A NURSE'S LETTER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20112, 24 November 1928, Page 16

A NURSE'S LETTER.

Sir, —I beg of you to grant mo spare (hat 1 may put forward my version in regard to the treatment of Nurse Blackie at the hands of Ihe committee. I must say tho committee that dismissed Nurse Blackie are a very straight-laced, lot. To dismiss a girl from an honourable and noble career on such a trivial tiling as writing to and sending a prisoner a packet of cigarettes is saying little for English justice. 1 fail to understand why those who were on the committee should take such extreme measures in so small a thing, especially when they are reputed to be people of the world and (supposed to be) broad-minded. Is it a crime for a nurse to correspond with a prisoner arid thank him, by sending him smokes, when same prisoner had been such a helping hand to her, also to others. I Irnow Nurse Blackie to be a good-hearted ahd generous girl, and it is only natural for her to do such a thing, for in doing so she was showing her appreciation for the help that was given her. As to her coming in at 1.30 a.m. without leave, she paid the penalty for her misdeed by losing her day off and for a nurse to lose her day off is a severo punishment. When they pay the penally it should be sufficient, and they start with a clean sheet. Things like that happen in the majority of hospitals, big or small. I will now leave this to the public of Auckland to take up the cudgels on behalf of Nurse Blackie, and get her reinstated, and with honours, for I can assure voti all that in losing Nurse Blackie you arc losing a good, kind-hearted and attentive girl, who will (in time and given fair plav) prove herself a credit to tho hospital and a nurse's uniform. Fa m Play.