Albany Community Hospice appoints new chair

Hannah Leslie has been announced as the new chair of Albany Community Hospice.

Outgoing chair Jane Mouritz will step down at the end of June after six years in the role, with Ms Leslie admitting she has “big shoes to fill”.

Ms Leslie has been an ACH board member for the past two years, after she returned to her hometown when she retired from her career as a lawyer.

She said her experiences with palliative care had shown her how important the hospice was to the Albany region.

“Because my mother had been lovingly cared for at that hospice when she died, I felt this was my opportunity to give back,” she said. “That experience gave me some familiarity with that environment, and particularly the local environment. Earlier in my life, I also assisted in caring for my then father-in-law who was at home being cared for by a community palliative team.

“That gave me some insight into how caring can happen in a community context. Both of those perspectives informed my understanding of the needs for a hospice in the community.”

Ms Leslie said her predecessor had been instrumental in the ACH’s growth and reputation.

“In the six years that Jane has been the chair we have seen the hospice transition from what was a really quite modest smaller organisation, into what is a cutting edge leading institution in the State’s palliative care environment. It has become an enviable institution in terms of its governance and staffing and professionalism,” she said.