In the Central Production Kitchen (CPK) at Kingston Centre, Francesca Faranda is known as ‘mama’ and for very good reason. Francis, as her colleagues know her, has been a Food Services Assistant at CPK for the last 28 years. Before that, she was a laundry attendant at the same site for 27 years.
In December 2024, she will celebrate an incredible 55 years of working at Monash Health.
A dedicated and caring team member, her manager of 28 years, Production Manager Peter Fischer, says her secret is simple; she is conscientious and devoted to her work and gets great enjoyment from connecting with and looking after everyone in her team at CPK.
‘Francis takes the bus to work, often carrying bags full of food to share with everybody. She rarely misses a day due to sick leave.
‘At Christmas time, from the first day of December all the way to the 25th, she brings an Italian Christmas cake every day for everybody to share and enjoy. And that’s just part of the person she is, that she takes care of everybody here,’ he says.
Born in Sinagra, Sicily and migrating to Melbourne with her husband in 1966, Francis says Kingston Centre is like a second home to her.
‘This is the one job that I have had all my life. I found a place to work, and I am so happy. I didn’t look for other jobs because there was no need. I told myself this is where I want to be, to stay here.’
Her sister-in-law told Francis about a laundry attendant job in 1969, and the rest is history. She has seen over half a century of changes, with Kingston Centre now regarded as a leading centre for aged care and rehabilitation; it has come a long way from when it was the Melbourne Benevolent Asylum.
When the laundry facility closed in 1996, Francis was delighted to accept the position as a Food Services Assistant and remain at the same site that she loved.
It often gets bustling for Francis and the team. Still, she takes it all in stride as the CPK provides up to 9,000 meals a day to Monash Health hospitals and facilities and across other Victorian health services such as Eastern Health and Peninsula Health.
Guided by the motto ‘providing dignity on a plate’, the team takes pride in the food they prepare for our patients, covering various cultural, dietary and nutritional needs while keeping taste and deliciousness at the fore.
Francis is now part of a team of three that provides texture-modified, minced and pureed meals for our patients who have difficulty chewing or swallowing.
Peter, who has been her manager ever since, says Francis is exactly the same as she was back when he first met her.
‘That’s what’s so extraordinary about her. It’s the fact that even though she’s worked here for so long, she’s committed to her role and her tasks regardless of her age, which is unique,’ he says.
The rest of her colleagues were just as eager to share their love and admiration for Francis.
Imran Hanif, Central Production Kitchen Manager and Support Services Manager, calls her ‘the most revered member of our team’.
Her other colleagues described her as a kind and caring person who inspires them.
Rafaat Morgan, known as ‘Rocky’, has been at Monash Health for 37 years and has known Francis since he started.
‘She’s a very calm, very quiet person. She has a sense of humour, and she likes my roses!
‘Every Monday morning, she asks me, where’s my rose? And I love it because she gets jealous if I give it to somebody else. She’s a wonderful woman. And I just love her,’ he says.
Ernest Perera says Francis reminds him of his mother.
‘She’s very loving, just like my mum. When I work with her, the day goes by very smoothly.
‘I wish her a bright future with many more years to come. She’s very kind, very generous. She never gets angry. If she gets angry, she keeps it in her heart. It never shows, just like my mum. That’s why she’s the ‘mama’ of CPK,’ he says.
The much-loved Francis says working at Kingston Centre is a privilege.
‘I come, and I do my work; if I can do more, I do. Because it’s like my second home, it makes me feel happy.
‘I want to thank you, Monash Health, because I have had a job for so many years.
‘I can go home happy every day. The people running the place, I have a lot of respect for them because I know I come and do my work, and they will look after me. Imran and Peter are my rocks. Thank you,’ she says.
Congratulations, Francis. We thank you for your incredible commitment and caring throughout the decades of service at Monash Health, which have undoubtedly provided comfort and warmth to our patients and your colleagues. Here’s to many more years to come!