Eager to serve

Alumna cited as faithful, lifelong caregiver

Yvonne Eager always wanted to become a nurse. To follow her calling, she had to leave home in the Solomon Islands, complete high school at Avondale while living with twin sister Veronica in the women’s residence, complete the secretarial course and then, at 18 years of age, enrol at the San. As a daughter of missionaries, Yvonne had by this time lived in 11 homes and studied at five schools. However, her cultural and campus experience brought a breadth of understanding that helped meet the demands of patient care.

Yvonne provided neonatal intensive care, general nursing care and geriatric care. She received a clinical award from Perth’s King Edward Memorial Hospital for excellence in midwifery. And, serving with husband Hedley in Pakistan, she contributed to training village workers at a seminary health centre and maternity nurses at Karachi Adventist Hospital. The couple’s move to Andrews University (Michigan, USA) enabled Yvonne to complete a postgraduate Certificate of Nursing Administration and to serve on the Administrative Committee of the Department of Nursing.

Thoroughness and kindness were characteristic of Yvonne’s career in nursing. “I wanted my patients to feel comfortable so I took care of all their immediate needs. A kindly manner in word and touch makes all the difference between loving appreciation and a matter-of-fact job completed.”

Her business training also provided opportunities to serve, notably in distance education at the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies in the Philippines. Yvonne enjoyed communicating with students and helping them use the resources of a media centre she established and managed as her final responsibility before retirement.

The Class of 1951 honours Yvonne Eager for her faithful, lifelong response to the “privilege” of providing Christian care.