We all have these photos … throwback photos!

It’s described as ‘nostalgia-inducing pictures … from a different era of your life”.

Every Thursday we will throw a few photos of ‘way back when’ on our blog. Why on a Thursday? Because it’s just a day away from the weekend … and we love weekends!

You are welcome to join in or just enjoy the photos (#TB Thursday).

Fun at work (Photos were taken between 2007 – 2017)

It’s great to look back on a job you really liked. Make no mistake, my job has had its challenges (especially when you’re in customer service). But wonderful colleagues made the difficult days at one of the largest private hospitals in South Africa worthwhile.

Berto said we could skip a throwback at his work, because his days mostly involved meetings, while working through stacks of contracts. It’s a shame actually, because his office was literally at the foot of the beautiful Table Mountain.

But back to my work. There must be 100’s of photos from my eleven years at Mediclinic Panorama, but I have only selected a few. Most of these photos are from functions where Berto accompanied me and then there are also two with my colleagues who worked with me in the customer service office.

Apart from manning the customer service office, it was also our duty to organise functions … year end functions, staff functions of all sorts and charity events. Of course, that was the fun part of my job!

2007:

When I started working in 2007, the hospital had just turned 21 years old. To celebrate this milestone, we decided to hold a fancy year end function with the theme “A Moulin Rouge Night”. I remember that for months afterwards we were still trying to get rid of all the feathers in our office that we used for decorations.

All dressed up for a Moulin Rouge evening

2009:

While we have always had a function for nurses once a year (International Nurses Day is on 12 May and marks the contributions nurses make to society), we also held an Admin function for all the administrative staff in the hospital. In 2009 we held a breakfast in the staff restaurant and invited everyone to join in wearing their own handmade hats. Although we still had to be dressed in our uniforms, the hats were colourful and fun.

My colleague Tersia and I at a table decorated with hats (and us with our colourful hats)

2009:

At the end of 2009 it was time for another year end function. This time it was an informal celebration and the theme was “Wild-Wild West”. While some of my colleagues had clothes in their wardrobes that fit this theme perfectly, I had to rent a costume for the night. I turned into Pocahontas for the evening and Berto became my cowboy.

Pocahontas and her cowboy

“I’ve lived at last” (a famous Pocahontas quote)

2011:

In 2011, the hospital turned 25 years old and once again we were persuaded to big celebrations. It started with a doctor’s golf day, a doctor’s function and then another year end function for staff with all the glitz and glamour (a real red-carpet event)!

Fun at one of the watering holes at the golf day

Dressed in our finest clothes for the doctor’s function

Black and gold for the red-carpet year end function

2012:

When you work in a hospital, one of the character traits you must possess is definitely compassion. In 2012 we held a Compassion Award function where colleagues could nominate each other for this award. (I think the theme was something like “Purple is Compassion”, because all the decorations were in purple and we also had to be dressed in something purple). I was among the top 10 nominees and received a lovely gift pack at the function.

Compassionate in purple

2014:

The one charity event that most staff loved the most, was the “Knit and Leave” project. We left wool and knitting needles in containers on the tables of the staff restaurant and then the staff would knit a few rows during their tea times and lunches. To our delight, many patients and visitors also joined in the fun. After a few months, volunteers stitched all the knitted squares together to end up as a baby blanket. These blankets were then donated to some of the state hospitals in our area for their newborn babies. In 2014 we also made pillows from bandanas that were used by chemo and cancer patients.

Some of the finished baby blankets

Together with my fellow customer service colleagues, Tersia and Sion at the blankets and pillows

2014:

During the month of October, the hospital always participated in Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Hair loss is a common side effect of cancer treatment, so participants show support by donating a fee to shave or spray their hair. We invited the team from Shavathon to the hospital to set up their station in the lobby. Here, visitors and staff could have used the opportunity to support cancer patients.

My hair gets a purple/pink shade in support of cancer patients

2015:

In 2015, our informal year end function was in a quarry. Hillcrest Wine Estate was the perfect place to celebrate the end of another year. (You could probably guess that a wine farm would be part of this blog post, right)?

Another year end function

2017:

The Healing Hearts Support Group of the hospital was very close to my heart (excuse the pun). I was the coordinator of this group of very special people – all former patients of the hospital who had survived major heart procedures and were now living life to the fullest. We got together once a month where we gave different talks on health and motivation. After Berto and I completed our first Camino journey in Spain in 2017, we presented one of the evenings to tell them about this life-changing journey … and how healthy it is to walk!

Here we share our thoughts of the Camino at the Healing Hearts Support Group

Mediclinic Panorama:

Looking back at this throwback, I can understand why I am ready to retire! But honestly, these eleven years at Mediclinic Panorama have been amazing. I learned so much about my own abilities, made wonderful friends and am forever grateful for all the opportunities (as well as a very supportive husband).

Archive photo of Mediclinic Panorama, with the beautiful Table Mountain in the background