READ MORE: Shining humanitarian recognised
READ MORE: Pride of nation
While her diverse nursing career afforded her many opportunities to connect with people, she was equally generous with her time and skills in her many volunteer roles.
Ms Feast volunteered as a regional nursing officer with the St John Ambulance service for 47 years – which included a stint as the divisional superintendent – and she is a current member of the Mount Gambier Road Safety Group, vice president of Friends of the Mount Gambier Library and a member of Anglican Community Care.
“I feel it is a privilege and a pleasure to be a volunteer,” Ms Feast told The Border Watch.
“I think I was given certain skills and it is my Christian and community responsibility to support the community.
“I would like to encourage more people to volunteer – it’s enjoyable, you learn from people and you are able to pass your own knowledge on to others.
“Our community has become quite insular and volunteering broadens our knowledge of our communities and that human connection is so important.”
Ms Feast started her nursing training in 1960, before nursing was considered “worthy” of inclusion in the tertiary system.
“I had a fabulous career and I was very lucky, nursing allowed me to do a lot of things and diversify,” she said.
“I went through the hospital system before I later completed my certifications.
“Nurses were the last group of health professionals to go into the tertiary system – it wasn’t until 1971 that nursing was introduced at university.”
She said a two-month placement in Papa New Guinea was a steep learning curve, but one she remembered fondly.
“I was 24 and I thought I knew everything, I was there for two months relieving another nurse while she was on leave,” she explained.
“There were no doctors there – I was it – and it was eye-opening.
“I was very glad I had done the majority of my training at a country hospital because we didn’t rely on residents – you had to make a fairly accurate assessment yourself.”
While Ms Feast held a number of leadership roles during her career, including director of nursing at the Mount Gambier Hospital, she said her proudest achievement was establishing the Mount Gambier Community Health Service in 1974.
“The Whitlam Government made money available for non-acute care services,” she said.
“We were the first stand alone community health service to achieve a three-year accreditation in Australia.
“I was the director from 1974 to 1981 and again from 1991-1993 and that was the highlight of my nursing career.”
In the late ’90s, Ms Feast was instrumental in establishing the South East Drug and Alcohol Counselling Service, a career move she had never anticipated.
“If someone had said to me ‘you will finish your nursing career as a drug and alcohol counsellor’, I would have said ‘get a grip’,” she said.
“But for the last 15 years of my working life that’s exactly what I did.
“I believe alcohol is still the biggest issue in our society – it is the silent epidemic and causes so many underlying physical issues as well.
“The service has since closed – there is a gap in quite a few of our services here, which is unfortunate.”
Ms Feast, who has received several accolades over the years, said she was humbled to be named as an OAM recipient, which is one of the nation’s highest honours.
“Like everyone, I have faced tragedies in life, my husband died very unexpectedly 11 years ago,” she said.
“We were married for 24 years, which isn’t a long time when you imagine you will spend the rest of your lives together.
“But I have been fortunate to live a very full life and my faith, my family and my friends are the most important things in my life.”
