Burwood nurses graduate

Press, 2 June 1977, Page 9

Burwood nurses graduate

The nursing profession and the police had much in common, said the chief superintendent of the Christchurch police district (Mr G. E. Twentyman) at the graduation ceremony for 43 community nurses at Burwood Hospital on Tuesday. Working round the clock, facing crises at all times and working solely with people, who were often difficult to work with, were situations which faced staff in both fields, he said. Yet because they did work with people, nurses and police gained a tremendous sense of satisfaction from their jobs. "There are a lot of brick-bats, but there is also recognition,” said Mr Twentyman.

Both the police and nursing staff started to be organised in the nineteenth century in the United Kingdom; the police in 1827, by Sir Robert Peel, and nurses in 1854, when Florence Nightingale went to the Crimean War theatre, he said. Both developed according to the needs of society and were going to change m the future. Each has a rich heritage which nurses and police

must continue to build on, said Mr Twentyman. He welcomed the opportunity to pay homage to the nursing profession. “When you look at the history of nursing, it is a very rich heritage indeed.” he said. The principal nurse of Burwood Hospital (Miss A. D. Ensor) congratulated the graduands and told them that she wished them many things, but most of all she hoped that they would never lose their ability to care. The medical superinten-dent-in-chief (Dr L. McH. Berry), told the graduands that he hoped that they would go out and start to learn, now that they have the basics on which to build their learning. Forty-three community nurses graduated from the Christchurch School of Nursing, including Mr J. S. Chalklen, the only male graduand. Mrs Twentyman, who presented the nurses with their medals, also presented the special prizes. Both the theoretical prize and the practical prize were awarded to Miss Jennifer Anderson.