Friday 7 January 2022 marked the last day of employment for Mrs Christine Hosking with Karinya House, following her retirement as a Support Worker.  As Christine moves into retirement, we are marking her gift to Karinya House.  Christine was first employed as a Support Worker on 3 June 2008. What an outstanding period of service for women in our community, spanning these years.

The role of Support Worker is a vital one for Karinya services.  Our framework hinges on the commitment of women to take up the Support Worker role.  These are women who are willing to provide support services overnight and across the weekend.  This is a challenging role particularly as it is a one-person onsite role.  Certainly, there is the support of On-Call, however it remains important to recognise the significance of this onsite role.

In Christine’s words:

“Karinya House has been very good to me too, and I enjoyed my years working there.  I learnt a great deal from working at Karinya. Not only from other staff but also from the women. I would like to think that I am more compassionate and less judgmental now than when I first started.

I began when my youngest child was four turning five. His older siblings read him his bedtime stories on the nights I worked and wasn’t at home to do so myself. He has just finished year 12 and his mother is in bed long before he is!!

There are many highlights, but I feel that it was a very special job and one I was privileged to be employed to do.”

Christine’s words are a good reminder for us all. For those of us who know Christine as such a selfless, caring woman, her insight to that element of judgement that we all carry in one form or another, reminds us all of the importance of such an insight in each and every connection with another person that we have.

All of us here at Karinya House congratulate you Christine and thank her for her services to Karinya House.  We all wish you the very best in your retirement and we hope you enjoy time with family and friends amidst the challenges of the times.