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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Andrew Brown

Sign of the times: One man's show of thanks to Canberra's health workers

Lanyon High School teacher Cameron Steer, with a sign of thanks he's made for all healthcare workers in the time of coronavirus. Picture: Elesa Kurtz

By his own admission, Cameron Steer says his sign outside the entrance to Canberra Hospital may not be the prettiest.

But the message behind it couldn't be more appreciative.

As Canberra, the country and the world deals with the extent of coronavirus, Mr Steer said it was important to say thanks to healthcare workers and medical staff on the frontline of COVID-19.

"Everyone is stressed right now, and it's really important to show kindness and love for people who are doing it tough," he said.

"The nurses and doctors and all of the staff work incredibly hard."

The teacher at Lanyon High School said it was important to lead by example to his students and give a message of thanks to Canberra healthcare workers in these challenging times.

The message has been painted on a queen-size bed sheet and has been in the ground outside Canberra Hospital since Thursday.

It reads: "Dear TCH staff, thank you so much! You guys and girls are amazing. Love from everyone."

Mr Steer said while it took longer putting the sign in the ground at the hospital than it did to make it, he wanted to let health staff know their work was being appreciated across the community.

"The only thing I want from my sign is for just one staff member at the hospital to know they feel supported," Mr Steer said.

"The stress levels they must be experiencing must be incredibly high and it's important to say thank you."

The message of thanks is also a personal one for Mr Steer.

His sister is a nurse and mum is an aged-care worker, who are both working in high-risk areas during the coronavirus crisis.

Last month he spent 19 days in self-isolation after he came into close contact with a friend who contracted coronavirus after returning home from overseas.

Mr Steer eventually returned a negative result for coronavirus, but said the fact the support network of health workers would be there if things turned bad had been reassuring.

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"I took extra precautions and made sure I was protecting the community. I have a little daughter and I wanted to keep her safe from coronavirus," he said.

"I knew if I was to fall sick or if something went wrong, I knew there would be a safety net that would be there.

"In times like this, we're lucky as Australians to have this position."

He said the sign would be in full view for anyone coming to work each day at the hospital.

"It's to make sure that in these tough times we show that we care and we're grateful for those who are doing the hard yards," he said.

Our COVID-19 news articles relating to public health and safety are free for anyone to access. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support. If you're looking to stay up to date on COVID-19, you can also sign up for our twice-daily digest here.

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