Adventures of a 56-year-old intern

After 30 years as a journalist, I recently started work as a pastoral care intern. Learning to hot-desk was hard. Talking to people, a joy.

- Chua Mui Hoong

Armed with my newly minted security access card, I walked up to the access gateway and tapped my pass. The light flashed green. The doors slid open.

It hit me then. I was legit in this organisation.

The pass had my name, my department and the word "Intern".

After 30 years as a Straits Times journalist, I was beginning a new chapter of my life.

Since moving to Perth two years ago, I have been figuring out what to do with my life, post-career. Writing and editing, or editorial training, are natural options. But I had settled in Perth, away from my natural hinterland Singapore. Here in Australia, I am a migrant with no contacts and no networks. My commercial value had plummeted from quite high in Singapore, where I am known and know a lot of people, to negligible in Australia, where very few know me.

It took me a few months to adjust to the new reality. Then began the process of discerning what's next. Time to dust off long-delayed dreams to pursue my other interests.

Earlier in 2025, I embarked on a part-time course in pastoral care. As part of the training, we are attached to a healthcare organisation one to two days a week. This was how I became an "intern" as part of a pastoral care team.

My job is to talk to people coming through the healthcare organisation about how they are. Pastoral care caters to the spiritual and psychological needs of people. In a healthcare setting, these could be residents in a care home or patients at a clinic or hospital. They could be caregivers or family members. They could also be staff. Pastoral care team members provide a listening ear for people who want to talk through their feelings or want some emotional support. They may also develop group sessions to facilitate peer support.