Port Macquarie Nursing Life :: A Day in the Life of Sue Creech

Sue Creech
Nurse Educator
Port Macquarie Base Hospital
Place of Origin: Barnesley, England

My husband Gary and I are both nurses and we came out to Australia in 1989 with our two children, in response to a nursing recruitment program. We thought we'd give it twelve months trial, but six months after arriving we  bought a house! We knew right away that living in  Australia was for us.

After working in the Sydney area for some years we came up to Port Macquarie for a  weekend and fell in love with the place. We went home, sold everything and moved here and we have no regrets.

I love living in Port Macquarie because it's so clean. The sea is so clean and clear, and everywhere you go the scenery is beautiful. This is really the best of nature by the beach.

All of the family love the fact that we often see dolphins sharing our beaches. We have a great climate for swimming unlike the cold water at the English beaches we left behind.

I grew up in the small village of Barnesley in South Yorkshire so moving onto a small acreage was like returning to my roots. We live out of town on twenty-seven acres where we grow all kinds of fruit, have horses, dogs and cats, and are working towards being self-sufficient.

My day starts with sunrise over the treetops accompanied by the sounds of Kookaburras laughing.   
After breakfast I go out and feed the dogs, cats, horses and the kangaroo who brings her Joeys up for a piece of bread each morning.

Gary and I enjoy the drive to work because the countryside is so lovely. We cross two beautiful rivers along the way, and the drive is very pleasant, as we don't have to contend 
with any peak hour rush. As you drive into Port Macquarie the light is clear and bright, because there is no smog.

I work as a Nurse Educator and Gary is the Nurse Unit Manager of the busy Emergency Department. We find the work stimulating and challenging, and the hospital is a small and friendly one making it easy to enjoy your work.

This is one of the happiest places I have ever worked. I think it's because we are country people. Teams work as a team, people support each other and they are really interested in you and always friendly, which is quite different from some of the larger hospitals.

At the end of the working day on the drive home, I enjoy the sunset over the mountains. At home I spend my time working on the farm, feeding the animals, riding my horses, and reading. I love the beaches, beautiful nature all around, the clean environment, the amazing organic fruit and vegetables and the great healthy food we grow and buy locally.

If you asked me about coming here, I would say 'Do it! You won’t look back’.