Passionate and dedicated: Nurses and midwives competition winners revealed

Nurses and midwives make enormous contributions to our communities, regularly going above and beyond with their professionalism, comfort and care amid challenges that are often unique.

Each year we celebrate these unsung heroes as part of International Nurses Day and International Day of the Midwife celebrations.

This year, to mark International Nurses Day (May 12) and International Day of the Midwife (May 5) we conducted a competition to acknowledge the tireless dedication of nurses and midwives, many of whom are QSuper account holders.

We extended an invitation for people to nominate a remarkable nurse or midwife who deserved to win one of 16 $100 gift cards, plus morning tea for their respective teams, by describing them and their work in 50 words or less.

Nominations from all over Queensland

We received countless nominations from across Queensland, stretching from the Torres Strait to the Gold Coast, and out west to Mount Isa.

In fact, more than 60% of the nominations came from hospitals and health services based outside the metropolitan and south-east Queensland region.

And there were recurring themes through all of the nominations with nurses and midwives lauded for their passion, enthusiasm, tirelessness, dedication, innovation, and above all their caring and kindness.

Passion and compassion shine through

Davina Jacobsen nominated Rockhampton Hospital’s Breeana Bugeja for being “an exceptional midwife”.

“Her passion and enthusiasm for midwifery and woman-centred care shines through in everything she does. She goes above and beyond for her women and babies,” wrote Davina.

Of Meredeth Lovegrove, her Gladstone Hospital colleague Shannon Widderick wrote:

“Meredeth works tirelessly to support patients, nurses, and midwives in her roles as a midwife and midwifery educator.

Danielle Cahill, who backfilled as unit manager of the Mareeba maternity ward last year, was described as being “endlessly innovative, tirelessly supportive and incredibly compassionate”.

Stephen Smith, who works at Bundaberg Hospital, was acknowledged for his work with cancer patients and helping them and their families navigate their way through treatment.

Dedicated to their communities as well

Many other nurses and midwives were also recognised not just for their expertise and compassion but for also going above and beyond in their communities.

Like Karin Neilson, from the Darnley Island Primary Health Care Centre in the Torres Straight, who even started a sewing club on the island, teaching the local men, women and children sewing skills.

The accolades were endless, and choosing the winners was an incredible challenge for our team, but we are delighted to announce the final list of winners for 2023.

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