From Tweed Heads in the north to Albury in the south and from Sydney’s eastern suburbs to Broken Hill, thousands of nurses took to the streets on 1 September.

Nurses in the Riverina town of Coolamon, population 2000, made history on 1 September by staging the first-ever strike at Coolamon-Ganmain Hospital.

Half of the hospital’s 20 nurses went on strike, while a skeleton staff ensured essential coverage.

“There was 100 per cent support from all nurses for taking strike action,” said Eyvett Price, Coolamon Branch Secretary for the NSWNMA.

The hospital has 12 aged care beds, two acute beds and two ED beds – one unfunded.

At night, [the hospital] is staffed by an RN and an EN who attend to all patients and the ED.

Eyvett said staff and agency nurses routinely work overtime and double shifts and the NUM often has to work on the floor.

“We try hard to plug the gaps and run a proper facility but we haven’t been able to.

“We are all sick of it and we felt that going on strike was the only way the government would hear us.”

The nurses’ rally outside the hospital was the lead story on 7 News Riverina and featured in the The Daily Advertiser.

Joining nurses at the rally were the hospital doctor and community members who came with their own placards.

“Everyone in the community knows how busy we are. A lot of them have had to sit for hours in ED,” Eyvett said.

Coolamon-Ganmain Hospital will face even worse staff shortages when elderly nurses retire.

“Only six RNs, including agency nurses and casuals, are under the age of 50. Most of our permanent RNs are over the age of 65,” she said.

“One of our nurses is 77 and still working on the wards, and she plans to retire in January.”