Behind every successful healthcare organisation are dedicated volunteers who see beyond bureaucracy to the heart of the community service.

Caryn Lyszcarz and Cathryn Patterson are two of those volunteers, who are now retiring from their roles as Heywood Rural Health Board Directors.

Caryn has served one term of three years since 2022, having been chair of the Asset Management & Planning committee as well as Board Director.

Before moving to Heywood, she was a scientist in Melbourne for several years and currently she is a lab tech at Portland Secondary College.

The choice to retire from the Board was so she could dedicate more time to her university studies.

She is working towards her Masters in Teaching so she can become a secondary science teacher.

Caryn said she first joined after some encouragement from Cathryn.

“Cathryn actually encouraged me to join the Board because she works with my husband. He gets the pleasure of working with her,” she said.

“I worked for the Red Cross before that, so I was used to working for a benevolent society, and I wanted to continue giving back to my community.

“The more confident I got, the more vocal I became.

“We have an extensive knowledge of health department acronyms now.

“I think for me, something that was really good, was when we made decisions as a Board, the best interest of the community was always central to everything we did.

“Regardless of pressure from the Department, we’d weigh it all up first and make sure that the community interests were at the heart of the decision.”

The Board ensures HRH not only collaborates within the organisation, but with fellow health services and the Aboriginal Corporations in trying to find the best outcomes for the community.

Cathryn has been a part of this process since 2016, serving three terms over nine years.

She is a registered paramedic who works as an ambulance community officer for Ambulance Victoria.

Board Directors are unable to do any more than nine years on a public health Board, which is why she has retired from her role.

Cathryn was part of the Clinical Governance committee for two years and then the Chair of the Consumer Advisory Committee, all while studying for her Bachelor of Paramedicine.

Because of her studies, she eventually stood down as chair of the Consumer Advisory Committee but still maintained her position as Director and continued on the Asset Management & Planning Committee.

Since completing her degree, she is now undertaking a graduate degree with Ambulance Victoria.

At the moment she is working on a Master of Counselling, which she thinks will combine well with her role as a Paramedic.

Cathryn said she originally joined the Board after being approached by a staff member who said she would be the perfect fit, given her clinical background.

“I think collectively over the years, the Board has become more enriched and progressive,” she said.

“We’ve had a lot of improvement in the infrastructure.

“I’m a very community-orientated person, so I want to see how we can improve the community and HRH is such a big asset.

“From a governance point of view, I just felt it was important to have a voice and I’m a fairly quiet person, but I’m a bit of a devil’s advocate.

“I didn’t realise the extent of running an organisation.  I really didn’t. It has really opened my eyes up, and I have a lot of respect.

“I think the Board has got a lot of good people on it… you’ve got some very strong-minded people, and then you’ve got some of those quite people who take it on board.”

Cathryn is eligible to reapply as a Board Director after two years off.

“We’ll just see what’s in the future,” she said.