EVERY year, hundreds of the region’s high school graduates flee the nest in search of further education.
A year or two later they often return home to complete their placements under mum and dads’ roof, alongside the comfort of home cooked meals and free groceries.
Swan Hill, Kerang and surrounding areas have welcomed this tradition for centuries.
“There is always a real connection to home,” said Swan Hill’s Greta Sheldrick.
Ms Sheldrick and Koondrook’s Laura Thomas completed a recent clinical placement at Swan Hill District Health where they were welcomed with open arms.
“The hospital was so supportive of us, and I think they loved that we were local too,” Ms Sheldrick said.
She and Ms Thomas grew up playing junior netball against each other, only to discover they were enrolled in the same course at Monash University Clayton in 2022.
The pair graduated their Bachelor of Nutrition Science last year and began their Masters in Dietetics side by side in March.
“On the first day of uni, I was so nervous. It was a huge room full of people I didn’t know,” Ms Sheldrick said.
“I had seen Laura’s name somewhere so I thought I might run into her but when I saw we were doing the same course I was so excited.
Ms Thomas echoed Ms Sheldrick’s sentiment.
“When I saw Greta’s face on the first day it was such a relief. Seeing a face I have known since I was young made it so much less daunting,” said Ms Thomas.
Ms Sheldrick said “Laura has been a great support and friend, and it has been so special to go through our course and now placement together”.
Local schools are also known to welcome back former students for their teaching placements alongside other occupations within allied health, council roles, finance and law firms as well as The Guardian’s current intern who may or may not be writing this piece.
Swan Hill District Health’s education staff Amie Turner said “locals come back for placement all the time, particularly nursing students”.
SHDH’s Jayne Stead also spoke highly of the local element to student placements.
“We really enjoy having locals come back because we can try to provide the opportunity for insight to how the organisation runs and what they may experience if they get employment at the hospital,” she said.
“It’s a good experience for us because we can try to provide a worthwhile placement with good learning in the hope they might want to come back and work with us too.”
Ms Sheldrick described how she enjoyed being back under their parent’s roof for a period.
“Being able to stay at home with my family, dinner cooked every night while being supported by the loveliest staff at the hospital was the perfect placement experience,” she said.
As students enjoy mum’s cooking and staff members try to bribe them to come back, other community members also benefit from the placements.
“In my experience, the patients also love seeing familiar, local faces around the facilities. It makes them feel more comfortable in their care,” said Ms Stead.
Swan Hill College principal De Rosewarne described what it is like seeing former students return to the college.
“It’s great to see how graduated students have grown as well as their investment in the school when they return,” Ms Rosewarne said.
The region continues to welcome the placement tradition, offering a positive experience for all involved.
As long as a single bag of groceries with the cheapest bottle of wine costs a uni student over $50, they will be coming home to live off their parents for as long as we possibly can.
In that spirit, thank you to our families and communities for welcoming us back with such positivity and encouragement.
