THE TO-DO list in Ballarat Health Services’ engineering department is always long and seemingly endless.
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A dedicated behind-the-scenes team works tirelessly to keep the Base Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Centre and outer BHS sites powered and running.
But they relish the challenge.
When BHS made its annual acknowledgment of long-serving staff this month, six were from the engineering department and they tallied a combined 140 years in maintenance, repairs and largely preventative measure work. And there were others in the department who had already logged similar milestones and were still building.
Engineering deputy manager Rob Nicholls, who just logged 30 years’ service, said the secret to their combined longevity in the department was the unpredictable nature of their job.
“We’re never doing the same thing day-to-day. When the phone rings you never know what problem you’re going to get,” Mr Nicholls said.
“When I started as a tech, I never thought I’d still be here after 30 years. Certainly at the time it was never my intention this was going to be a job for life.
“The place has grown that much. Technology has changed so much. When I started the hospital had two defibrillators but the amount of equipment there is now, and high-tech equipment.”
Made up mostly of plumbers, electricians, painters, carpenters, gardeners and biomedical technicians, together they form an all-round engineering team.
Behind every cupboard is a complex systems of pipes and electrical wiring to keep the hospital ticking. Department offices were in the basement. The team works very much behind the scenes to help the front of house operating smoothly.
Mr Nicholls said some incoming jobs may seem trivial while others, like powering the hospital, were massive but every job was important.
He said some the team had the privilege of working across the whole health service, and had built strong relationships across all departments.
In their own department, Mr Nicholls said they had essentially “grown up” together, watching each others lives and families continually unfold. This bond, Mr Nicholls said, also made it easier to keep coming back to work each day.
