Lilier Lodge’s Margaret Dalmau ready to call time
Lilier Lodge accommodation manager Margaret Dalmau will retire at the end of 2024.
After nine years, Margaret Dalmau is saying farewell to Lilier Lodge.
However, it likely won’t be a final goodbye to the place which has gifted her a lifetime of memories.
Ms Dalmau has decided to retire from the role of accommodation manager at Lilier Lodge – a home away from home for cancer patients (and others) who travel long distances for treatment – in December after holding the position since 2016.
“It’s been an honor to be able to support all those people and make their journeys just that little bit easier while they’ve been staying with us,” she said.
“It’s just been a wonderful journey for me being here.
“I think now it’s time for me to move on.”
Lilier Lodge is more than just bricks and mortar to Ms Dalmau, and many of the guests, rather it’s a place where people can be supported, have fun and be recognised.
“People are more than what brings them to the lodge, they’re more than the illness,” she said.
“We try and basically lessen their stress while they’re here and normalise their lives a bit.”
The 65-year-old’s path to managing Lilier Lodge wasn’t exactly straightforward.
She has a social welfare background, previously working for the health services, but it was after travelling around Australia with her partner, which led to managing caravan parks, she developed the unique set of skills needed for the job.
“When this job was advertised I thought ‘that’s a really good mix of my skills’,” she said.
“Coming from the social welfare background and that empathy that you really need, and then the accommodation experience … and that business acumen … you need both.”
Ms Dalmau is proud of what her and her team have been able to achieve over the years, including the culture and premises.
“When I first came here there weren’t any activities, the guests just entertained themselves, you could say,” she said.
“Often they got together and had a meal together and stuff like that.
“We’ve instituted morning teas … every Tuesday, we have a different community group come each Wednesday night and host a dinner for all the guests, we have Tai Chi general exercise.”
The building is 20 years old now – which was celebrated in May – and has required quite a few improvements over the years.
“The veggie garden and the deck … and shade sails over the car park,” she said.
“You really have to sustain the building so you can sustain the service.”
Ms Dalmau has also overseen the implementation of a volunteer program, with people coming in to help look after the gardens, coordinate dinners, host morning teas, drive guests around, help in the office, or even just sit with the guests and talk.
“It all adds to the support that we can give to the guests,” she said.
Ms Dalmau praised the team at the lodge and said they could make a real difference to the guest’s stay.
“We’re always a shoulder to cry on too, or just someone to vent their frustrations about the medical system,” she said.
October 15 2024
dailyadvertiser.com.au
