Jodi Hamilton shows off her $20,000 prize for being named the 2024 RFDS Local Hero for Queensland for her advocacy for remote aged and palliative care. Photo: Supplied.
A Coen healthcare advocate working to support her community with end-of-life care has been named the 2024 Royal Flying Doctor Service (RDFS) Queensland Local Hero.
After being crowned the Cairns region winner in the prestigious award, Jodi Hamilton has now been voted the overall local hero for the state, fitting recognition for her work in enhancing palliative care services in the Cape York town.
Ms Hamilton competed against local heroes from eight other regions across the state, bringing home Cape York’s second RDFS Queensland Local Hero Award in as many years after Wolverton Station’s Emma Jackson claimed the prize in 2022.
“I’m very appreciative of everyone who took the time to vote,” Ms Hamilton said.
“I had a lot of support from the Cape York community and the Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service, so I’m very grateful to them.
“I think it’s amazing that Cape York has taken home the award twice in a row now, which says a lot about the role that RDFS plays for us and how essential it is.”
The health hero joined the Coen Clinic in 2011 as an administrative officer, providing critical support across administration, operations, and after-hour emergencies.
Most recently, she set out to enhance Coen’s palliative care capacity to ensure residents of the remote community could die with dignity at home.
Throughout the journey, Ms Hamilton said she had been deeply inspired by the work of her late mother, Barbara Shepard, who dedicated 50 years to caring for Coen’s community as a nurse.
“When you are connected to the community, you are doing your job for people you know and care about, which is so important,” she said.
“Receiving the 2024 RDFS Queensland Hero Award is humbling, and it acknowledges that we have carried on mum’s work, which is a wonderful feeling.”
As the state winner, Ms Hamilton received a $20,000 grant, sponsored by Ergon Energy Retail, for a health or wellbeing initiative in the region.
Ergon Energy Retail executive general manager Ayesha Razzaq said Ms Hamilton’s work was a “standout”.
“The finalists for this year’s Local Hero Awards were truly inspiring, but Jodi’s story was a standout,” she said.
“Her co-ordination efforts have been instrumental in ensuring that patients in Coen receive prompt and appropriate care, and I am so pleased that we will be able to help her achieve the goal of improving healthcare in the region.”
Ms Hamilton said the prizemoney would go towards end-of-life care training initiatives in the community, with the ultimate goal of leading the development of a local residential palliative care facility.
“There are so many questions that come with diagnosis, so [we’re] looking at bringing in service providers who can give people those answers and start addressing things like the grieving process before loved ones pass away,” she explained.
“We’re not just focused on the physical aspects of palliative care, but also the social, emotional, and spiritual aspects of dealing with it.
“The centre is obviously the big picture, so we will continue to push and use connections that the award gives us to promote the bigger vision, but in the meantime, we’ll keep it focused in community, and work with families who are looking to engage.”
Back at work in Coen following the awards ceremony, a humble Jodi Hamilton reflects on what it means to be named the Royal Flying Doctor Service Queensland Local Hero for 2024. Photo: Lyndon Keane.
