Hi team,

THANK YOU SO MUCH for your ongoing messages of gratitude, concern and support since Monday! If you haven’t yet seen Jackie’s (our Acting Chief Executive) message, unfortunately my contract is unable to be extended and next Friday will be my last official day as a full time contracted employee at Metro North. 

If you know my personal values of gratitude, connection and helpfulness then the rest of this message reflects those values. 

For the thousands of you I have had the honour to meet and serve in person, thank you for opening up your hearts and minds to the possibility that our culture and wellbeing can and has improved, even in these radically unprecedented times.   

For those of you that have responded via email, vidcast and phone to my regular messages, thank you for your gratitude, encouragement, conjecture and support! 

To the teams, both clinical and non-clinical, who I have served at Executive, Facilities, Directorates and Board level and to the enabling functions of HR, Finance, Comms, Procurement… thank you. 

Most especially to my team and every individual in those teams at Workforce, Culture and Engagement, Organisational Development and our online Talent Management Team… THANK YOU SO MUCH! You have pivoted, challenged, explored, experimented, planned, focussed, flexed and executed great plans that will continue to have a significant positive impact on the culture, capacity, and wellbeing of everyone at Metro North. I know in my heart that each of you truly want this to be a great place to work and it’s been an honour to serve you as leader these last 12 months. You’re in great hands with Mark taking over at the helm!  

Change is everywhere. The past 12 months have seen enormous changes both in our professional and personal lives. In serving you these last 12 months almost every presentation talked about change and how we keep ourselves healthy and sane in these rapidly changing times and I’ve been personally testing my own teachings this last week! 😊 

My office is in Block 7 which in 1984 was also paradoxically the hospital that my Mum spent way too much time before she lost her two year battle with breast cancer. Hilda was the nurse that cared for her over those two years and then cared for me in her passing. She taught me that it was not the ending of my life but rather the ending of my life with my Mum and the beginning of my life without my Mum. That one teaching has helped me cope with change to this day. She also taught me that everything good in life will be a result of change, yet not all change is good. It’s a paradox that there will be good and bad in every change. We love our air-conditioned homes but what about the paradox about the carbon impact on our planet? 

Change is everywhere. How you respond is what matters. How do you cope well with change? Maybe you’re a change superstar and don’t sweat the small stuff. Change is going to happen throughout our lives and how well we cope will depend on what else is happening and how full our resilience reservoirs are.  

If you’re not coping with change at the moment, reach out for support: 

• contact the Staff Psychology service at MNStaffPsychology@health.qld.gov.au or 3647 9673,  
• search QHEPS for a Peer Responder near you,  
• contact our employee assistance service on 1300 360 364 
• or talk to a friend or colleague.  

In closing, one of my favourite quotes is from Hellen Keller. She said: 

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure.” 

Wishing you a daring adventure in the weeks ahead!  

Kindest regards,

Bruce