Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Palmerston GP Super Clinic CEO Robyn Cahill reflects on her work driving smoking legislation and bolstering palliative care services after receiving an OAM

Transcript

Palmerston GP Super Clinic CEO Robyn Cahill reflects on her work driving smoking legislation and bolstering palliative care services after receiving an OAM · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: You will recognize our next guest, the wonderful Robin Carl.
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: We've spoken to her on numerous occasions. She is the
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: CEO of the Palmerston GP Superclinic, but she's been recognized
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: for her extensive background in both the public and private
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: health sectors and she joins me on the line right now.
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  Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Robin, and congratulations.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, and thank you very much.
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: How are you feeling after learning that you had been
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: recognized as part of the kings birthday on his list.
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: It's been quite overwhelming. I've just been inundated with people
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: contacting me and congratulating me and thanking me, which has
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: just been such a lovely thing to happen. But it's
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: very surreal. It's been a really unusual experience.
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  Speaker 1: And Robin, I know that a lot of people listening
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  Speaker 1: this morning will know you in your current role as
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: the chief executive Officer of the Palmerston GP Superclinic, but
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  Speaker 1: you have done a lot in the Northern Territory over
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  Speaker 1: recent years, well over a number of years, including in
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: roles with the Australian Medical Association of the Northern Territory.
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  Speaker 1: It has been an extensive volume of work.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. I guess when you're doing things and you get
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  Speaker 2: up every day and you do what you feel that
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  Speaker 2: you need to, you don't really pay much attention to
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: how that accumulates. And so one of the things that's
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  Speaker 2: been interesting for me, I guess over the last couple
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: of weeks after I received advice that I had received
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  Speaker 2: this honor was I took a moment to actually have
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  Speaker 2: a look back and think why would somebody nominate me?
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  Speaker 2: And I guess there was lots of things that I've
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  Speaker 2: done in the past that I had kind of forgotten
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: that I've been involved with. So it was really lovely
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  Speaker 2: to sort of think that someone had taken the time
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  Speaker 2: to look at what I've done in the past and
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  Speaker 2: felt that that was worthy of being recognized. And you're right,
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  Speaker 2: I've been involved with the CANS Counsel, I've been with
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  Speaker 2: the Pallid Care Association, Government House Foundation, Kids Funday, all
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  Speaker 2: sorts of things, And it was a really very joyous
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  Speaker 2: walk down memory lane when I have the opportunity in
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  Speaker 2: the thought to do that.
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  Speaker 1: And you know, I think so often that people don't
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  Speaker 1: realize as well how much work A lot of incredible
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  Speaker 1: territorians like yourself. Do that sort of goes unnoticed. You're
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  Speaker 1: not doing it for that recognition. You're doing it because
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  Speaker 1: you're just a genuine member of the community who wants
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  Speaker 1: to help others. Oh.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely. I think one of the things that I've has
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  Speaker 2: always been a passion for me is when people have
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  Speaker 2: come to me and asked for my help with something
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  Speaker 2: because they felt that the work that I am doing
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  Speaker 2: as a paid job, for example, can assist them to
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: achieve what they want to achieve in a volunteer capacity.
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  Speaker 2: I've always felt, well, I know that's fair enough. I
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  Speaker 2: think I can help out, and I lend my expertise
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  Speaker 2: where I can, for example, Home and I work on
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  Speaker 2: the chair of Total Recreation, which is just one of
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  Speaker 2: the most fabulous organizations I think I've ever been involved with,
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  Speaker 2: because it's all about making sure that people who have
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  Speaker 2: a disability enjoy the things that you and I take
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  Speaker 2: for granted, like playing a sport or going on holidays.
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  Speaker 2: And when people who are involved in those organizations come
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  Speaker 2: and say, look, we need a hand to do whatever
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  Speaker 2: it is, and we think you can help. How can
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  Speaker 2: you say no, jumping you do.
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  Speaker 1: And that's what's so wonderful and that is what makes
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  Speaker 1: the Northern Territory such a wonderful place. Robin, looking at
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  Speaker 1: your career, looking at you know, at all the great
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  Speaker 1: things you've done as well, you know in that volunteering
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  Speaker 1: capacity to is there any highlights, any real highlights for you.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, I think probably one of the personal highlights WILLD
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  Speaker 2: two one. The first one was probably the work that
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  Speaker 2: I did with someone that people may reques hall as
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: a previous health Minister in the Northern Territory, Chris Burn.
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: We set up the Tobacco Control Coalition in the Northern
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  Speaker 2: Territory and laid the groundwork for smoking legislation to be
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  Speaker 2: introduced to protect people health in public places. So that
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  Speaker 2: was a very long slog, but very rewarding. And I
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  Speaker 2: think the other thing was where we were able to
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  Speaker 2: work with the Palliative Care Association and actually achieve the
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  Speaker 2: delivery of really really important services into the Northern Territory,
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  Speaker 2: which up until the Youth and Asia debate hasn't been
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  Speaker 2: really looked at as something that was needed in the
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  Speaker 2: Northern Territory. So every day when I used to go
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  Speaker 2: to work at the private hospital and see the work
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  Speaker 2: that was being done with the palliative care and the
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  Speaker 2: hospice on the campus. That well done in the hospital
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  Speaker 2: was kind of it was like a little nice oh
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  Speaker 2: that was we did that which made that happen. So
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  Speaker 2: I think they were too, really great highlights of the
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  Speaker 2: work that I've done.
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  Speaker 1: And it's interesting, is you know, when you talk about
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  Speaker 1: about something like palliative care, I think, unless you've seen
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  Speaker 1: a love to honor, unless you know somebody that's gone
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  Speaker 1: through palliative care, it is such an incredibly important thing.
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  Speaker 1: And you know, to have that change in the territory
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  Speaker 1: to help all territories that have to go through pallative care,
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  Speaker 1: I think it is such you know, it's unbelievably important
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  Speaker 1: and fundamental work.
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  Speaker 2: Oh absolutely. And I remember when the people who were
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  Speaker 2: putting together the Anti Hospital Pallative Care Association came and
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  Speaker 2: asked if I would be interested in getting involved. They
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  Speaker 2: were such a passionate group of people and still are,
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  Speaker 2: and some of them had been significantly impacted by the
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: loss of a loved one in very difficult circumstances Vicius.
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  Speaker 2: As you know, prior to having those services, people used
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  Speaker 2: to have to go into states for lots and lots
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  Speaker 2: of that care and so it was a very, very
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  Speaker 2: disruptive situation for people not being able to have the
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  Speaker 2: people around them at the time they needed them most.
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  Speaker 2: So having those services in the territory was so so
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  Speaker 2: important and it took a while, but we did eventually
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  Speaker 2: get there and it's a fabulous service and we all
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  Speaker 2: hope that we don't need to use it, but it's
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  Speaker 2: very reassuring to know that it's there if we do.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, that's exactly right. Well, Robin carl O, A m
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  Speaker 1: lovely to speak to you this morning. A big congratulations
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  Speaker 1: to you for that recognition on all the incredible hard
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  Speaker 1: work that you've done over the years.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you so much, Katie. And you can't do it
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  Speaker 2: on your own, so thank you to all those people
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  Speaker 2: that I've had the privilege of working with over these
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  Speaker 2: years who've helped me gain this honor. I guess you can't.
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  Speaker 2: You're not an island and you really do have to
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  Speaker 2: work with people to make things happen, and there's some
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  Speaker 2: great territories out there, so i'd actually encourage people, if
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  Speaker 2: you do know someone who you think is worthy of recognition,
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  Speaker 2: go ahead nominate them. It's a long process, but it's
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  Speaker 2: a lately work it in the end and for those
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: people that you help achieve recognition for, they will be
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  Speaker 2: very very appreciative and grateful that you've taken the time
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  Speaker 2: to do that.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, you spot on, Robin Carl, lovely to speak to you.
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  Speaker 1: Thanks so much for your time today.
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: Thanks Katie, thank you.