Maureen Robertson, a Napier nurse, came up with the idea of a reunion and thought it was time to get the group back together and celebrate the milestone.
Sye said she was grateful to Robertson for including her in the organisation as it triggered many memories for her.
“There was a lot of nostalgia about our training days, and even after that 50-year lapse, there was a bond of friendship between the group of 13 who attended our lunch,” she said.
The original 1974 Hospital Nurse Prelim class consisted of male and female student nurses from Hastings, Napier and Wairoa, a mixture of ages and people at different stages in their lives, some straight from school and others more mature.
Sye said the classes were taught at the Tutorial Block in Napier Hospital. The group initially had training blocks where they learned the basics of bedside nursing, taking temperatures, blood, and everything else that came with being a nurse.
Nursing tutors and local medical doctors taught the class in their areas of speciality, medical, surgical and obstetrics.
Once they had the basic knowledge down, the students worked in their hometown hospitals under the supervision of nursing tutors and hospital staff to put into practice what they had learned.
“This was a very valuable learning curve, with experienced staff helping integrate us into the system.
“An 8-hour day in a busy ward soon got us up to speed, and we all had the common aim of giving good care and education to improve the health and wellbeing of our patients,” Sye said.
After three years, the class of 1975 graduated and became fulltime registered nurses, and some of the classmates eventually went their separate ways, until meeting again to celebrate being one of the last hospital nurse training classes in Hawke’s Bay.
