Logan Hospital’s vibrant volunteers are proving that age is no barrier to service, with nearly 70 years between the youngest and most ‘seasoned’ volunteer.
Chris Dillon, a sprightly 88-year-old, has been thriving in his role as Building 2 concierge for the past twelve months, and proudly holds the title of Logan’s oldest volunteer.
The Scottish war veteran moved to Australia with his wife and children in the ‘60s and joined the Australian Airforce as a truck driver.
Chris said he was injured on assignment which left him spending too much time "sitting on his bum doing nothing".
“I needed to get out of the house, so I started volunteering and loved it,” he said.
After dedicating countless hours to the Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL), he heard about the hospital volunteer program through a friend at his retirement village - and as they say, the rest is history!
In Building 1, aspiring doctor Nikkia Goodall has also been enjoying the role of meeting and greeting visitors to the hospital.
The 19-year-old became the hospital’s youngest ‘vollie’ when she joined the team earlier this year.
Nikkia, who is currently halfway through a biomedicine undergraduate degree, said she wanted to give back to the healthcare system that had benefited her and her family.
“We spent a lot of time in and out of hospital when my younger sister was diagnosed and treated for cancer,” Nikkia said.
“I was inspired to study medicine after observing the oncologist during my sister’s treatment and will start my postgraduate in medicine when I finish my biomedicine degree.
“My aim is to be a doctor in the Emergency Department.”
Both Chis and Nikkia said the best thing about their volunteering roles was meeting lots of different people and encouraged anyone with spare time to consider joining the team.
As Logan Hospital continues to grow and evolve, volunteers like Chris and Nikkia remind us that no matter your age, you can still contribute in meaningful ways.