Nurses reunite after starting at Hawke’s Bay Memorial Hospital 60 years ago

A group of 25 nurses began their training at Memorial Hospital in Hawke's Bay 60 years ago.

“Bed stuffing”, starchy uniforms, lasting friendships and hard yakka were remembered at the Memorial Hospital nurses’ 60th anniversary.

With decades of service and countless procedures under their nurses’ belts, it’s fair to say this group has seen it all. Between them, they have administered thousands of injections, assisted with hundreds of surgeries and changed countless dressings and bedpans over the years.

But before they were the senior health professionals they are today, these women were trainee nurses, who began their training in 1964 at Hawke’s Bay’s Memorial Hospital. The work was hard and the discipline was strict but the group still knew how to have fun. Some of the trainees were known to sneak out of their dorm rooms at Russell Nurses’ Home, stuffing their beds to trick the patrolling sisters after curfew.

Twelve of the original 25 trainee nurses of Memorial Hospital’s 1964 class will meet at 2pm today to celebrate the 60th anniversary of their training. Sixty years on from the start of their training, on January 20, 1964, a lot has changed, reflects retired neurosurgical nurse Aileen Long.

“Twenty-five girls from all around the East Coast met for the first time at Russell Home to start their nursing career in 1964. Most of us were around 17 or 18 years old and were very naive with a lot to learn,” says Long.

The home sisters, Sister Couch and Sister Yates, would not allow men into the trainee nurses’ home. “Not even your father was allowed in,” says Long, and the trainees were required to wear uniforms whether on duty or off.

“The uniforms were so starched they had to be pulled apart before they could be worn – we also had white shoes which had to be kept spotlessly clean and our stockings had to have no ladders. In winter, we wore red capes to keep us warm.”

The home sisters were very strict. There were no male trainee nurses at Memorial Hospital at that time.

“You did what the ward sister and senior staff told you to do. When anyone more senior entered the room, we had to stand with our hands behind our backs.”

After the first three months of preliminary training, many of the young women found that the long hours of physical labour involved in nursing wasn’t for them and they left the profession.

“Night duty was difficult for a lot of girls. It was difficult for maintaining relationships as you were either tired or on duty. Our leave restrictions were limited. During preliminary training we had a curfew of 10pm and were allowed one 1.30am curfew per month for special occasions.

“Our rooms were checked to make sure we were in bed, so ‘bed stuffing’ became a great art form. The idea was to never get caught and the women on the ground floor, who had windows that opened, became your best friend when you needed to sneak in or out late.”

During their 3½ years of training, the group developed very strong relationships and maintained lifelong friendships.

“We were very social. Balls were the big social events, for which we spent hours getting ready to impress our partners. But we still had to be back in the home by 1.30am.”

Although many of the 1964 trainees have retired, one is still working. Anne Wootton (nee Crooks, known as Crookie), had time away to raise her family before retraining at EIT. She is still working in a surgical ward at Memorial Hospital today at the age of 77.

“Most of us are now retired, and this week we will remember the women who have passed away with great fondness,” Long said.

“We love getting together to remember those 3½ years of training. The discipline was hard at times and sometimes we wondered if it was worth the effort but, as the years go by, you remember the good times – and the friendships that have lasted all these years.”