Inverell Hospital midwife Sue Harper has taken out the NSW section of the JOHNSON'S® baby Midwife of the Year Award.

The Award is designed to recognise the constant and invaluable contributions
made by midwives to safe motherhood across the country. In its tenth year
running, more than 1000 nominations were placed for midwives across Australia.
The Award takes nominations from women who have received care from
midwives. Local woman Samone Bell nominated Sue for this year’s NSW Award,
which also has the support of the Australian College of Midwives.
Inverell Health Service Manager Kath Randall said Sue’s win was an outstanding
achievement.
“Sue is committed to ensuring that midwifery services and care are the best for
women and their families in the Inverell district, and she is very deserving of this
award,” Ms Randall said.
“This win also underlines the high level of care that women receive when coming
to Inverell Hospital for their birthing experience, so our whole midwifery team
should be proud,” Ms Randall said.
Sue has been a Registered Nurse since 1983. In 1999, she was accepted into
the Rural Midwifery Education Program offered by HNE Health in conjunction with
Charles Sturt University, and she has been a practising midwife ever since.
In 2007 Sue’s high-level clinical expertise and midwifery knowledge were further
recognised when she was granted the classification of Clinical Midwifery
Specialist.
Sue said she was extremely humbled by the award win.
“I have always wanted to be a midwife and I absolutely love every minute of it.
Supporting mothers, babies and the whole family unit during one of life’s most
special times is extremely rewarding,” she said.
“It’s not often that people are presented with an award for simply doing their job,
and in my case, it’s a job that I truly love doing so this award is an unexpected
bonus.
“The midwives at Inverell Hospital are a great bunch of people and they work
together extremely well as a team. Although I have received this award, it’s
actually a reflection on the team as a whole; they are all very deserving of
recognition for the wonderful work they do every day.”