Monday 24 March 2025Health news3 minutes to read
Over the last 50 years, Enrolled Nurse Glenys Breeze has had an incredible impact on the lives of many West Coast residents.
“I wanted to be a nurse since I was a little girl, so when I turned 16 years old, I started working as a Nurse Aid in Hokitika’s old Westland Hospital before going on to train as a nurse in Greymouth in the late 1970s. It was around this time that my Mum got cancer, so I nursed her at home,” Glenys says.
After completing her training, Glenys had a baby and then moved away from the Coast to live and work in Christchurch and, for a short time, in Australia. She moved back home to the West Coast in the 1990s where she worked as an Enrolled Nurse at Hokitika’s Seaview Hospital. In 2007, Kahurangi Dementia Unit opened in Greymouth and like many Seaview staff, Glenys started working there.
“I enjoyed working in Kahurangi and while there were challenges when we moved from Seaview, especially in terms of a change in environment and structure, it was the people I looked after and worked with that made my work valuable.”
Glenys was a Public Service Union Delegate for 10 years.
“I took this role seriously as I wanted to be there for my colleagues to help them through tough situations when these arose.”
Her favourite part of working in aged care was forming relationships with elderly people as they have stories to tell which are often lost.
“It’s important that people know that someone cares about them, especially if they are living in a residential care facility. Over the years, I have made some great friends and had plenty of laughs.
“I remember one morning, getting dressed in the dark so I wouldn’t wake my husband. I worked all morning and then in the afternoon I was helping an elderly lady get out of bed when she asked me if I always dressed like that. She was the first person to notice that I had on one red and one black shoe – same style of shoes just different colours.”
Glenys is looking forward to retirement and spending more time with her family.
“I have five grandchildren with another on the way who will keep me busy until my husband Paul and I are ready to tour around New Zealand in our caravan.”
ENDS
Photo: (L to R) Glenys Breeze celebrating a lifetime of nursing with PSA Organiser Paul Kearns.
Media contact: hnzmedia@tewhatuora.govt.nz
Page last updated: 24 March 2025
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