A nurse's compassion for all of creatures of nature

From her feathered friends to her frail patients, Barbara Hourigan is tireless in her care for others.

SAYING GOODBYE: Barbara Hourigan with her much-loved roosters. Picture: Chris Lines

WHETHER it is rearing animals or looking after the elderly, caring comes naturally for nurse Barbara Hourigan.

Ms Hourigan visited the Pig and Calf sale to sell off some roosters but she was reluctant to let them go.

"I rear them from when they first hatch - I do not incubate the eggs I just separate the mothers when they have a nest. I definitely grow attached to them but I run out of feed,” she said.

Ms Hourigan has a few farm animals to look after at her Thane property but her caring routine does not end there.

Come nightfall when most people are in bed she works as a nurse in an aged care facility.

The strange working hours take a toll on Ms Hourigan's body.

"It can be hard - I only get a couple hours of sleep. The other day I slept a full 19 hours,” she said.

Despite the fatigue, her love for her patients carries her through the harder days.

"They have worked hard all their life and deserve to be looked after,” she said.

"You grow to love them, it is hard to see them go.”