Sylvan Spooner on Early Stalwarts in Nursing Care in Barbados

EARLY STALWARTS IN NURSING CARE IN BARBADOS

By, Sylvan Spooner

NURSE THELMA HAMBLIN

Born in 1915, Thelma Hamblin was educated at the St. Michael Girls School. After completing her exams, she joined the staff at the Barbados General Hospital on April 1st 1936. Hers was no foolhardy decision, although a few days later she was ‘shocked’ and her resolved tested when she caught glimpse of a cadaver for the first time in that hospital’s mortuary.[1] Shocked, but unperturbed, she continued on her path of care and service. Thelma had found her calling in caring.

Nurse Hamblin

In 1963, well into her career, she travelled to London’s Royal College for a ward sister’s course and visited numerous hospitals. While in London, she visited the 750-bed Aldershey Children’s Hospital at Liverpool and gained important insights into child care. Subsequent to her return home, she sought to implement many of those best practices she observed while in England.

Having spent the first 13 years of her career in adult nursing, in 1949 she was assigned to the pediatric ward of the General Hospital.[2] Altruistic to a fault, one of her fondest memories was an incident in 1961 when she successfully nursed a child, stricken with meningitis, back to health. By 1966 she was resident Sister at ward C7 providing care for 30 pediatric patients. Hers was a long career and the Gazette of 1969 listed her as still on the register of nurses and midwives.[3]

AURORA WALTERS

Another early beacon was Miss Aurora Editha Walters. She was the first Public Health Nurse at the Speightstown Health Center upon its opening in 1953. To prepare for this appointment she underwent training at the Public Health Training Center in Jamaica and then a 4 month stint in Trinidad as part of a BCG training campaign at the Caribbean Medical Center. Constraints on space do not permit an elaboration on the work performed by Miss Walters but by 1953/4 she had risen to the post of Senior Public Health Officer with responsibility for the parishes of St. Lucy, St. Peter, St. James, St. Andrew, St. Thomas and St. Joseph.

By 1966 she was supervisor of public health nurses and travelling extensively throughout the Caribbean as one of Barbados’ representatives for nursing.[4] Even though by then in the twilight of her career, she continued to express the need to promote public health awareness. In 1966, she was awarded the British Empire Medal for meritorious service[5] and later, in 1984, the Silver Crown of Merit.

GRACE BAYLEY

Miss Grace Adina Bayley was yet another care giver who made great contributions to the local and Caribbean nursing fraternity. Born on Trinidad on June 19^th 1915, she entered the profession at an early age and by 1940 she was serving as a Staff Nurse at the Port of Spain VD Clinic; a position she held from 1940 to 1944.[6] Excelling in that position, she was promoted to Sister in charge of the island’s southern division responsible for venereal disease and she held this position from late 1944 until 1949.

Nurse Bayley. Painting by Karl Broodhagen (1967)

In 1955, Miss Bayley was promoted to the post of Assistant Matron at the St. Ann’s Mental Hospital and continued in the position until 1959 when she was offered and accepted the post of Matron of the Mental Hospital at Black Rock in Barbados.[7] At the Mental Hospital she was considered to be the ultimate professional with a focus on quality and she immersed herself completely in her new role. Such was the respect with she commanded that according to one nurse 'whenever she passed through everyone used to be at attention because she had that kind of control’.

Ms.Hamblin, Ms.Walters and Ms. Bayley are but three nurses out of many who gave yeoman service to the health services to 1975. The work of many others has gone undocumented but importantly not unappreciated.

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[1]Cyralene Fields. ‘An Unsung Heroine in the Wards, Barbados Advocate, Jan 2nt 1966, p3.

[2] Ibid, 3.

[3] Official Gazette, Bridgetown  23^th January  1969, p83,

[4] “New back with new ideas” Barbados Advocate, Oct 4^th 1964 p29.

[5] Barbados Registered Nurses Association 50^th Anniversary Special, p36.
[6] Henry A. Guy.  Women in the Caribbean: A Record of Career Women in the Caribbean: Their Background, Services, and Achievements. p 140.
[7] Carlton N. Comma. Who’s who in Trinidad and Tobago. Port of Spain 1966, p51.