Nancy Panter named Life Governor

Long serving East Grampians Health Service former Board Director and Chair Nancy Panter was named a Life Governor at the health service’s 30^th Annual General Meeting.

A Life Governor is the most prestigious recognition of commitment and dedication to the health service and is the highest honour bestowed by East Grampians Health Service.

Ms Panter was appointed to the Board in 2014 and became chair in 2018, until stepping down in 2022.

She completed her term on the Board in June 2023 in accordance with Department of Health rules that Board directors can only serve for nine years.

Ms Panter led the board with passion and was focused on improving the career opportunities East Grampians Health Service could offer local community members, particularly women.

She also had a keen focus on Board Continuous Improvement and the Governance Committee was established during her first two years as Chair.

The Community Health Centre was funded and completed in Ms Panter’s term as well as the second theatre, and the solar undercover carpark.

On receiving her award, Ms Panter thanked the health service and Board for the honour.

In 2014 Ms Panter left a corporate career in San Francisco to start at family at Eversley.

Her mother in law suggested that she apply for the Board Director position advertised in the local paper.

“At that time Louse Staley was president, she met me for coffee and talked to me about how wonderful an opportunity it was to serve the community and to use the knowledge and expertise you have over your career to give back to the community in which you live,” Ms Panter said.

“So, within six months of moving here I was serving on the Board of EGHS.

“I learnt so much, I knew it was an opportunity to use my skillset to help the board and help EGHS, but I also knew it was an opportunity to learn, and like so many others here tonight receiving scholarships and undertaking learning and then giving back to the hospital and to our community, that is what I did.”

Ms Panter said her time on the Board was wonderful but also at times challenging.

“We certainly were able to do many amazing things, including the undercover carpark which came about after we had our first child at EGHS and we wondered why there was nowhere for us to park when we had our infant, it was wonderful we were able to find an opportunity and get that sponsored for us to have solar power,” she said.

“From little ideas big things can certainly grow.”

Ms Panter offered encouragement to East Grampians Health Service staff to take their skills, which they obtain through EGHS and throughout their careers, and find other ways to utilise those skills.

“We’re a really special community in Ararat and I am so proud to live here and I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to be on the board for nine years and hopefully, made the place a little better,” she said.

“It’s a community and everybody works together in this organisation and it’s important to continue that and challenge ideas.

“There is a fabulous culture in this organisation to listen and be listened to and I think that’s something to be really proud of.”