Let the campaign begin
We are loosing 1,000 building in the centre of Christchurch, 12,000 homes are to be demolished, some suburbs will never be built on again.
These figures became personal when I looked for my favourite shop to buy wool. I drove around the streets looking for an entrance to Peterborough Street, I want the best choice available to get some grey wool for an Aaron style jersey for Grandson Reuben. Eventually I gave up and took myself to Spotlight. There was plenty of choice there but it's not the same; this is an example of the disruption that has come to our quakey city.
I saw in the Press that the New Nurses Home is to be demolished. Unbelievable. In those far off days when I was a student nurse I started aged 17 years at a grand old house on Ensors Road, Opawa, moved from there to Burwood Nurses Home, stepped up further and moved into the city into the Old Nurses Home and eventually was senior enough to graduate to the lower floors of the New Nurses Home. As the years went by I went up to the 4th floor eventually to room 426 and it became my home.
Such stories I could tell! All of our class lived on the same floor, we were all close friends, life was great when lived together in this way.
Some of the girls smoked. Anna was one of them. She heard that the Home Sister, Sister Brathwaite, 'Poppy', was doing a room inspection so a quick tidy up and a whip around with the mop and all was good.
Later when she was walking past the broom cupboard she saw smoke coming out from under the door. Quick thinking she grabbed the mop, which had last been used to clean her floor, and thrust it under the cold tap in the bathroom.
When Anna reported the fire (following the 'wash your hands and tell Sister' rule) she became a hero to the hierarchy. She was to write a letter of her exploit and would later receive a reward for putting the fire out. No-one asked how it had started!
In the lounge we were all making suggestions as to what NOT to put in the letter and Anna was asking over the noise "Shall I write it to Poppy? Shall I write it to Poppy?" when in comes Poppy.
"No nurse" she said, "don't write it to me write it to the Board."
Hushed silence as it dawned on us that she knew her nick name!
Ah, things were so much more formal in those days.
Dear Poppy, she lent me money to go home on the Sunday morning Mum died, one could only get money from a bank in business hours in those days. That was kind and I have never forgotten it. I guess Poppy will have gone to her reward by now because that was almost 50 years ago and she seemed old to me at that time ~ but then I was only 19!
We polished our shoes and lined the path as Margaret's coffin was carried by. She should have graduated with us a few weeks later but was shot on the night of the ball.
Always called the New Nurses Home, I wonder how old the Old Nurses Home was because the new one was built in 1932!
Ginette was visiting the hospital last week and saw a ball and chain demolishing the New Nurses Home! How can it be, such a place packed with so many memories ending so ignominiously!
The city council are starting a campaign to lift the hearts of the people of Christchurch to a happier place.
As I said, let the campaign begin because I think we need it.
These figures became personal when I looked for my favourite shop to buy wool. I drove around the streets looking for an entrance to Peterborough Street, I want the best choice available to get some grey wool for an Aaron style jersey for Grandson Reuben. Eventually I gave up and took myself to Spotlight. There was plenty of choice there but it's not the same; this is an example of the disruption that has come to our quakey city.
I saw in the Press that the New Nurses Home is to be demolished. Unbelievable. In those far off days when I was a student nurse I started aged 17 years at a grand old house on Ensors Road, Opawa, moved from there to Burwood Nurses Home, stepped up further and moved into the city into the Old Nurses Home and eventually was senior enough to graduate to the lower floors of the New Nurses Home. As the years went by I went up to the 4th floor eventually to room 426 and it became my home.
Such stories I could tell! All of our class lived on the same floor, we were all close friends, life was great when lived together in this way.
Some of the girls smoked. Anna was one of them. She heard that the Home Sister, Sister Brathwaite, 'Poppy', was doing a room inspection so a quick tidy up and a whip around with the mop and all was good.
Later when she was walking past the broom cupboard she saw smoke coming out from under the door. Quick thinking she grabbed the mop, which had last been used to clean her floor, and thrust it under the cold tap in the bathroom.
When Anna reported the fire (following the 'wash your hands and tell Sister' rule) she became a hero to the hierarchy. She was to write a letter of her exploit and would later receive a reward for putting the fire out. No-one asked how it had started!
In the lounge we were all making suggestions as to what NOT to put in the letter and Anna was asking over the noise "Shall I write it to Poppy? Shall I write it to Poppy?" when in comes Poppy.
"No nurse" she said, "don't write it to me write it to the Board."
Hushed silence as it dawned on us that she knew her nick name!
Ah, things were so much more formal in those days.
Dear Poppy, she lent me money to go home on the Sunday morning Mum died, one could only get money from a bank in business hours in those days. That was kind and I have never forgotten it. I guess Poppy will have gone to her reward by now because that was almost 50 years ago and she seemed old to me at that time ~ but then I was only 19!
We polished our shoes and lined the path as Margaret's coffin was carried by. She should have graduated with us a few weeks later but was shot on the night of the ball.
Always called the New Nurses Home, I wonder how old the Old Nurses Home was because the new one was built in 1932!
Ginette was visiting the hospital last week and saw a ball and chain demolishing the New Nurses Home! How can it be, such a place packed with so many memories ending so ignominiously!
The city council are starting a campaign to lift the hearts of the people of Christchurch to a happier place.
As I said, let the campaign begin because I think we need it.
posted by ElizabethB | 5:09 PM
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