6 September 2011
Today the wards of The Royal Melbourne Hospital were a riot of colour to celebrate the beginning of Spring. Long - time RMH support group members as well as students from St Aloysius College in North Melbourne worked together to create 600 posies, using flowers generously donated by Flowers for Everyone. Posy Day is a tradition dating back to 1937, when members of the RMH Ladies' Auxiliary gave flowers to elderly female patients to ease their loneliness. Known as "Grannies' Day", the tradition has grown to include all patients at the RMH City and Royal Park campuses. Flowers for Everyone, which has a shop in the hospital's retail precinct, have been supporting this special event since 2010.
Posy Day co-organiser, Arlene Bennett from the RMH Graduate Nurses' Association, said: "I want to thank Flowers for Everyone for their great support - it is a special day in the life of the hospital and these Spring gifts for our patients are very well received by the patients. It is a heart-warming event."
RMH Foundation Executive Director Michelle Eunson, who helped make posies and went with one group of students to deliver posies to the wards, said: "Our patients were obviously very moved to receive this small gesture of kindness; the smiles and tears were really touching - it is wonderful tradition for the hospital."