After 56 years and 11 days working in radiography in New Zealand and Australia, Tony Travaglia (74) had his farewell yesterday, surrounded by friends, family and colleagues at Oamaru Hospital, where he spent the last 18 years of his career.
He plans to spend the rest of his days travelling or taking photographs and kite-flying in Oamaru.
"I’m part Sicilian. We’ve been back once and it’s such a beautiful place I’d like to stay there for four months each year."
He said he would miss his colleagues and patients the most, but had enjoyed the changes in technology he had seen in his decades of service.
He grew up in Christchurch and the Waikato.
Partway through his sixth-form year (year 12), he took a job in radiography.
Since then he has worked in the field in Waikato, Australia, Kaitaia, Whangarei and Oamaru.
The weirdest procedure he had been involved in was early in his career when the team he was with had to lure a cat on to X-ray film to scan it for broken bones.
One of the lowlights in his career was when radiographers all over the country became sick from a chemical, glutaraldehyde, used in processing X-rays.
"The fumes given off were very toxic. They’re pretty aware of it now and that’s why most places have gone digital.
"I’m asthmatic — it knocked me on the head. Some of my friends took a 10-year break before they came back to radiology."
He felt his wife would be happy with him taking retirement, because it meant her years of dealing with a partner who was on call were over.
