By Laura Michell
Sunbury’s Stella Gibbons is Northern Hospital’s cupcake queen.
Ms Gibbons has been baking cupcakes for the hospital’s emergency department staff since 2018, dropping off the baked goods every four-to-six weeks. She recently baked her 1000th cupcake.
The dedicated baker began baking cupcakes when her daughter, Genevieve, completed her postgraduate emergency nursing qualification at the hospital.
“Gen came home one day and she’d had a really hard night shift. She slept all day, so while she was sleeping, I baked two dozen red velvet cupcakes for her to take back to the next night shift,” she said.
“I just kept making two dozen, and then it went up to four dozen – and now I’m up to nine dozen.”
While her daughter now only works at Northern Hospital occasionally as a casual nurse, Ms Gibbons continues to bake for the emergency department staff because she knows how challenging their work can be.
“If they can come up here, have a coffee or tea and a cupcake, just decompress – that’s what it’s about,” Ms Gibbons said.
“I get a kick out of it and I know they work hard – why wouldn’t you want to help?”
Emergency department associate nurse unit manager Julia Fotiadis said Ms Gibbons gesture helped staff get through busy shifts.
“Most days are challenging in the emergency department, so when Stella brings in cupcakes it brightens so many of our days.”
In addition to baking for emergency department staff, Ms Gibbons also bakes cakes for the hospital’s volunteer cake stalls which raise money for the Northern Health Foundation.
