Almost 200 delegates representing one of the oldest and most appreciated volunteer groups in Australia, the United Hospital Auxiliaries of NSW and Pink Ladies, have converged on Port Macquarie for their 86th Annual State Conference.
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Port Macquarie Base Hospital's Pink Ladies, an Auxiliary of UHA, are hosting the conference after winning the bid to show off their town back in 2018.
Mid North Coast Local Health District Chief Executive Stewart Dowrick opened the conference at Sails by Rydges with a warm welcome to the delegates who have travelled from throughout New South Wales.
"Our hospitals and community health centres owe the UHA and Pink Ladies a debt of gratitude that cannot be repaid," Mr Dowrick said.
"On behalf of every Health District in the state, I thank you for your commitment, your hard work and your amazing ability to share a smile and kind words with our patients."
UHA State President Linda Swales also thanked the volunteers for their efforts which, in the past year, have delivered more than $5.1 million in medical equipment and patient comfort items to public hospitals and community health centres across the state. The state's 5285 UHA members also gave a remarkable 952,547 volunteer hours to their local health facilities.
"We have built trust within our communities because we go about our service to our hospitals, multi-purpose services, mental health units, rehabilitation units and health centres with 86 years' experience of sharing, caring and fundraising," Mrs Swales said.
Among the special guests at the conference are Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AO QC Governor of NSW, Director Population Health Strategic Programs from the Ministry of Health Meredith Claremont and Ministry of Health Policy Unit Manager Tim Duck.
Guest speakers include Mid North Coast Local Health District Consumer Partnerships Coordinator Nicholas Kosseris, Sue Stubbs of Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, and former police officer and author Sam Barlow.
Port Macquarie Pink Ladies President Gabby Gregory said she was hugely proud of her team for hosting the conference, and paid tribute to Greater Port Macquarie Tourism President Jeanette Hyde for helping the volunteers deliver the successful host bid.
There are nine UHA branches serving Mid North Coast Local Health District hospitals and community health centres - Coffs Harbour, Dorrigo, Bellingen, Bowra, Macksville, Nambucca, Kempsey, Wauchope, Port Macquarie and Camden Haven.
The volunteers have donated more than $300,000 in equipment over the past 12 months and given about 100,000 volunteer hours.
