H for History

Like fellow collegian Callum Henshaw (see H for History #8), Jeanette Lacey’s (Class of 1991) career path was profoundly affected by a school trip. Hers was to Central Australia: ‘I remember going on a Year 12 camp to Central Australia, and meeting the flying doctors, and thinking at that stage, a life as a nurse was for me.’

Jeanette was heavily involved in the dramatic arts and featured on and off stage in many productions in her time at Radford. Then in 1993, she decided she needed to have a back-up option to being a famous actress. She started post-school life as an Assistant in Nursing and has since moved through all the levels of Nursing to becoming a Nurse Practitioner – the highest level of clinical nursing – in ‘end of life care’. In her own words, ‘I can’t imagine ever doing anything else’. Given the intense challenge of working with the dying and their families, others might imagine, or probably prefer, less intense employment options, but Jeanette maintains, ‘The only reason I do my job is that it is an honour and an absolute privilege to be in that space’.

Like many collegians, Jeanette remembers Year 9 Camp fondly: ‘I loved Outward Bound, and in fact, I do remember at one stage thinking that I could have a career as an outward bound instructor.’ She goes on to explain, ‘It pushed me outside my boundaries and took me on adventures I didn’t think possible, as my family weren’t campers … Abseiling and caving were seriously and ridiculously outside of anything my family would consider doing’. That spirit of adventure has, in a myriad of ways, never left her.

She married her husband Lachlan after meeting him at university in Wagga Wagga in 1993 and they have three boys, two in secondary school and one in primary. ‘They all love the Newcastle beaches and are keen surfers.’ They are also a deeply important and loving anchor for her, given the taxing demands of her job: ‘I am very lucky because I have a very supportive husband and my kids are pretty independent.’

Jeanette jokes that she doesn’t remember going to class, although being pretty sure that she did. It seems that it is people and their kindnesses that have been more longstanding in her memory. She speaks warmly of the growing sense of community at Radford throughout her time there, particularly of teacher Maureen Kleeman ‘… who showed compassion and kindness always’, and who was perhaps the first of many who have inspired her towards a lifestyle of almost incessant caring. ‘In my working life surrounded by Doctors and Nurses, I am always inspired by those that go above and beyond, and recognise the importance of kindness, compassion and communication in the support of patients who are vulnerable and scared in our hospitals.’ Jeanette is certainly a collegian whose life experiences have markedly shown her what is important in this life. ‘As I say to my kids “put down your device and look up”.’ After 20 years of nursing she reflects, ‘I have been sent overseas for work multiple times, travelled, met the most inspiring and wonderful people and learnt so much about the human spirit, it has been a lovely journey’.

And what a journey it has been, from a student who remembers ‘playing in the mud piles as each new building was being built’ to being an end of life carer at John Hunter Hospital. Jeanette now finds herself undertaking

a role which includes that of counsellor, medical specialist and logistics co-ordinator, which at times includes speaking with grieving families about the organ donation process (a gift that can save or enhance the lives of 10 or more people) and offering information, reassurance and kindness. Through her job, her mind has remained extremely open to spirituality: ‘When I look after people, the people that they are, the souls that they are, the human beings that they’ve become, it all becomes so important at end of life. And I immensely admire the incredible strength given to people with a strong faith … I’m not a religious person, but I too find incredible strength in spirituality, in being present, in being part of a community and in being who I am in nurturing those around me. That’s how I think I do what I do.’

I ask Jeanette, after a personal and professional journey rich with so many profound experiences, what advice would she have for current students? ‘If I was talking to a bunch of your students now,’ she says, ‘I would tell them that the way forward in our society is to build compassionate communities that care for those that are surrounding us. Especially those who need to be supported in whatever journey they are on, whether it be the homeless, the lonely, the elderly, the sick, the people with disabilities … Our high school students need to lead the compassionate-community movement of the future.’ I think Jeanette would be proud of the inroads the college has made in service spheres since she left the college, as most weeks find our current students engaged in and leading compassionate work in our immediate and wider communities.

She goes on to remind them, ‘There’s a lot of pressure around marks and academia and all those things. No matter how much you hate school, it’s the easiest time ever … So don’t try to grow up and get out too quickly; enjoy the friendship, the good times, and the bad – in each one there is a lesson to be learnt’.

More stories about Jeanette:

https://open.abc.net.au/people/20477

https://www.theherald.com.au/story/1442379/nurse-helps-families-make-organ-donation-decisions/

https://www.theherald.com.au/story/4290725/i-just-called-to-say-i-love-you-goodbye/

http://www.hnehealth.nsw.gov.au/Documents/24pp%20Health%20Matters_Summer_V6_LR.pdf

http://palliativecare.org.au/honest-communication-paramount-for-patients-dying-expected-deaths-in-hospital