With a Little Help at Home, Maria’s Story Keeps Growing

Care Connect client Maria was born in Melbourne and raised, in part, in a tiny country town called Serpentine – a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it spot on the way to Swan Hill. There was one hotel, and her parents ran it. After two years pulling pints they moved on to Bendigo, where Maria finished school before heading back to Melbourne in 1960 to begin nursing training at St Vincent’s Hospital.

She graduated in ’63, met Barry (he was in the hospital’s engineering department and conveniently kept finding “problems” in the ward she worked on), and married soon after. Maria ended up working night duty at St Vincent’s for 35 years straight – yes, you read that right – because daycare wasn’t really available back then, and night shifts meant she could look after the kids during the day. She’s still a night owl. If she had her way she’d still be up till 2 or 3am.

They moved into their one and only home in the early days of their marriage and never left. Life had its bumps, of course. Barry had a stroke at 37, and while he recovered a lot, he can’t do everything he used to, but he still mows the back lawn and does the shopping. And Maria takes care of the rest, with a bit of help.

That’s the thing, you know – having support makes all the difference. These days Maria and Barry get help around the house: cleaning and gardening mostly. Describing their usual direct care worker as ‘lovely’, Maria said even when she’s away, her replacements are excellent. Maria laughs about how each has their own “style”: some start with the bathroom, others with vacuuming. “It doesn’t matter to me!” she said. For someone who spent decades caring for others, it’s nice to have the roles gently reversed. It’s the kind of help that allows Maria and Barry to stay in their home comfortably, surrounded by memories, their garden, and the odd grandchild popping in between uni classes and overseas adventures.

Outside of nursing, Maria has worn a few other hats. She wrote four children’s books (including one about a joey she raised when she was ten), and helped start a monthly craft market. She makes gemstone trees and sells them alongside a bunch of lovely makers — no two stalls are alike. That was important to Maria and her friends when they started the market. They wanted it to feel joyful and full of variety, not just rows of tea cosies (though there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a good tea cosy!).

Her family is spread across Australia and the globe – one son is working in overseas building an opera house, another runs an office moving business, and her daughter is a nurse like her. The grandchildren are just as diverse, including another generation of nurses.

She and Barry don’t entertain like they used to – they’re more likely to meet friends at a café than host a dinner – but they’re still out and about. Life is a little slower, but full. The grandkids visit, the garden grows, and there’s always a new story to share – especially if someone mentions camels in Petra or kangaroos in Serpentine.

A nurse, mother, writer, crafter, and grandmother – Maria’s story is proof that with a good sense of humour, a loving family, and the right support at home, life can keep blooming long after the night shift ends.

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