Esther McAdam
Esther McAdam is a Registered Psychiatric Nurse who lives and works in Larrakia Country (Darwin, Northern Territory) and currently works as the Activity Coordinator at the Top End Mental Health Inpatient Unit. Esther relocated to Adelaide after being evacuated from Darwin after Cyclone Tracy. Esther began her general nursing training at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, South Australia in 1977, going on to specialise in Psychiatric Nursing (majoring in rehabilitation) at Hillcrest Hospital in 1980. She moved back home to Darwin in 1984, working as a surgical burns nurse at Ward 2B RDH before returning back to mental health nursing after the birth of her first child in 1991.
Esther has always had a strong love for gardening, but really learnt the value of therapeutic horticulture back in the Hillcrest days, which had everything from farm animals to veggie gardens and sprawling green landscapes. Ever since, Esther has worked hard to incorporate the therapeutic environment into her daily practice.
Melanie Robinson
Melanie Robinson is a Registered Psychiatric Nurse who lives and works in Larrakia Country (Darwin, Northern Territory) and currently works as a Nurse Education & Research Coordinator for Top End Mental Health & Alcohol and Other Drug service. Mel moved to Darwin in primary school and completed her general nursing training at NTU (now CDU) in 2005. She fell into mental health as a graduate nurse and never looked back.
Mel has always had a keen interest in nature and the environment, however growing up in small apartments did not have much opportunity to get into gardening until adulthood. She has always enjoyed being creative, often using drawing and design for extra curricular activities at work and home.
