Cheryl Roberts started working for Dr Mike Freelander around about the time he had launched his career as a paediatrician in Campbelltown in the mid-1980s.
It turned out to be such a good fit that it lasted almost 40 years.
However, all good things come to an end and in a few days Ms Roberts will say goodbye to working with Dr Freelander.
“I’m going to miss her a lot – I’ve had a successful career and I think my career wouldn’t have been as successful if I hadn’t employed Cheryl,’’ says Dr Freelander when the three of us sit in his Campbelltown electorate office to talk about the impending retirement of his long time medical practice manager.
Ms Roberts said that looking back on such a long career in the one place and the same boss she feels very glad about it
“I think I’ve had a very good life, and really enjoyed what I have done, working with Mike,’’ she says.
Dr Freelander wasn’t the first doctor she worked for, but she did immediately like the job and knew that it could be a long haul career.
“When I first went in working with the doctors I liked it; I liked talking to people, especially later when I was with Mike and pediatrics.
“I loved seeing mums coming in with babies and I don’t think I ever wanted to do anything else.’’
Ms Roberts said she found Dr Freelander to be a down to earth sort of fellow.
“He was very understanding of the underdog, and in Campbelltown that’s a lot of people,’’ she says.
“He was very generous; often he would buy nebulisers for parents of kids who could not afford them.
“He bought my daughter a feeding pump, more than $1000 worth and I have known him to pay a family’s rent because they have been evicted.
“He’s always been there to look after the community.’’
While Dr Freelander was busy doing all that, Cheryl Roberts had his back, and indeed saved his bacon with patients on more than one occasion over the past 36 years.
“I remember one where a lady had rung Cheryl from the Emergency Department of Campbelltown Hospital,’’ says Dr Freelander.
“She told Cheryl that she was waiting there with her daughter, who was very sick but she was made to wait in line and didn’t think they could wait that long – can I talk to Dr Freelander.
“I was really busy that day, we had a packed waiting room, and I got really annoyed with Cheryl, but she just said you have to take this call.
“I spoke to the woman and realised the child was very, very sick, so I immediately rang the paediatric registrar and got them to get the kid and start treatment immediately.
“That child had meningococcal disease, and I think she would have certainly died if Cheryl hadn’t put her mother through to me,’’ says Dr Freelander.
While she loved working in the medical practice of Dr Freelander, Ms Roberts says she hasn’t enjoyed it as much working for Dr Freelander MP, the federal member for Macarthur.
Dr Freelander was elected to the national parliament in 2016 and naturally had to curtail his paediatric work to concentrate on representing the people of Macarthur and the Labor Party.
Ms Roberts is refreshingly honest about why she is calling it a day and retiring.
“I don’t like being stuck in the office here, I find it quite boring compared to being up at the medical practice, I am not enjoying it,’’ she says.
“And I am not working with him as much because he spends a lot of time in Canberra, and he’s out and about a lot.’’
So, after a long and excellent career working for Dr Freelander retirement is around the corner for Cheryl Roberts, just one more week in fact.
“A lot of my friends are retiring, so we sort of plan on catching up, I want to help out with the grandkids and do some gardening. I just feel like it’s time; time for some me time,’’ she says.
It’s obvious talking to them that they have total respect for each other and that they will miss each other.
“I think she’s irreplacable,’’ says Dr Freelander.
“She’s like me, she treats people on their merits, prince or pauper.’’
And naturally the feeling’s mutual, so we will give the retirement girl the final word.
“Whenever anyone asked me where I worked or who I worked for, I always felt so proud to say, I work for Mike Freelander,’’ she says.
“I don’t think too many people could say that about their employer and have the respect that I have for Mike.’’
