June 20, 2025
Meet Colin Bourke, a Senior Social Worker, marriage celebrant, marathon runner, and mentor to many. After 20 years of dedicated service, he is preparing to retire at the end of June.
Q: First, let’s start with your coffee order?
I much prefer an orange, tomato and carrots smoothie.
Q: Tell us about your journey at Northern Health?
It started in 2005 when I was 54; I’d been working with The Richmond Fellowship of Victoria at their Brunswick Psychosocial Resident Rehabilitation facility in Victoria Street for about three years. I crossed from this non-profit to Northwest Area Mental Health Service (NWAMH), working at Broadmeadows Inpatient Unit (BIPU), taking over from John Belanti.
Some real game changers over the years has been the advent of NDIS community supports for consumers; and being able to fund the discharge of those on the ward who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
Q: Some highlights of your time at Northern Health? Any anecdotes to share?
A highlight is having met and worked with so many young Social Workers in the Entry Level Program; every year for the last 16 years there has been a new Social Worker arrive and apply themselves to working on the ward; it has been a privilege to assist them in their development; their energy, ideas and enthusiasm has been renewing.
Another highlight is being in a position to make a difference to people’s lives.
In one particular case, a person arrived on the ward who had been sleeping rough, had no home, no income, no ID, no bank a/c, no family, no friends, surviving because of the Salvo’s in Bourke St CBD; and to make a long story short, he left the ward with his fortunes reversed; with his wellbeing and hope restored, and with his family reaching out to him; it was a massive team effort, and deeply satisfying; a privilege to have helped facilitate a new beginning, and enable this person to become again a functioning member of society again.
Q: The best part of your job?
Coming to work each day is a privilege because you often have the opportunity to work with people who are (mostly) willing to open up and share with you their story, their vulnerability; its humbling, but important to see the person we are engaged with, i.e. they are not a “case” to be managed. To treat them with the respect they deserve, to affirm their dignity, safeguard their pride, and to make it the motivation with which to act, to respond.
Despite the speed with which things happen on the ward we do earnestly seek to connect with the person they are and work hard to achieve the best outcome for each one; we do the best we can with what we have.
The best part of the job is being part of the Social Work Team at BIPU; what a unique set of individuals! We have each other’s backs, we support each other, confer with each other, especially when one of us is dealing with issues that are challenging and complex; and we know the need to get together, relax, have fun and let our hair down (if you have any!).
The other members of the Multi Disciplinary Team are fantastic as well; I have had the privilege to work with outstanding nurses, Occupational Therapists’, doctors as well as Peer Support Workers and Carer Support Workers. All of them have enriched my life in some way; it been a pleasure to work with such professionals.
Q: Tell us one thing not many people know about you?
I am a civil marriage celebrant; I have performed hundreds of weddings, and and for that matter funerals; I have been the marriage celebrant for different members of staff I got to know at BIPU over the years; that in itself is a privilege.
I enjoy being involved in helping to celebrate such joyful and beautiful occasions. Celebrating weddings serves as a real contrast to the work I do on the ward.
Another thing that not many people know is I’ll be hoping to complete my 12th Melbourne Marathon in October!
Q: Anyone, you would like to give a shout out to?
I like to mention the cleaners at BIPU; again, there are so many that have come and gone, but each one has left an impression on me for their dedicated service, their cheerfulness, and sense of fun; it can be a tough thankless gig, and we often take them for granted, but without them BIPU would grind to a stop.
As an aside, at a staff function one night a cleaner showed us a side of her we did not suspect – she was a belly dancer and the entertainment for the night!
Q: If you had to give one piece of advice to your juniors, what would it be?
Believe in yourself; even when you mess things up, believe in yourself; know you have the skills and ability, that people believe in you; and believe the good things that people say about you – it’s true!
Featured image shows Colin at the edge of the world — in Finisterre, Spain. Colin says, ‘After walking two Caminos de Santiago (also known as the Way of St. James, which leads to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain), I journeyed the final 90 km beyond Santiago to where the land meets the Atlantic.’”
