Wagga registered nurses Wendy Jarick and Sharyn O'Kane are retiring after almost 100 combined years of service.
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Ms Jarick wheeled her final patient out of the Riverina Day Surgery operating theatre yesterday after a 45-year career.
"You just know when the time's come. There's lots of things to do with your life," she said.
Mrs O'Kane said leaving nursing after 48 years would be bittersweet. "I'm a little bit sad. Because it's been a huge part of our lives ... it is your life," she said.
Both grew up around Wagga and started nursing at the age of 17, with Mrs O'Kane starting at Wagga Base Hospital.
Ms Jarick moved from Mangoplah to Sydney to follow in her mother's footsteps and train to be a nurse.
"You can imagine how terrified I was," she said.
Mrs O'Kane said they were thrown in the deep end after six weeks of training school.
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Ms Jarick agreed, saying, "You just got in and you just did it".
They would both go on to become experienced theatre nurses and work at the base hospital for more than three decades before moving to the day surgery in recent years.
Ms Jarick and Mrs O'Kane are looking forward to a well-earned rest and will continue to volunteer in the community.
Catie McLeod
Catie is a reporter at The Daily Advertiser covering health and Wagga City Council. You can contact her on c.mcleod@dailyadvertiser.com.au or 0475 819 651.
Catie is a reporter at The Daily Advertiser covering health and Wagga City Council. You can contact her on c.mcleod@dailyadvertiser.com.au or 0475 819 651.
