Dorothy Armstrong has spent the past 27 years regularly visiting the hospital’s patients, doing their washing and giving gifts.

But she will no longer attend, after management told her there had been complaints.

Wimmera Health Care Group chief executive Chris Scott said people who visited the hospital as volunteers had to follow certain protocols.

Mrs Armstrong said it was her decision to step down but it had wrecked her.

‘‘I call the hospital my gift from God,’’ she said. 

‘‘I’ve always loved what I did – it’s been my life.’’

Mrs Armstrong grew up wanting to be a nurse.

But because of her father’s poor health, she left school at 13 to take care of him instead.

‘‘What I’ve got now is my nursing,’’ she said.

‘‘I come to the desk and I say ‘is it okay for me to come through?’. 

‘‘They say, ‘yes but don’t go into room 36’, or whichever room.’’

Mrs Armstrong said she then knocked at doors, introducing herself and offering comfort.

She said many patients were lonely and wanted visitors. 

‘‘I do not pray for anyone unless they specifically ask,’’ she said.

‘‘I have been through death with families and I’ve been there with near-death.

‘‘I’ve been able to comfort them because I’m able to talk to people.’’

Mrs Armstrong often takes teddies to cheer people up and does many patients’ washing.

The teddy bear ministry started when four new teddies were donated to the Salvation Army.

Mrs Armstrong took the bears to the children’s ward, when a nurse asked if she could spare one for a Matron Arthur resident.

The woman accepted the teddy bear and hugged it close to her body.

‘‘I thought, if she wanted it, how many others in Matron Arthur wanted them,’’ Mrs Armstrong said.

With no new bears to offer, Mrs Armstrong instead started collecting them from op shops, fixing them up and sterilising them before giving them to patients.

She said many people were grateful for the gift. 

‘‘A lot of people have taken them to their grave,’’ she said.

The Armstrong house hints at the level of love Mrs Armstrong feels for her ministry.

At the back of the house, a room is stacked high with teddy bears for all occasions – Christmas bears at the fore.

The front door opens to a range of home-made gifts she has created, but now have nowhere to go.

In the entrance, a table bears certificates and momentos from Wimmera Health Care Group, commending Mrs Armstrong on her work.

The juxtaposition of the awards next to the now-unwanted toys brings Mrs Armstrong to tears.

Her son PJ Armstrong said his mother had had a dramatic effect on people’s lives.

He remembered one Christmas when he and his family visited the hospital with her.

‘‘She was in a walking frame,’’ he said.

‘‘I can’t forget the joy on her face, come Christmas Day, on her walking frame, being able to go to the hospital and give presents.

‘‘She’s been decimated by this.’’

Mr Armstrong said he understood processes needed to be followed.

But he said Mrs Armstrong’s good far outweighed the bad.

‘‘It’s been a big slap in the face,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s like saying, ‘Sorry Santa, we’ve had a complaint, now pack up your toys and go back to the North Pole’.’’

Mr Scott said people who visited the hospital as volunteers had to be registered with a group.

‘‘We’re just ensuring the patients are in a safe environment and their rights are being protected,’’ he said.

‘‘Times have changed and we’re in a different environment with patient safety and welfare.

‘‘Unsolicited visitation is something we’ve got to guard against.’’

With 27 years of volunteering coming to a close, Mrs Armstrong said she was devastated but trying to remain positive.

‘‘I’ve just decided maybe God has other plans for me,’’ she said.

She thanked everyone who had donated toys or supported her efforts throughout the years.