Meeting July 4th
Elwyn Davies was the speaker at our meeting on July 4th.
Having initially worked as a labourer after leaving school in the UK Elwyn applied for nursing training and was accepted.After completing training he specialised in Acute Care nursing gaining expertise in cardiology and intensive care. During a recruitment drive for nurses looking for a position in Australia he migrated in 1986. At the time he arrived there was turmoil of the nurses strike here in Victoria. Fortunately the strike had no impact on Acute Care departments and he settled in to working at Western Health. The outcome of the strike was significant improvement in conditions for nurses and better patient care.
During his professional life he has values strong ties with colleagues across the various disciplines in healthcare as he held roles in clinical care, teaching and administration. He was very much involved in preparing for Y2K when there were concern about the impact of the new millennium on digital equipment in hospitals. Fortunately there were no misadventures.
Elwyn’s most recent role has been in directing a drug and alcohol service.
His desire to become a nurse was largely driven by a desire to help others. Likewise, he sees Rotary as an opportunity, to along with like-minded people, “do good”.
Since arriving in ’86 Elwyn has always resided in Footscray, which at first was an “eye-opener” but has always felt comfortable in the municipality. Over the years he has seen many changes to the demography and levels of income in the suburb.
Being in Rotary gives him a “warm feeling” and he is keen to make a small impact.