Justa wait until you hear this …
Northwick Park’s longest-serving member of staff is still at her work station as she approaches her eightieth birthday.
Justa Garcia, 79, recently celebrated her 50th work anniversary as a healthcare assistant.
The mother of one began working at the hospital in 1973 as an orderly.
“I wasn’t expecting to stay more than couple of months but here I am.”
It was the same year that Edward Health was PM, Pink Floyd released Dark Side of the Moon and Roger Moore made his first appearance as 007 in Live and Let Die.
Justa works two-days-a-week in the Theatre Admission Unit providing a reassuring presence as she helps prep patients before surgery.
“I work with a nice team which makes all the difference. I was thinking about retirement again the other day but no-one wants me to go!”
Of course, things were different back in the day when doctors were required to wear white coats and ties and woe betide any errant junior who forgot. Nurses wore blue dresses with paper hats while sisters graduated to stiff cloth-ironed caps.
There was no A&E department and many of the outlying buildings remained temporarily empty and were used for filming.
Justa was among the staff who rushed down to catch a glimpse of Hollywood star Gregory Peck who was starring in The Omen.
The 1976 chiller about the coming of the Anti-Christ - that must have gone down well with the chaplaincy service - was filmed on the upper floors of the hospital and went on to win an Oscar.
“It was very different back then. People had a lot more respect for hospital staff and you had more time for your patients. I have a lot of happy memories and still working keeps me in my toes.”
Shereen Avillo Arenas, Manager of the Theatre Admission Unit, added:
“Justa is a pleasure to work with. She is not just a colleague but more of a mother figure. She makes us work harder because you rarely see her sit down. She loves to keep herself busy and is a real inspiration to the team because we all hope we are that physically and mentally active when we are older.”