Abstract of Mae Florence BAILEY, 2024
Item — Box: 33
Identifier: H02590002
Overview
H0259 MAE FLORENCE BAILEY
Interviewer: Janice Templeton
Abstracter: Judith Christie
Interview: 26 July 2016
TRACK One
00:00 Interview identification. Born 1932.
01.30 Self left school and started work at RIVERTON HOSPITAL. Encouraged to work there by mother. Lived in the NURSES HOME, which was then a cottage. When new nurses’ home finished, bulldozed the cottage. DOMESTICS also lived in the cottage.
03.10 Self trained in the nurses’ programme. DR TATE ran the lectures. Went to INVERCARGILL for EXAMS at DEE STREET HOSPITAL – stayed overnight. Exams both practical and theory. Qualification was nurse aid, but called nurses.
04.45 Self had her own room in the new nurses’ home describes.
05.30 Self was 15, so not allowed out of nurses’ home unless BROTHERS collected her. brother PERCY was going out with another nurse, JOYCE LONNIKER, and accompanied them to dances at THORNBURY, FAIRFAX.
06.30 Mentions ROMA POPHAM from OREPUKI and later the Theatre Nurse. Around fifteen staff lived in the nurses’ home. Sisters lived upstairs – SISTERS PAVNER, ETHEL CLARK (later Stalker).
08.20 Nurses woken by NIGHT STAFF at 5.00 am, to be on duty at 6.00 am – 2.00 pm. Wore a starched linen uniform, which was laundered at KEW HOSPITAL each day. White stockings and shoes, and a cap. No cardigans, although self allowed one later on because contracted RHEUMATIC FEVER.
09.30 Nurses’ home headed by a BOILER. Had to do PERSONAL LAUNDRY themselves.
10.15 Breakfast was porridge and fruit and a cup of tea.
11.00 Self worked on the WOMEN’S WARD. Washed the patients, cleaned the equipment describes. MIDDLE WARD had six beds, women’s ward had twenty beds. LABORATORY at the end of the corridor. MEN’S WARD at the other end of the hospital. Describes layout.
14.00 Patients were in the hospital for surgery – appendectomies, bone setting, fixing injuries suffered at the race track, tonsils and adenoids. DR FOSSEY was the surgeon, DR GORDON was the anaethetist. Mentions DR TROTTER.
End of Track One
TRACK TWO
00.00 DR TROTTER would visit – older by then. MR PHILLIPS was the representative of the Committee in Invercargill and would come for meals.
00.50 People with appendectomies would stay for a fortnight. Also miscarriages.
01.30 BREAKFAST would arrive on a trolley, nurses then served breakfast on trays. After breakfast, pans sterilized. Patients had a bell by the bed which they rang for service. Three sided SCREENS put around beds when required.
03.30 Latter years changed to OLDER PEOPLE going in to the hospital. Middle and Men’s ward kept as THEATRE WARDS. Describes layout.
04.50 Mentions male staff – MR ARTHUR, MR MULQUEEN, JACK CLEAVER. Men also drove AMBULANCE. GARDENERS didn’t enter the hospital. Boiler house man was MR ARTHUR, who was a freemason along with DR FOSSEY. LAUNDRY had a staff of three or four, where linen was washed.
07.00 NURSES ate in their own dining room, domestics in another. COOK was MRS DAWSON from COLAC BAY. Night staff consisted of a sister, two nurses and a senior. Also a shift 2.00 pm to 10.00 pm.
09.00 JUNIOR NURSES didn’t carry out any medical procedures. Made beds which had to be made a certain way. Describes.
10.20 Was a Junior for three years, then an Intermediate, then a Senior. Had to write reports as a Senior. No Sisters on duty on at night, so self responsible for administering drugs, admitting patients.
11.30 Self went on night duty as a Junior which was a struggle.
11.50 LINEN CUPBOARDS needed to be stocked, dressings prepared and sterilised.
13.00 Seniors laid patients out when patients DIED. Once a man drowned, and DR FOSSEY carried out an AUTOPSY in the morgue, which was separate to the hospital. Self witnessed that.
End of Track Two
TRACK THREE
00.00 Self was working when NEW CHAPEL built at the end of the hospital. Services held there.
00.45 Some PRIVATE ROOMS in the hospital for patients. Describes layout.
01.45 Matron was MATRON MCDOWALL, an older Scottish person. She loved dressing up, and had her own suite of rooms in the nurses’ home. Sisters and nurses had their own respective sitting rooms.
03.00 During hot weather, would sleep out on the FIRE ESCAPE. TENNIS COURT used, and went to THE BEACH in the summer. Self had her own circle of friends – LEXIE THOMPSON and DOT CROWE, ENID BROOMHALL who was a Domestic. When new nurses’ home built, domestics remained in the cottage.
05.35 NURSES’ BALLS held. Furniture from the lounge was put on the stage for the sisters, who entertained there. Band was the RAINBOW REVELLERS – RAY MEMPHIS, BILLY MEMPHIS, wonderful musicians. Nurses and domestics attended.
07.25 MRS MULQUEEN sewed dresses for the balls, and TETHIE(?) HUGGENS, the seamstress who repaired sheets etc. in the sewing room, sewed from her home.
08.00 Self met HUSBAND JOE when he was the local ELECTRICIAN servicing the hospital when it went from STEAM to ELECTRICITY. brother PERCY was friendly with JOYCE LONNIKER and Joe was friendly with her brother LEX.
09.00 ROSS STEWART, a patient at the hospital, remembered self when she was nursing. He had a problem leg, and was in traction for three months at the age of thirteen. Interviewer’s mother also remembered self when she was attending hospital to get injections. Self tried on her fur coat. Describes
12.20 Went to BALLS, lots of chatter amongst the staff.
13.10 Left nursing to marry Joe. Didn’t see much of the outside world. Sister and husband lived in Hokonui [Tokonui?] and self went there for holidays.
14.00 Joe didn’t have a car, but had the electrician’s van when working for ANDERSONS. Did APPRENTICESHIP with Andersons, and then went up to Dunedin.
14.45 Self was 25 years old when married.
End of Track Three
TRACK FOUR
00.00 Mentions ROMA POPHAM who was in her thirties when married. Met partners at balls. Good music.
00.45 EDDIE CONGDON visited self in hospital when she broke her neck. Contacted her last year to say he was dying. Mentions DICK SCANDRETT, ALAN HAYWOOD, HAZEL BENTHALL, STAN ANDERSON (who self went out with and who had a car).
02.15 Nurses had to seek permission to leave the hospital when going out. Night staff also acted as security, checking for fires etc.
03.00 Self only worked once at MATERNITY SERVICES when a woman had a baby – had to look after the baby. Maternity services separate to the main hospital. Caesarians were not carried out. Miscarriage patients went to the main hospital.
End of Track Four
Interviewer: Janice Templeton
Abstracter: Judith Christie
Interview: 26 July 2016
TRACK One
00:00 Interview identification. Born 1932.
01.30 Self left school and started work at RIVERTON HOSPITAL. Encouraged to work there by mother. Lived in the NURSES HOME, which was then a cottage. When new nurses’ home finished, bulldozed the cottage. DOMESTICS also lived in the cottage.
03.10 Self trained in the nurses’ programme. DR TATE ran the lectures. Went to INVERCARGILL for EXAMS at DEE STREET HOSPITAL – stayed overnight. Exams both practical and theory. Qualification was nurse aid, but called nurses.
04.45 Self had her own room in the new nurses’ home describes.
05.30 Self was 15, so not allowed out of nurses’ home unless BROTHERS collected her. brother PERCY was going out with another nurse, JOYCE LONNIKER, and accompanied them to dances at THORNBURY, FAIRFAX.
06.30 Mentions ROMA POPHAM from OREPUKI and later the Theatre Nurse. Around fifteen staff lived in the nurses’ home. Sisters lived upstairs – SISTERS PAVNER, ETHEL CLARK (later Stalker).
08.20 Nurses woken by NIGHT STAFF at 5.00 am, to be on duty at 6.00 am – 2.00 pm. Wore a starched linen uniform, which was laundered at KEW HOSPITAL each day. White stockings and shoes, and a cap. No cardigans, although self allowed one later on because contracted RHEUMATIC FEVER.
09.30 Nurses’ home headed by a BOILER. Had to do PERSONAL LAUNDRY themselves.
10.15 Breakfast was porridge and fruit and a cup of tea.
11.00 Self worked on the WOMEN’S WARD. Washed the patients, cleaned the equipment describes. MIDDLE WARD had six beds, women’s ward had twenty beds. LABORATORY at the end of the corridor. MEN’S WARD at the other end of the hospital. Describes layout.
14.00 Patients were in the hospital for surgery – appendectomies, bone setting, fixing injuries suffered at the race track, tonsils and adenoids. DR FOSSEY was the surgeon, DR GORDON was the anaethetist. Mentions DR TROTTER.
End of Track One
TRACK TWO
00.00 DR TROTTER would visit – older by then. MR PHILLIPS was the representative of the Committee in Invercargill and would come for meals.
00.50 People with appendectomies would stay for a fortnight. Also miscarriages.
01.30 BREAKFAST would arrive on a trolley, nurses then served breakfast on trays. After breakfast, pans sterilized. Patients had a bell by the bed which they rang for service. Three sided SCREENS put around beds when required.
03.30 Latter years changed to OLDER PEOPLE going in to the hospital. Middle and Men’s ward kept as THEATRE WARDS. Describes layout.
04.50 Mentions male staff – MR ARTHUR, MR MULQUEEN, JACK CLEAVER. Men also drove AMBULANCE. GARDENERS didn’t enter the hospital. Boiler house man was MR ARTHUR, who was a freemason along with DR FOSSEY. LAUNDRY had a staff of three or four, where linen was washed.
07.00 NURSES ate in their own dining room, domestics in another. COOK was MRS DAWSON from COLAC BAY. Night staff consisted of a sister, two nurses and a senior. Also a shift 2.00 pm to 10.00 pm.
09.00 JUNIOR NURSES didn’t carry out any medical procedures. Made beds which had to be made a certain way. Describes.
10.20 Was a Junior for three years, then an Intermediate, then a Senior. Had to write reports as a Senior. No Sisters on duty on at night, so self responsible for administering drugs, admitting patients.
11.30 Self went on night duty as a Junior which was a struggle.
11.50 LINEN CUPBOARDS needed to be stocked, dressings prepared and sterilised.
13.00 Seniors laid patients out when patients DIED. Once a man drowned, and DR FOSSEY carried out an AUTOPSY in the morgue, which was separate to the hospital. Self witnessed that.
End of Track Two
TRACK THREE
00.00 Self was working when NEW CHAPEL built at the end of the hospital. Services held there.
00.45 Some PRIVATE ROOMS in the hospital for patients. Describes layout.
01.45 Matron was MATRON MCDOWALL, an older Scottish person. She loved dressing up, and had her own suite of rooms in the nurses’ home. Sisters and nurses had their own respective sitting rooms.
03.00 During hot weather, would sleep out on the FIRE ESCAPE. TENNIS COURT used, and went to THE BEACH in the summer. Self had her own circle of friends – LEXIE THOMPSON and DOT CROWE, ENID BROOMHALL who was a Domestic. When new nurses’ home built, domestics remained in the cottage.
05.35 NURSES’ BALLS held. Furniture from the lounge was put on the stage for the sisters, who entertained there. Band was the RAINBOW REVELLERS – RAY MEMPHIS, BILLY MEMPHIS, wonderful musicians. Nurses and domestics attended.
07.25 MRS MULQUEEN sewed dresses for the balls, and TETHIE(?) HUGGENS, the seamstress who repaired sheets etc. in the sewing room, sewed from her home.
08.00 Self met HUSBAND JOE when he was the local ELECTRICIAN servicing the hospital when it went from STEAM to ELECTRICITY. brother PERCY was friendly with JOYCE LONNIKER and Joe was friendly with her brother LEX.
09.00 ROSS STEWART, a patient at the hospital, remembered self when she was nursing. He had a problem leg, and was in traction for three months at the age of thirteen. Interviewer’s mother also remembered self when she was attending hospital to get injections. Self tried on her fur coat. Describes
12.20 Went to BALLS, lots of chatter amongst the staff.
13.10 Left nursing to marry Joe. Didn’t see much of the outside world. Sister and husband lived in Hokonui [Tokonui?] and self went there for holidays.
14.00 Joe didn’t have a car, but had the electrician’s van when working for ANDERSONS. Did APPRENTICESHIP with Andersons, and then went up to Dunedin.
14.45 Self was 25 years old when married.
End of Track Three
TRACK FOUR
00.00 Mentions ROMA POPHAM who was in her thirties when married. Met partners at balls. Good music.
00.45 EDDIE CONGDON visited self in hospital when she broke her neck. Contacted her last year to say he was dying. Mentions DICK SCANDRETT, ALAN HAYWOOD, HAZEL BENTHALL, STAN ANDERSON (who self went out with and who had a car).
02.15 Nurses had to seek permission to leave the hospital when going out. Night staff also acted as security, checking for fires etc.
03.00 Self only worked once at MATERNITY SERVICES when a woman had a baby – had to look after the baby. Maternity services separate to the main hospital. Caesarians were not carried out. Miscarriage patients went to the main hospital.
End of Track Four
Dates
- 2024
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Extent
From the Record Group: 1 folder(s)
Language of Materials
From the Record Group: English
Creator
- From the Record Group: Templeton, Janice (Interviewer, Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Southland Oral History Project Repository
