More Info →Foxton Maternity Home 1942-1982 Page 27

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Something Special...

Very Special thoughts today,
And for always,
For the people no longer with us.
May They Rest-in-Peace.

Thank you Loma Betty (nee Cocks)
(Former nurse-aid)

Also from Loma:
If you went up town you always knew how many clients (PC) patients were in the Home, in labour, or had gone home...

'Green Eggs In A Billy...'

Once a lady of a different nationality and culture gave birth at the Maternity Home, but she could not eat our European-type food so she had her special food brought to her daily in a tin-billy. It was not food that anyone on duty at the time could understand would be nice tasting or nourishing! It did not look at all yummy and was certainly a culture shock for us and an interesting insight at the time.

F Ellis (nee Ellis)
(Former nurse-aid)

The real art of conversation is not to say the right thing in the right place
but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment

Water, Water Everywhere, But Not Very Nice To Drink!

In the 1950's, it was said that the Foxton water was so bad that when one turned on a tap one got a three course meal! - (As was quoted in a past Foxton Little theatre Pantomime, by the late John Hornblow!) And it was disgusting! So the Palmerston North Public Hospital in its wisdom, decided on the following procedure: Once a month it sent down a large sack of common salt. Once a week (I think this was the frequency), some would be shovelled into the "softening Machine" which filtered the water to soften it. This was necessary to make the water acceptable for washing the napkins and baby clothes and also for baby bathing and patient's showers.

The water was a lot more drinkable too!

We also put salt into the sterilizers with the bed pans, the water was that bad! If we didn't do that, iron would build up on the pans.

This job had to be done by the registered staff, which surely would not go down too well today!

Thank you to Barbara Vivian (nee Melvin)
(Nursing Sister)

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Identification

Date

2005