When Dianne Paul first walked into the RCH in 1968 as a 17-year-old trainee nurse, it was the beginning of a wonderful 53-year nursing career that would take her around Australia. Little did she know at the time, it was also the beginning of an inspiring journey of giving back to the RCH.
‘My favourite thing about nursing at the RCH was, of course, the children. They were such amazing patients, and so brave. I still consider myself a children’s nurse and I’m really proud of that,” Dianne said.
Her experience at the RCH held her in good stead when she moved from the RCH in 1972 to take on nursing and midwifery roles in Sydney, the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) Queensland, and Knox City Council.
“My work at RFDS took me to all corners of Queensland, including remote communities where children and families were experiencing illnesses that we rarely see now in suburbia – rheumatic heart disease, iron deficiency anaemia, skin and parasitic infections,” Dianne said.
“My paediatric experience in ENT conditions, infectious diseases, and nutrition – all gained at the RCH – was really helpful in those primary health care settings,” she added.
Dianne’s link to the RCH came full circle in 1991, when she started a new role as a Maternal Child Health Nurse at Knox City Council. One of her new colleagues had also been a trainee nurse at the RCH and she invited Dianne along to an event held by the League of Former Trainees (LOFT) Auxiliary.
Dianne went along and joined the LOFT Auxiliary committee soon after. She is proud to have been a LOFTie for the past 33 years, including roles on the General Committee, as well as Vice President from 2010 until 2012 and President from 2014 until 2024.
“I’m so proud of the community we’ve built with LOFT, everyone supports one another and we’re all friends who fundraise and have fun along the way,” said Dianne.
“I’m also very proud that we’ve been able to support today’s RCH nurses through the Elizabeth Fearon Scholarship, our annual nursing development program, since 2008,” she added.
Dianne Paul and Lauren Jorgensen, the 2019 Elizabeth Fearon Scholarship recipient
Dianne has also recently decided to leave a Gift in her Will to the RCH Foundation, which means her dedication to helping sick children at the RCH will be remembered for generations.
“I feel a deep connection to the work of the RCH. As a former trainee, working at the RCH shaped a lot of my sense of who I am,” Dianne shared.
“Nursing and medicine have come so far, and I really believe that I was lucky to be there at the beginning of humane nursing, a time when the concept of patient first was becoming a reality thanks to technology. But to keep seeing improvements in paediatric care, the hospital needs funds,” she added.
Dianne’s Gift will provide vital financial support for a range of areas in the hospital, such as brain cancer and nursing clinical research.
“Our 15-year-old nephew succumbed to a glioma (brain tumour), a tragic and painful loss, and I’m especially passionate about supporting nursing clinical research to help bring about optimal care for every child and their family who needs the RCH,” she said.
Dianne also has a simple message for anyone considering leaving a Gift to the RCH.
“I give what I can so that children can suffer less, survive more and parents still have their family intact. Mine is not a huge Gift, but if each person gives something, the total will be useful,” she said.