December 21st, 2023Tiny nativity a welcome waiting room distraction

The lovely little hand-made nativity scene in Central Highlands Rural Health’s Clunes campus has been winning fans and influencing busy and preoccupied people to take a moment and reflect on the meaning of Christmas.

The textile piece was created by Clunes resident Betty Ingram, who has since passed away, and is now on display in the clinic waiting room, providing something festive for patients to think about as they wait to see a doctor.

“We just think it’s beautiful. It’s gorgeous. It’s different,” said Clunes resident Marlene Pitman who was in the clinic recently.

The little handmade textile scene is part of the Clunes health campus’s overall effort at celebrating the season with no shortage of tinsel, glossy baubles and the obligatory tree also on display in the clinic’s waiting room.

But as administration staffer Janet Hineman explained it’s also part of friendly Central Highlands Rural Health inter-campus rivalry to see which health campus takes out the annual Christmas Decoration Competition.

Clunes has form on this front having won the competition in both 2019 and 2020 and Janet said they’ll find out if they’ve won again this year at about the same time that The Local hits news stands and online reading.

Meantime, Janet said the little nativity scene has been receiving plenty of admiration and positive comments from those consigned to spend some minutes in the waiting room. “One lady said it made her day.”