General News
5 June, 2025
Nurse of the Year, Amy
Local Transitional Nurse Practitioner (TNP) Amy Sutherland is the Western NSW Local Health District’s (WNSWLHD) Aboriginal Nurse/Midwife of the Year for 2025.
The 38-year-old nursing professional was shocked and humbled to receive the award, which was announced as part of the health district’s 2025 Nursing and Midwifery Awards on Tuesday, May 20, in Orange.
The prestigious award is fitting recognition for the Gilgandra Health Service employee who is a year into her training as a TNP - and is the first Aboriginal TNP in Western NSW.
When she eventually qualifies after another three years of study and training, Amy will be a very highly regarded and much in demand NP locally.
“We desperately need a nurse practitioner in our community,” Amy explained, describing the process to attain the highest possible level of nursing practice as “a grueling process.”
With many rural and regional communities finding it hard to attract doctors for general practice, the existence of NPs is crucial to the local healthcare system.
NSW Health describes NPs as “expert, highly qualified nurses who work autonomously at an advanced level of practice. [They] assess and diagnose patients, request and interpret tests, prescribe therapies and medications, and receive and make referrals to other health practitioners.” Amy described working with and being guided by senior staff like Luke Marks, WNSWLHD Senior Nursing Advisor, Quality Clinical Safety and Nursing Directorate, in the district TNP program as critical to her development.
“I’m really excited to work with him in the years to come, because we’ve got some really good ideas about how we’re going to make healthcare better for Aboriginal people in the western region,” she said.
Nurse Unit Manager at Gilgandra Health Service, John Alchin, also thought her award would help encourage more young Aboriginal people to pursue healthcare careers, she added.
“He said, ‘this is such a good opportunity for you to spread the message, because we need more young Indigenous people wanting to be nurses in our community.’ And he’s not wrong,” she said.
Reconnecting with Culture
Amy, a proud Wiradjuri woman, told The Gilgandra Weekly that reconnecting with her Culture and heritage as an adult, after growing up largely disconnected from it, had been an incredible part of her journey personally and professionally.
“I didn’t actually grow up very strongly connected to my Culture,” she explained.
“That was just because my family chose when they were raising me to try and protect me from challenges like racism and all the challenges they were facing,” she added.
“I’ve worked really hard to, I guess, to learn, to be involved in community and to represent my Culture and my practice.
She paid tribute to her very proud parents, Tony and Veronica, for instilling in her their values and resilience.
“It feels like yesterday that things were a lot different to what they are now [in society],” Amy added.
“Like, I know people say we’ve still got a long way to go, and we do, but man, we’ve come a long way since I was a kid,” she said.
“I’m still learning, but that’s why the recognition means so much. Because it’s not just about the work that I’m doing as a nurse. I think it’s also about that journey, what it means for me and what it means for my Culture,” Amy said.
Congratulations from near and far
Amy, who is currently on parental leave following the birth of her son three months ago, has been overwhelmed by the supportive and congratulatory messages from current and past work colleagues locally and beyond.
Her Gilgandra colleagues have been very excited about the win and rushed to offer congratulations, and others have reached out from afar. “I’ve even had past colleagues from other hospitals, like Coonamble, that I worked with years ago, reach out and just say ‘this is fantastic’. So, I was a little bit blown away,” she admitted.
Congratulations have also come closer to home, from her parents, husband, family and friends.
The mum of two wanted readers to know, in particular, that she “could not have done all this without her loving and supportive husband, Jason Ferguson,” a local farmer.
Reflecting on her work
When asked to reflect on what was the best thing about her role and working in her local community, Amy had some poignant things to say.
“I think about this one, and it’s funny, because I often say to people that working in your own community, it’s conflicting because it’s the most beautiful job that you’ll ever do, but it’s also the most tragic,” she said.
“In saying that, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I absolutely love that I get to work with the people that I know and I live with in the same community, like friends, family, neighbours, colleagues. Being able to look after your community, it’s the biggest privilege I think you can have.
“The sigh of relief that they have when they first walk in the door and they know that it’s me that’s going to be nursing them, because it’s a familiar face … I think that’s very comforting for a lot of people,” she said.
“But it is also sometimes the most heartbreaking and tragic time, because you are seeing these people that you know and you love and you respect going through some of the hardest times of their lives,” she added.
“That gives me some tough days, I’m not gonna lie.
“But at the same time, there’s something really special about that, about these people that you know and you live in a community with and being able to support them,” Amy concluded.
