More Info →Foxton Maternity Home 1942-1982 Page 28

Description

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Meanies

My First Experience at the Foxton Maternity Home was Sister Lash telling me to go feed the, "DONKEY" to my horror. (I was petrified of animals). However, I saw the scraps on the kitchen bench, grabbed them, went outside but couldn't find the donkey! I called out, "Donkey, Donkey! Here-boy!" George King pops his head over the fence and wondered what the hell i was doing. He went back into his tomato house laughing. I came back inside to find Sister Lash and kitchen staff were in fits of laughter! Later I was taken into the washhouse and shown the "DONKEY" and how to feed it!

( (Like going to fetch a left handed hammer...)

Gaelyne Boerboom (nee Corley)
(Former nurse-aid)

When Young And Small,

Kay remembers being outside the maternity home and someone holding her up at the front window to see her new baby brother.

Kay Smith (nee Pluck)

Rats.

One nurse-aid had a fear of rats while she was on night-duty. Of course there weren't any, but the fear was genuine! Perhaps some were lurking about... outside, from the river...

Memories Of My Nursing Days At The Foxton Maternity Home

In 1952 - 1954 were wonderful, happy and sometimes scary.

When asked to take over the cooks duties on her day off, to cook breakfast, lunch and evening meal, I found it a bit of a challenge as a girl of 16 years. I was so pleased when the staff told me the patients said, "Say compliments to the cook". My memories as night-nurse too, are interesting and challenging as well..

In the middle of the night the door bell would ring and there standing on the doorstep would be one rather nervous father-to-be and one rather ready-to-be-delivered mother, who would be taken to the prep room to be prepared for the theatre, a bath run for her, after which she would be taken into the theatre. A staff member would sit with the patient until her pains were five minutes apart then the Doctor (the one on duty that night), would be called on the old phone hanging on the wall. One would take the cup off the hook, wind the handle three times and pray that the operator was awake, who would then put the caller through to the Doctor, (he lived close by, but sometimes came in his pyjamas with his coat on over them).

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Identification

Date

2005