transformation and its upside.

“Thankfully the pandemic didn’t change my life too much,” she said. >>

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>> “I still had a job when a lot of people didn’t, for which I am grateful, but there were a few changes at work when COVID-19 hit.”

Before that, Jane had a pretty straightforward work routine within the hospital’s walls.

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“Usually I would work Monday to Friday from about 8 am until 3 pm,” she said.

EchucaMoama

“I work in the maternity ward so I would start my day off by handing out meals to the patients before checking if the birthing suites needed to be cleaned.”

She would usually work her way around, spot cleaning rooms with patients in them and would be paged if someone left and a more thorough clean needed to be done.

“We wanted to make sure we got everything done and up to standard. We would make sure all the public toilets were done, the nurses’ station, anywhere we thought needed to be done.”

But once the coronavirus hit, Jane — like everyone else -didn’t know what was around the corner.

“I was a little bit scared, like a lot of people were,” she said.

“It seemed like the end of the world and I did happen to get a sore throat just before it all hit so that meant I had to be tested and isolated for a week.”

Because nobody knew a lot about COVID-19 at the beginning, Jane said she did not know what to expect at all.

“I wasn’t aware of what was going on in the world, there was just so much unknown back then.

“Usually if you got a bit sick you might have been able to push on or stay home for a day or two and get better, but this was next level.”

As time went on, to her surprise, work got a lot quieter.

“A lot of people were scared to come to the hospital because they were worried about getting COVID,” she said.

“We got a lot of training on how to properly use the PPE that was provided; and it was all masks and shields from then on.”

And when the COVID cleaner was sick, Jane and her team had to step up to the plate.

“It’s straightforward, but you tend to make sure you’re getting every single inch of the room or ward you’re cleaning.

“Even in maternity, I found myself cleaning every light switch, every doorknob, every surface that would be touched by someone, thinking about how these commonly touched items could spread the virus.

“We’ve all been a lot more cautious I think; I don’t think I’ve ever washed my hands so much in my life, but it’s been a real learning curve for all of us.”

While Campaspe Shire didn’t have the same number of cases as other regions in the country, Jane said she was still cautious when she left work.

“I tried to keep my distance as much as I could every time I would get home.

“It really was hard not being able to see my extended family, but everyone was in the same boat; I’m just glad things are opening up now.”

While it had suddenly become a stressful and demanding role, the cleaning team got the tick of approval for its efforts.

“We got audited and the hospital was very happy with our standard of work, so it’s good to know we were doing the best possible job,” Jane said.

“This is the time we really need to make sure we are doing the best we can to stop the spread.” 

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52 EchucaMoama

SCIENTISTS PUT TO THE

Ultimate test

53 EchucaMoama

Colin Anderson is the man behind arguably the most important job during the COVID-19 pandemic — testing people for the virus. ANNA McGUINNESS caught up with the Echuca Regional Health pathology services manager, who has been with the team since April and was integral to finding out the truth behind the mystery case that stumped the rest of Victoria.

AFTER an eight-year hiatus from the health industry, Colin Anderson decided to make the comeback of all comebacks when he joined the team at Echuca Regional Health at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Strictly speaking Echuca is within the Loddon Mallee region health alliance, so that comes under her public health unit.”

Colin and his wife Leanne were running their hydroponic tomato farm near Bendigo at the beginning of 2020.

“My day’s work finished at 5.30 pm and I took the swabs to Bendigo where Australian Clinical Labs did the testing,” Colin said.

But by April he was ERH’s pathology services manager, and Leanne was called out of long service leave early to lead contact tracing for the Loddon Mallee region.

On the day the man received his positive test result, the close contacts were swabbed in their cars outside ERH.

“We carried out rapid testing of the close contacts who were identified that day and got their results back by 9.30 pm.”

Later, Leanne’s connections would prove helpful in uncovering the truth behind a mystery COVID-19 case in Echuca.

All those results were negative and, as it transpired after retesting, so was the original sample.

At the time the case was of concern to health officials because the man wasn’t a close contact of a known positive case, he hadn’t recently travelled to Melbourne or any hotspots, and Echuca hadn’t had a case for some time — meaning community transmission was unlikely.

Colin said there was scope for human error in any laboratory but it was very unusual for the actual analysis to fail.

“As luck would have it, and because my wife is the Bendigo Public Health Unit director, she rang me and said, ‘you’ve got a positive case’ because she had been notified,” Colin said.

In a statement to the media at the time, the false positive was said to been caused by a “rare laboratory error”.

“With every analysis run, you would run a negative control and a positive control,” Colin said.

“The suspicion from VIDRL (Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory) was that the most likely cause of >>

>> that false positive was the loading of the positive control in the wrong part of the testing system, so that positive control got confused with a patient sample.”

ERH has been testing for COVID-19 since March. It’s been the job of Colin and his team of six scientists in the laboratory to process the samples before they are sent away.

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At its peak, COVID-19 testing added an extra 90 swabs a day on top of their usual 100 to 150 routine pathology tests.

EchucaMoama

While they weren’t testing the swabs for coronavirus themselves, the team would enter the patient’s information into a database and allocate a sample number so the results of the swab would be tied back to the patient.

“Probably the hardest part about processing is the data entry,” Colin said.

“A lot of these people who presented here for COVID-19 testing had never had a pathology test so we’ve had to fit in a lot of new patients to our database.”

He said it was a clerical challenge and he took on some of the workload to free up his staff.

“I’m not necessary to get routine testing done, I’m more of a managerial role … so that’s how I supported our scientists to get on with what they normally do and protect them from that task.”

The swabs are then sent to the Victorian Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory, which is a public pathology testing facility for COVID-19.

The testing can’t be done at the ERH laboratory because they don’t have the necessary facilities.

“It requires a biohazard cabinet,” Colin said.

“When we open those swabs which are potentially infectious, we need to be in a controlled air environment so no aerosols can be breathed in by the scientist.”

However, for three or four weeks during the peak of the second coronavirus wave in Victoria, the tests were being sent north instead.

“When (Victorian Premier) Daniel Andrews wanted 100,000 tests in 10 days, that just overwhelmed VIDRL and most of the testing facilities in Victoria,” Colin said.

“An extra courier from Shepparton to Melbourne was organised, which transported those samples from 2.30 pm each weekday directly to the airport to be flown to Queensland.

“It actually improved turnaround times; it sounds counterintuitive, but that’s often how these things can be sped up.”

The pandemic has changed everyone’s lives in some way or another, and Colin said it was a “strange time” to return to the health profession.

“It was tough at the start because I think people here were pretty stressed.

“We were all a bit worried about contracting it ourselves and how our personal circumstances might pan out if we did get it.”

Now things are a lot calmer for the team, with 30 to 50 COVID-19 swabs a day at the most.

“It’s nice to be on the downward part of the curve than the upward.

“We’d still encourage the premier’s message to be heeded, if you’ve got any illness at all that you get tested.” 

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>>

58 EchucaMoama

Image supplied

>>

Denise Wrest will never take life for granted again. Being prescribed an antibiotic for an infection made the Echuca grandmother so sick she thought she was going to die — and nearly did. But it was the hard work of hospital staff, including those at Echuca as well as those closest to her, who made sure she wasn’t going anywhere. IVY JENSEN reports.

DENISE Wrest has looked death in the face.

All because of an allergic reaction.

Being prescribed an antibiotic for an infection made the Echuca grandmother so sick, she lost 25 kg and was placed on a waiting list for a liver transplant.

“I wanted to die I felt so sick,” she said.

“The surgeon actually told me if I didn’t get a new liver, I would die.”

Just over 12 months later, the 60-year-old is thanking her lucky stars for a second chance at life.

“Last year was a bit of a write-off and then COVID-19 happened this year, but it really hasn’t affected me so much because last year was so bad,” she said.

Denise was prescribed flucloxacillin, a penicillin-based medication, in January last year after a small cut in her leg became infected.

Within days of finishing her repeat dose, Denise’s skin and eyes turned yellow and her urine became very dark.

“The worst was this incessant all-over skin itch,” she said.

“It was unrelenting and lasted for more than 12 months despite everything being prescribed to treat it.”

She spent a few days in Echuca Regional Health before being admitted to Melbourne’s Austin Hospital for various tests and scans, as well as a liver biopsy.

Eventually doctors discovered the cause of her illness, but there was no treatment.

By August, Denise had become so unwell her weight had dropped to 53 kg and she was placed on the active list for a liver transplant.

“My bilirubin level had reached 400, where the normal level is 17,” she said.

“I had no appetite and couldn’t stand anything salty or sweet.

I could only eat very bland food.

“That was rock bottom for me.

“It was a horrible time.

I couldn’t play with my grandchild and I felt itchy all the time.

“I remember I watched cooking shows all day and the ads that

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would play, if I hear them, I get panic attacks because it brings me back to how sick I was.

“I really looked death in the face.”

By some miracle, Denise began to improve by late October, with her liver regenerating before an organ became available.

However, she started developing other conditions, including inflammation of the bile duct system which affected her cholesterol levels, Lipoprotein X — a blood disorder — and hard, painful lesions called xanthomas on her hands and inside her nose.

“I couldn’t use my hands they were so sore.”

Denise had a permacath inserted in her chest in December and had fortnightly plasma exchange treatments at Austin Hospital for six months.

At the time, Denise was working at Echuca Target, which has since become K-Hub. Having to take 16 months off work, Denise’s husband, daughter and sister took care of her.

“I only went back to work in June this year,” she said.

Today, Denise is almost back to full health, but still undergoes routine blood tests and scans to check her liver.

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“My liver not quite back to normal and my hair is still dry after falling out in clumps,” she said.

“However, compared to how sick I was, I am so much better.”

And she wants others to be more aware of what they are prescribed.

While 10 per cent of the population will report a penicillin allergy, less than one per cent will be truly allergic like Denise.

“What happened to me wasn’t negligent, I was just one of the unlucky ones.”

However, looking back, Denise now considers herself fortunate.

“To be given a second chance at life is just unbelievable.

“I’ll never take life for granted again.” 

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“LAST YEAR WAS A BIT OF A WRITE-OFF AND THEN COVID-19 HAPPENED THIS YEAR, BUT IT REALLY HASN’T AFFECTED ME SO MUCH BECAUSE LAST YEAR WAS SO BAD,” SHE SAID.

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Deciding to enhance your smile is an important decision and choosing between the wide range of available procedures may be daunting. At Echuca Dental Clinic we pride ourselves on offering a supportive, friendly environment, where you can feel free to express your concerns, hopes and expectations. Our goal is to work in partnership with our patients so they can make informed decisions and select the treatment best suited to their needs.

yes!

WE ARE OPEN FOR ALL YOUR DENTAL NEEDS!

So whether you want to redesign your smile, whiten your teeth improve your oral health, make a subtle cosmetic enhancement or obtain general dental care for yourself or your family speak with us today!

We welcome you with open arms, warm hearts and big smiles. Our office is staffed to provide a comprehensive range of top quality affordable dental services for your entire family from the youngest child to eldest senior.

NEW PATIENTS

Welcome!

Call to schedule an appointment (03) 5482 2035

Dr Amrita

WE HAVE NO BRANCHES

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ECHUCA DENTAL CLINIC PROVIDES • Lifelong Preventative Care

• Pain Free Dentistry

• Sleep Apnea Devices

• Cosmetic Dentistry

• Emergency Dental Care

• Dental Surgery

• Teeth Whitening

• In House 3D Radiology and Imaging

• Dental Implants

• Smile Restorations

• Crowns, Bridges and Veneers

• Facial Aesthetics

• Dentures

• 0% Flexible Payment Plans Now Available

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OUR

Our Mission is to help our patients look and feel their best and to promote a lifetime of healthy smiles.

209 Anstruther Street Echuca | T: (03)

5482 2035

Conveniently located in the Echuca CBD opposite Aldi, Echuca

Results and outcomes may vary and treatments are case specific to individual needs and underlying conditions. Information and Photos used in this advertisement are for general information purposes only and are in conjunction with Australian compliance standards and are not intended to provide any false or misleading expectations. Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risk. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.