Notes from Nurses Abroad

Kai Tiaki : the journal of the nurses of New Zealand, Volume XXII, Issue 4, 1 November 1929, Page 211

Notes from Nurses Abroad

Nurse E. Wilson, formerly of Waikato Hospital, writes from Pietermaritzburg, Natal, where she went last year with a friend.

She says there were ten nurses on the "Beltana," five of whom disembarked at Durban, the remaining five going on to London. Owing to some difficulties over reciprocal registration between New Zealand and the Union of South Africa, they were not at first taken m the Durban Co-operation. However, on communicating direct with the Registrar of the Medical Council and sending their certificates they were registered for a fee of £2/10/- and they got work. They were warned not to invite other New Zealand nurses to come until negotiations were completed with the Xew Zealand Nurses' Registration Board. They then went to Maritzburg where they got plenty of work, mostly m the country and with good fees.

They then intend to travel to Johannesburg. Rhodesia and Kenya Colony. The country is so vast and extensive after our minute, but all important Island, and sometimes we are just hundreds of miles from a case. It gives us an opportunity of seeing this country at little cost.

Nurse Wilson gives an interesting account of the life m South Africa. Owing to native labour, even m the humblest

of homes, the nurses have nothing to do but attend to the patient.

Some native riots had been rather disturbing, and Europeans were warned to remain indoors at night.

The climate m winter was gorgeous. The tropical flowers and foliage are very gay. There were devastating hailstorms m Durban which smashed the windows of the hotel where they were, and the whole roof caved m, fortunately after they had gone downstairs, leaving all their belongings among the ruins.

News from Durban comes from Sister Fanning, who sent the annual report of the Society for the Protection of Child Life and the Lady Buxton Hospital. The Society is modelled on the Plunket Society, and the hospital was started by two New Zealand Plunket Nurses. Miss Mitchell is still matron, and Miss Fanning, who belongs to the Plunket Society here, has been on leave assisting Miss Mitchell for the last two years and taking charge during Miss Mitchell's leave of four months during which she acted as a delegate from South Africa to the Montreal Conference.

A letter from Nurse Charles, late of [nvercargill Hospital to Miss Keddie, of Waikato Hospital, is of great interest, especially m view of the disturbances m Palestine,

Nurse Charles was acting matron during the matron's six months' furlough of the Missios Hospital, at Nazareth. We have had previous letters from Xurse Charles. She writes of a very busy life, and says they have many very interesting surgical cases, one a large dermoid cyst m a blind Moslem girl of 18, who made a good recovery. Nurse Charles writes that on the matron's return from furlough, she (Nurse Charles) is to be married to a missionary m Transjordan. As she says, it will be quite a change from nursing, being a minister's wife, but that there will be plenty of medical work to do wherever one goes m this needy land. We hope to hear that Xurse Charles has come safely through all the troubles.

We hear from Nurse Gladys Wells from Canada. She and Xurse Miles, after an enjoyable voyage, spent three days m Vancouver, one m Winnipeg and then went on to the Mayo Bros.' Clinic m Rochester, when their three days were packed with interest. They were made very welcome to the clinic. They visited Chicago and Detroit, and then came on to London. Ontario, where they met Nurse Grimston, and accepted appointments at the Queen Alexandra Sanatorium five miles out of London, where there is a river Thames, very small, and many streets the same names as great London. Xurse says they cannot speak too highly of the kindness and hospitality of the Canadians. The country has been inundated with nurses, owing to the Montreal Conference. They got leave to attend the Conference and were present at the opening, when they claimed Miss B.icknell and were pleased to see her. Atfer, the Conference they went on to Quebec, Toronto and then on to Niagara Falls which Miss Wells says gave her more thrills than anything she has seen.

Later they go to Washington and New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sacramento, where they expect to see Miss McKettrick and Miss Galligan.

In another page there is an article contributed by the three nurses.

A very interesting* letter from Nurse Nan Douglas, of Waikato Hospital, who has been travelling m England, Scotland and abroad with her father. Dr. Douglas, and her mother and sisters, gives a graphic account of what she has seen. She writes from Moray, Invernesshire, and says this wee bit corner of the Highlands is beautiful beyond her powers of description. It was the day of the Moray sports, and the throwing of the caber the test of the strongest man present. The pipers were all out m full regalia and pipes played to the surroundings of sea, mountains, sunshine and heather are enough to stir the blood of any Scotsman or woman.

They had been to the Dundee Infirmary, which they found very interesting, and where each little department had a beautiful theatre of its own. A new maternity block with a sun verandah on which to put the babies. The children's ward had a concrete verandah on which the beds all run out during the day to get the sunlight. All the beds have a lever which lifts the end and enables the front wheels to run easily with very little pushing.

They had not gone thoroughly over the E'dingburgh Infirmary, but were to do so.

They had been through the Woolwich Memorial Hospital from the roof of which the view is glorious, and you see the immense city of London lying before you.

Man\ - other hospitals they visited, and were, intending to visit.

The)- had stayed m Paris m great luxury m a new hotel with bathrooms attached to each bedroom. They had played golf m Holy Island. They had seen Loch Leven Castle w r here young Douglas assisted Mary Queen of Scots to escape, and the spot where Prince Charlie landed m the 45.

Cathedrals and tombs they did very thoroughly, among others the magnificent Wells Cathedral and Notre Dame. So much they have seen and done that when they come back to New Zealand they will have much to tell.