East Grampians Health Service held a thank you lunch to retiring Department of Families, Fairness and Housing staff Janis Brooks, John Koopmans and Terry Lannen.
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The lunch was held at the iconic Pyrenees House at Ararat.
East Grampians Health Service Chief Executive, Nick Bush, thanked Ms Brooks, Mr Koopmans and Mr Lannen for the significant contribution they had made to the health service.
"The partnership was significant and long term," Mr Bush said.
"Many times we would need support with a complex issue and Janis, John and Terry were always ready and willing to assist."
Mario Santilli, Director Development and Improvement at East Grampians Health Service, said that his relationship with the retiring personnel commenced at Lakeside Hospital in the late 1990s as it was being de-commissioned.
Ms Brooks and Mr Koopmans also worked at Lakeside Hospital, while Mr Lannen has strong links with Ararat and worked at Aradale Hospital.
Between them, they have nearly 110 years of service with the Department and its predecessors, which include the Department of Health, the Department of Community Services and the Department of Health and Human Services.
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Ms Brooks, who retires in mid-August, has been in the Department for almost 29 years and thanked East Grampians Health Service for holding the lunch and said she had thoroughly enjoyed working in the Grampians region and the friendships she has made.
"I will miss those connections but am looking forward to the next phase after I have finished off the current HACC PYP agency transitions," she said.
Mr Koopmans has worked at the Department for 43 years across a number of portfolio areas, including Acute Health, Palliative Care, Aged Care and Homelessness.
He said he had enjoyed the partnership and friendships he had formed and how they had worked through some difficult issues together.
"The friendships and working as a team I will miss," he said.
Mr Lannen has worked in the department for 38 years having commenced in 1984 in the Personnel Office at Aradale.
He also spent four years at Pleasant Creek Training Centre, Stawell, in the 1990s before moving to the Ballarat regional office in 1997.
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