Tauranga Hospital cleaner Shirley McQueen is celebrating her 50-year work anniversary in July 2025.
Tauranga Hospital cleaner Shirley McQueen is celebrating her 50-year work anniversary in July 2025.
The saying “choose a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life” rings true for cleaner Shirley McQueen, who is celebrating 50 years working at Tauranga Hospital today.
“I love what I do, and it doesn’t seem like 50 years – it feels just likeyesterday that I started,” the 83-year-old said.
McQueen said when she started working at the hospital in 1975, “things were a bit different to the way we do things now”.
“We would not only do the cleaning, but we’d also be serving cups of tea and dinners and doing the dishes.
“Now we just focus on the cleaning side of things and have a lot more technology to help us, rather than just a mop and bucket.”
McQueen was taught to cook and clean by her father at the age of 10 after her mother died.
“I had to learn a lot of new things and a man’s teaching of these tasks can be quite different from a woman’s, so I learnt a lot more when I started at the hospital.”
She said she was still learning things in her job, such as how to clean different areas of the hospital and use new equipment.
McQueen said she had stayed in the role so long because she loved the company of her colleagues and patients and enjoyed keeping active.
“I don’t want to be at home in a rocking chair and, as you can imagine, I get a lot of encouragement from my doctor to keep going.”
Tauranga Hospital cleaner Shirley McQueen is celebrating her 50-year work anniversary in July 2025. Photo / Supplied
McQueen could have retired 18 years ago, “but I get a lot of satisfaction from doing a good job”.
“I often receive compliments from members of the public and I get a real buzz when someone comes up to me and says that I’m doing a good job – they even give me a hug.
“My dad always said that hard work is good for you, and it won’t kill you, and I’ve always lived by that.”
McQueen’s manager Astrid Kreutmayer said she was the “best person to ever have buffed the floors of the hospital”.
“She can handle the machines better than others much younger than her. She has a real knack for it.”
Kreutmayer said McQueen got sick a year ago and thought she might not return to work but was relieved she was back working four days per week.
“Shirley can still do the work just as well as others – she has so much pride and respect and is just such a lovely person. I have a huge amount of respect for her.”
