Obituary SISTER BARBARA SMITH

Press, Volume C, Issue 29623, 20 September 1961, Page 2

Obituary SISTER BARBARA SMITH

Sister Barbara Smith, who was well known in the nursing profession, died in Hastings on Wednesday after a life dedicated to her work. Her death came after a fall at her home in Simla avenue. Havelock North.

She trained at the Christchurch Hospital, qualifying in 1934, and continued there as theatre staff nurse for some time. She then did her training in maternity nursing at the Alexandra Hospital, after which she worked for a period as theatre sister at Sister Kohn’s Hospital in Wellington. In 1938 she went to England and from early 1940 was a staff nurse on night duty at Guy’s Hospital, London. Here she did courageous work, sometimes walking through the blazing streets and falling bombs of the blitz to go on duty. One night of the blitz she saw a bomb fall down the lift well of the hospital and immediately set to work to carry children in the ward to safety. When Guy’s Hospital had to be evacuated to a rural area. Sister Smith joined the staff of the 8.8. C. and planned and established the medical services for the staff of the monitoring section housed in ducal residences in country areas, such as the Vale of Evesham and the Cotswolds. After nine years with the 8.8. C. she spent six months on a ranch in Argentina, and in 1949 returned to New Zealand to settle in Hastings, first on the staff of Royston Hospital and later in charge of the Pyretic Baths Clinic.

Royal Visit.—-When he left Bangkok, said the SecretaryGeneral of the South-east Asia Treaty Organisation (Mr Prote Sarasin) in Wellington yesterday, discussions were taking place concerning the visit of the King and Queen of Thailand to New Zealand next year He believed the month selected would probably be April —(PA.)