Lentegeur Psychiatric Hospital held a long service awards ceremony for staff in the Lentegeur Hospital Nurses Lounge on Friday February 10.
A total of 66 members received awards for 10, 20, 30 and 40 years of service at the hospital. The nurses were from across Cape Town, including Mitchell’s Plain. The MC for the event was Waseem Hawa from the hospital.
Trevor Jacobs from Strandfontein received an award for 40 years of service; he said it is “unbelievable” and added that he still enjoys his job.
“It is amazing how time flew. I remember when I first started it was in 1976, when there were the riots during the apartheid era. It was difficult to travel to work as I had to take a train and a taxi. But I made it work,” he said.
Mr Jacobs said he is passionate about nursing, and doesn’t see himself working in any other industry. “I love taking care and looking after the health needs of people. There are difficult days, but the good ones outnumber it. I have enjoyed my 40 years in the health industry, it feels great to hit the 40 mark,” he said.
Venessa Dryers from Montclair received an award for 30 years of serice. She started working at Groote Schuur Hospital in 1985. Ms Dryers was then transferred in 1994 to Lentegeur Psychiatric Hospital. “Wow, 30 years, it doesn’t feel that long. I have enjoyed my years in the health industry and working at Lentegeur.
“As a nurse you have to be patient, have good communication skills, work well with a team and have the ability to solve a problem very quickly,” she said.