Since joining the STARS (Surgical, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Service) Dietetics and Food Services team in 2023, Melinda Tibig has made an extraordinary and lasting impact. From day one she has played a pivotal role in upholding and enhancing service standards across the hospital, consistently embodying our core values of compassion, professionalism, respect and excellence.

Melinda has a natural gift for clear, thoughtful communication and excels in fostering strong, respectful relationships - not just within her immediate team but across the broader hospital community. Her collaborative approach builds trust and promotes a culture of mutual support.

Melinda’s commitment to patient care is unwavering; she treats every interaction as an opportunity to provide empathetic, personalized service that makes each patient feel seen, heard, and genuinely cared for. Her strength of character was especially evident during an incredibly difficult personal time following the loss of her husband. Despite this profound hardship, she demonstrated extraordinary resilience, showing up each day with compassion, courage and steadfast dedication. Her professionalism and grace under pressure deeply moved and inspired her colleagues.

Drawing on her strong background in customer service and hospitality, Melinda brings invaluable experience, practical skills, and a calm, solutions-focused mindset to every shift. She has naturally emerged as a trusted leader within the team, known for her adaptability, quick problem solving and positive outlook even under pressure or during unexpected challenges. Her warmth and optimism contribute significantly to the supportive and inclusive culture of our workplace. A shining example of this was during Queensland’s Cyclone Alfred. While many struggled to navigate the extreme conditions, Melinda remained composed, making every effort to attend her shift safely and continue delivering exceptional care. Her dedication to patients and colleagues alike, even during a natural disaster, is a true testament to her reliability and heart.

“I really appreciate winning the Award,” Mel tells us. “This is the first time I have received an Award since arriving in Australia from the Philippines and I’m very happy that my team supervisors and [STARS Site Coordinator Dietetics and Food Services and IHHC QLD/NSW State Chair] Brendan thought to nominate me because it means they recognise my service.”

Having previously worked on the commercial side of hospitality, this is Mel’s first job in healthcare. “Prior to joining STARS I was working in the Emirates Lounge at Brisbane Airport where I was looking after first and business class passengers – mainly celebrities and diplomats. Now I’m in STARS looking after the patients which is very different, and I’m really happy to be able to take care of them. Every time I deliver food I ask them if there is anything they need because I really love helping them.

“I would like to say thank you to my team supervisor and Brendan because without them I wouldn’t have been nominated, and of course I would like to thank the IHHC as well.”

Nicola Beggs has implemented systems that support the growth of her team, increased training compliance and also investigated the quality of meals and the capability to adapt to changing menus for both the Hospital and Aged Care facility at Warwick. Under Nicola’s direction and support the Oaks nursing home is providing greater resident choice in meals and snacks to the 40 bed residential aged care facility. She has established a café with coffee machine and high protein snacks for residents and families throughout the day and evening. A milkshake cart has given residents access to protein fortified milkshakes with real fruit and additional protein to support their nutrition.

Nicola has worked with recreation officers at the facility to create special meal days including handmade pizza days, toasted sandwich afternoons, vegetarian meal days and Indian curry days providing a much broader choice of meals to all residents and hospital longstay patients awaiting placement in regional and rural aged care facilities. She has demonstrated how improvements can be built into everyday tasks and has jumped into shifts alongside her staff to assist, support and train.

Nicola was successful in applying for the Oaks Nursing Home to become a Maggie Beer Foundation Trainer Mentor Program site. This has led to the rollout of nursing home data appraisal, menu appraisal, food satisfaction surveys, intensive training with Maggie Beer Foundation Chefs and the opportunity to work alongside chef mentors. Not only does this provide a framework for improving the meals and nutrition of residents within the Oaks Nursing Home at Warwick Hospital, it also flows into improved menus and food for the 60 bed Hospital which is the largest within Queensland Health Services’ southern cluster. The Warwick Facility is the only state-based Health Service participating in this 12 month program that will assist and support in meeting the new Aged Care Standards for resident meal choice.

“I’m quite new to Queensland Health – I’ve only been in this role since November and I didn’t really know much about the organisation prior to joining – so it was a nice surprise to win the Award,” Nicola says. “I’m a chef by trade and worked in hospitality and management, then I had my own real estate from 2012 until 2022, when I sold it and decided to get back into hospitality. I had actually watched Maggie Beer’s Big Mission, which is all about improving the dining experience in aged care, on TV so when the job came up I thought this was an area I might be able to bring something to. When I saw that part of my role was to implement Aged Care Standard 6 I decided that applying to become a Maggie Beer foundation Trainer Mentor Program site would give us a really good foundation to support that.

“I’m lucky to be working with a really good team here – at the beginning there was some hesitation because people don’t like change, but the majority have embraced it. We have a chef trainer who’s been very supportive in helping us assist the staff in increasing their skills and knowledge.”

Aby demonstrates a remarkable ability to navigate complex situations, particularly when dealing with difficult customers, always striving for positive outcomes.  A prime example of her dedication was during Cyclone Alfred. While many others were focused on personal safety, Aby prioritised patient wellbeing - she came in on a Sunday, ensuring the timely arrival of essential food supplies and proactively managing the logistical uncertainties caused by the cyclone’s potential longevity. This ensured patients’ nutritional needs were met without interruption, demonstrating her exceptional commitment and going far beyond the typical expectations of her role.

In addition to her Procurement Officer responsibilities, Aby actively supports the kitchen meal assembly line during peak service times. This hands on approach ensures patients receive their meals promptly, exemplifying her dedication to timely and efficient service delivery. In a busy kitchen which often prepares up to 400 a la carte breakfasts, her support has proven invaluable in ensuring a seamless and positive experience for every patient.

Aby demonstrates genuine care and appreciation for her colleagues. Her willingness to step outside her designated role is a testament to this – on multiple occasions she has filled in as an admin assistant, ward monitor and Speaking Up for Safety facilitator. Her actions clearly communicate that she values her colleagues’ time and workload and is willing to contribute wherever needed.

“I didn’t at all expect to get the Award,” Aby says. “To be honest all I knew is that my manager had nominated me, that’s it. It only took me 12 years to win!”

Aby missed the Award presentation as she was holidaying in Europe. “My co-worker emailed me a photo telling me I’d won and I wrote back, WHAT!! It really took me by surprise.”

She says The Wesley Hospital is a positive work environment. “I cannot fault it, because we know support is always there and people are willing to help. Even during the cyclone, it was scary but we had work to do and the patients had to be fed, so I felt we needed to go the extra mile.”

STARS has spearheaded an organic waste recycling initiative uniting six major hospitals and health service sites across Metro North Health. Innovation hub STARS partnered with Environment and Waste Services to design and implement this sustainability project which now diverts more than 14 tonnes of food waste from landfill every month (totalling more than 150 tonnes annually).

A bespoke digital dashboard developed and piloted at STARS has revolutionised food waste tracking. This tool allows teams across all sites to analyse waste by day and location, and to calculate grams of waste per meal - enabling realtime data-driven improvements that go far beyond traditional audits.

Under STARS’ leadership Metro North Health has achieved significant environmental and carbon savings. By diverting food waste from landfill, the network avoids substantial methane emissions and reduces its carbon footprint, equivalent to removing 191 cars from the road each year. All organic waste is sent to NuGrow where it is transformed into high grade compost, turning waste into a valuable community resource. This initiative saves the network more than $16,000 per year in landfill levy costs. The innovative use of organic bins charged per unit rather than by weight has made the system both environmentally and economically sustainable.

This approach, championed by STARS and scaled across Metro North, directly supports Queensland’s Waste Management and Resource Recovery Strategy and advances the transition to a circular economy within healthcare.

“The team were elated to have won,” says STARS Site Coordinator Dietetics and Food Services Brendan Host, accepting the Award along with Kitchen Supervisor Kiran Paul. “The staff continually go above and beyond to reduce waste – there’s about 50 in my team, who work closely with the Dietetics team to help reduce our production and plate waste.

“Sustainability is one of those things everyone here works really hard on – in the case of waste which goes to landfill, we pay by the tonne, so reducing that is not only good for the environment, it’s also good for our budgets. We have all kinds of initiatives in place, from sorting different types of waste into separate bins to ensure organic waste goes to composting, to separating out recyclables in our staffrooms and donating bottles so that the money goes to charity – it’s a site-wide awareness.

“This year’s QLD/NSW Awards have been great for STARS – we had at least 12 people nominated and two of the four Awards were won by our staff, which is an amazing achievement. We’re putting on a staff barbecue to celebrate!”