Excerpts from “Our Golden Anniversary 1946—1996”
Remember When
“I started my Nursing Training as a very raw recruit the day after I turned eighteen. I was young, naïve and completely clueless about life in the big, real world! How innocent can you be? My first day began in Women’s Surgical Ward at 6am. We didn’t have training schools in those days – just went in trembling with our hearts in our mouths! I was told to cut bread and butter it for the patients’ breakfasts. I had a blunt knife and a dish of hard butter – and so began my nursing career! I cut and buttered bread of all shapes ad sizes dependent on the sharpness of the knife and the keenness of my eye. It seemed like forever but I soon graduated to bedpans. I scrubbed them and I boiled them and cleaned them again and again and again until they shone. Woe betide you if there was any Bon Ami left on them! Then I cleaned lockers, washed and filled water jugs, made beds and sponged patients – whoever taught me to do that? I stood to attention with my hands behind my back when addressed by a senior, the Ward Sister or even, sometimes, the Matron; and I learned that new nurses (and old ones too) do as they are told without question.
Biddy Brady (Kathleen Cooney 1943 – 1946)
Curfew
Remember the 10pm. Curfews – every night! We were supposed to sign in and out of the Hospital at the front office but, of course, sometimes we’d duck out the side fence and barelymake it back in time to fall into bed fully dressed under the bedclothes as the Evening Sister made her rounds to check we were all where we ought to be. And there was the long-term chap in Male Surgical who’s check on the nurses coming in and yell at them, “ Hey, Nurse so-and-so, have you got a late pass?” Of course, Matron was just underneath to hear it all so you needed a Pass. But we’d get an 11pm pass once a week – maybe – and, on rare occasions and with a good excuse, there was even a 12 midnight pass for a Ball! Not too many of those, though!
Operating Theatre
Remember when, as a junior nurse in Theatre, you had to go to Women’s Surgical each morning and make a cup of tea and get two slices of brown bread, cut to the exact size, for Sr Thoms and she would eat it as she set up Theatre. And if some crumbs dropped on the surgical set-up, she’d pick them off with the forceps – and didn’t we all learn to put our hands into near boiling water in OT. The sponge water was never hot enough. AND Dr Trumpy would plant a pair of forceps or scissors under the patient on the operating table or a sponge – and you’d be searching frantically to get the count right. AND the young doctors would spray the back of your legs with Ethyl Chlo. as you walked past and if you so much as let out a cheep, Thoms would be onto you in a flash!
Ward Tidy
Remember the nurse tidying the ward – smoothing the quilts, lining up all the beds and having the chairs all in the right spot. She was leaning over the bed when the patient grabbed her round the waist Her cap went flying and an icy voice said, “Not very edifying, nurse”. It was Matron Wilcox and Sister Evans arriving for the inspection. We all dreaded being caught!
Epidemic
Remember how Sr Harkness barri-caded herself in Epidemic and was a law unto herself. She loved her garden and the junior was frequently sentout on the road to follow the milkman’s horse and cart to collect the manure for the garden – and there wasn’t a lot of hand washing done between gardening and patients – but I don’t think there was any cross infection and the diphtherias, scarlet fevers and whoopers all recovered!
Children’s Ward
Remember the trials of trying tokeep the babies quiet in Children’s ward at night. If a child cried twice, Dr Trumpy would hear it and the phone would ring and you would have to give and account of your stewardship.
