8 ying Assisting the Fl in 1971 ice rv se s Doctor
With DHAA President Cheryl Dey at the Brisbane ISDH in 2019
A lifetime of devotion DHAA Life Member Wendy Dashwood tell her own story of a career that spans 40 years
Making the social pages of the DHAA Hygiene Mirror in 2003
FROM THE TIME I was five, I was interested in dentistry and began my dental career as a trainee dental nurse in February 1969 (yes the Summer of 69 – one of my all-time favourite songs and when man walked on the moon, seen on a black and white TV with aluminium foil extensions on the “rabbit ears” antenna in the Prosthetic Department of the Dental School at the Royal Adelaide Hospital). After completing my studies, I worked there until 1971 going into a private practice where I had my first experience of being part of the Flying Doctor Services dental run, flying into isolated parts of SA. In 1974 I was offered by my dentist to study dental hygiene at Guys Hospital in London, but I wanted to travel first. While travelling overseas in 1975, I worked as a dental assistant in London and completed further study, upgrading my dental nurse qualifications to be able to work in northern Canada where my then boyfriend and now husband is from.
On returning to Adelaide, I was fortunate to be selected to study dental hygiene in 1977, run then by the Department of Further Education based at the Dental School in the Royal Adelaide Hospital. I was in the third training group (10 students per year were accepted). After graduating in 1978, I worked at a general private practice in the Adelaide Hills before moving to Canberra where dental hygiene practice for the ACT was undergoing legislation to be passed through parliament. At that point in time, SA was the only state where hygienists were able to register and work. I was the first registered hygienist in the ACT and from there dentists in Canberra began employing overseas hygienists as there were still only around 30 new SA hygiene graduates, most working in Adelaide. These overseas hygienists, many of whom have now called Australia home, worked with me to establish the ACT branch of the DHAA. Other states followed on with more training programs and a few Canberra dentists sponsored their dental nurses to study in Adelaide and return. Our numbers began to grow and soon we were running professional development days and
“ I was the first registered hygienist in the ACT – from there dentists in Canberra began employing overseas hygienists” seminars. The support we had from our employer dentists was amazing, attending our PD days (mostly to boost numbers at our insistence) and support our sponsors and trade but also because we had wonderful camaraderie. I worked in private general practice in Canberra from 1980-1987 before moving to Yass to raise my family and start a horticultural business with my husband, where we still are today. In 1989 I recommenced part time dental hygiene work in Canberra and started working at Yass Valley Dental in 2003. I have worked closely with Valmar, a support agency for clients with physical and intellectual disabilities, living independently and in group
