Cade Lucas
Werribee Open Range Zoo is normally the place to find giraffes in Wyndham, but for the past week St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Werribee has been home to one too.
Jerry the giraffe, the creation of an anonymous Wyndham resident who built him during Covid to cheer people up, has been greeting patients in the hospital foyer all week.
“He’s been at the zoo, in people’s yards, and now he’s been with us” said St Vincents Assistant Director Perioperative and Clinical Services, Rachel Cassar of the various places Jerry has been known to pop up.
Jerry normally appears at random, his movements a mystery, but Cassar said St Vincents had been able to track him down and secure his services for the whole week.
“Our marketing team contacted Jerry’s Instagram page and said ‘would you like to come to the hospital’ and he said ‘yes”
He came to the hospital on Monday and he leaves tomorrow after international nurses day” Cassar said.
While Jerry will help nurses celebrate on Friday, Cassar said his presence had been especially valuable to those they care for.
“He’s been great for all our patients.
It Gives them something to focus on other than their surgery” she said.
“When we think about our patients coming into hospital, they’re quite vulnerable and it can be quite daunting and overwhelming, so this has been great just as a conversation piece.”
Cassar said seeing a giraffe when entering the hospital was particularly comforting for kids.
“We do a lot of paediatric patients, 12 months and above and where we have Jjerry at the moment is at the front of the hospital where the kids are admitted for their surgery, so he’s been great in that respect.”
Jerry has also adapted to being in a high risk environment, regularly wearing a face mask to stay Covid safe.
“We made it fit” laughed Cassar.
Where he’ll poke his long neck next is a mystery, but Casser said Jerry will always be welcome at St Vincent’s.
“He’s gonna leave a bit of a hole so we hope he comes back to visit.”
