Founding staff of local hospice honoured

The Alexandra Hospice and Rehabilitation Centre has honoured five of its members who have been with the organisation since it was founded back in 2001.

Hospice founder Grace Marutlulle is a retired professional nurse who, 19 years ago had a burning ambition to establish a hospice to look after the frail and sick in the iconic township. She said she wanted to honour the people who stood by her through thick and thin.

“I would be failing my humanity if I don’t honour and say thank you to some of the people that stood by my side when the days were dark during the founding of this hospice,” she said.

“It was a tough time and, in those dark days, few people can stand by you and persevere through the enormous hardships when they don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Marutlulle added, “I want to count my blessings and say I am honoured to have had these five people stand by me through thick and thin and through the darkest days of this hospice. This celebration is my humble way of saying thank you to them.”

Marutlulle also expressed her gratitude to the founding staff members who have since passed away. “If it was not for them, I would not have been where I am today in the service of our people.”

At the party, staff members shared some of their fondest memories with the audience, including their bold heroic stunt of defiance when they chased away board members who had arrived at the centre some years back to oust Marutlulle in a brazen coup d’état.