St Luke’s Combined Hospice paid homage to its stalwarts during an intimate celebration on Thursday October 20.

Guests took a trip down memory lane, looking at how the hospice was founded and the changes that had taken place over the years.

Dr Rob Stead, Dixie Strong, Professor JP van Niekerk, and Professor Raymond Abratt (who attended remotely from Australia) were honoured during the event.

St Luke’s origins can be traced back to the late 1970s when Christine Dare, an English medical student, visited Cape Town. She had worked with Dame Cicely Saunders, the founder of the modern-day hospice movement, and her visit ignited the need to cater for patients and their families facing life-threatening illnesses.

St Luke's was founded on August 13, 1980, initially operating out of Vincent Pallotti Hospital and then Observatory, before finding a permanent home in Kenilworth in 1986.

At any given time, St Luke's provides palliative care or end-of-life service to over 800 patients. Its work is supported by its six community hospices and its in-patient unit in Kenilworth.

Palliative care improves the quality of life for patients when it is no longer possible to add days to their lives. They also offer psychosocial, spiritual and bereavement support.

Hospice CEO Dr Ronita Mahilall said the event had to be put off due to Covid-19, but it was a privilege to honour the stalwarts who had paved the way for the hospice.

“Had it not been for your vision, foresight, time and energy you invested into this organisation, it may not have been what it is today. Today we want to thank those who are present but also those that have passed on already for everything they had done,” she said.

Dr Stead said he had worked as a Lifeline counsellor back in the day and had frequently received calls from people reaching the end of life but who didn’t know where to turn to. He eventually met up with Christine Dare and they had started putting plans in place.

Mr Strong joined St Luke’s 23 years ago and became chairman. His role was to build a source of income for the hospice, and even though he retired as chairman two years ago, he is still part of the family. He said it was an honour to serve on the board.

Chairwoman Shona Sturgeon said organisations like St Luke’s would not exist without those who had donated over the years.

“I can’t even begin to calculate how much people have given over the years. I have been involved in many organisations and have seen that NGOs cannot grow simply on the goodwill of people but need a variety of donors on board,” she said.