Father's Day has taken on special meaning in Western Health's security team, where there are three father-son pairs on staff!
Team rules mean the committed duos – Tom and Kris, Mario and Zak, and Mal and Sone – don't work on the same shifts at the same sites, but there is plenty of shared wisdom.
The most important lesson?
"That working in hospital security is all about good communication," says Tom, who has worked for Western Health for 11 years.
"I like to have a good connection with patients. You've got to understand people's situations."
That passion has clearly passed down a generation. 
Tom’s son, Kris, joined the security team just over a year ago. He doesn’t hesitate when asked about his favourite part of the job: “Being in a hospital, helping people.”
Tom and Kris only just cross paths at Sunshine Hospital, where they are mostly based.
Kris usually works on the day shifts, finishing at 2.30pm – just when his dad is clocking on.
Mario, who has been with Western Health for 17 years, initially had reservations about his son Zak “following in Dad’s footsteps”.
“I was hesitant at the start because it can be dangerous sometimes, but he was really keen to do it,” Mario says.
“Zak thinks I’m a bit harder on him! But he’s doing really well, he’s a quick learner.”
Danielle Meier, Operations Manager Security and Environmental Services, is proud to have three father-son pairs in the security team.
“This is a great example of how close-knit our security team is and how much they value family,” she says.
“A father having an opportunity to work with his son is a special thing. All our fathers have been in healthcare security at Western Heath for a long period. Having an experienced and knowledgeable role model they love and trust, helping to guide them son through the highs and lows of our challenging environment, helps these young men – not only into their job role, but also as people.” 
Despite the great relationships between these father-son duos, Danielle has guidelines in place for family members.
“Due to the nature of the work our security officers undertake and the high-risk nature of the responses we attend, we do not roster family members on the same shift at the same campus,” she says.
“This ensures there are no distractions and all members of the team on shift focus on their most important task of keeping everyone safe.”
Danielle says it is important that key values are shared by all members of Western Health’s security team – not only family members.
“The most important skills a security officer at Western Health needs is common sense and the ability to listen,” she says.
“This is coupled with empathy, compassion, and integrity as key values.
“These skills and values are embedded into us at an early age or learned over time working with good role models who do the right thing and lead by example. Our security team members have these skills and values and having a next generation of security officers as part of our team is an exciting step for the future of our security department.”
