5 August 2024

An eleventh-hour decision on a Queensland holiday has proved a bonanza for a Warracknabeal jewellery designer and the clinical teams at Grampians Health Horsham Wimmera Base Hospital.

Johanna Glennen was relaxing in Noosa when she decided to enter a competition to design scrubs sets for leading fashion label Gorman (Dangerfield). Johanna’s only concern was she chose to enter just four hours before the popular contest was closing.

Johanna said that for a few years she had been contemplating entry to the annual competition which offered $3000 for first prize.

“I had been thinking about entering again this year but the holiday was taking priority and I thought it was going to drift by again,” she said.

“Then I was buying a newspaper and saw a bag of banana lollies hanging on the counter display. They are my favourite lolly and I just bought a pack and decided that’s what my design would be.

“We made a dash to Office Works and grabbed a few essentials then I sat by the pool with scissors and paper, cutting out bananas. I drew the black outlines in then I took a picture of it, turned it into a digital file and uploaded it to the competition.

“When the idea came to me, it just came out perfectly in my brain and I think I had like 30 minutes to spare before the entries closed.”

Johanna had a clothing store in Warracknabeal and seven years ago she started designing and making earrings under the brand name Pink Nade. The earrings proved so popular that Pink Nade became her sole focus.

Johanna said she had wanted to enter the competition in previous years but never got there.

“Each year I would ‘self sabotage’ and miss the deadline and I decided this year I was going to get the entry in, even though it was last minute. If you knew me, that’s how I roll.”

The competition is decided by followers of the Gorman label and Johanna was thankful knowing that many of her Pink Nade customers had voted in her favour. As well as the prize money, Johanna was able to ensure 300 sets of scrubs, valued at over $30,000, would be donated to the health service of her choice.

"Living and working in Warracknabeal, I looked to donate to the hospital there but they only needed about 10 sets so I chose Wimmera Base Hospital to receive the rest,” Johanna said.

“My first four children were all born in Warrnambool but the last child was born at Wimmera Base Hospital and recently he badly broke his arm. He was taken to WBH and they really looked after him well so I was always going to donate the rest of them to that team.

“I also have a few good friends who work there.”

Grampians Health Horsham's acting Site Director Katie Walsgott said her team had been absolutely thrilled to receive the scrubs.

“We’ve shared them among Grampians Health Horsham acute and emergency nurses as well as our allied health, care communities and medical teams and they look so amazing. They are bright and fun to wear and the patients have really enjoyed the look of them too,” Mrs Walsgott said.

“They are especially ideal for wearing in the children’s ward and the emergency department, it’s such a great design.”

Award-winning Warracknabeal designer Johanna Glennen shares in the delight
with stroke coordinator Deidre Rennick, acting site director Katie Walsgott,
occupational therapist Kim Hyslop and acting operations manager Nadine Hoffman.