CHRISTMAS AT HOME FOR H.B. NURSE

Taupo Times, Volume 19, Issue 99, 23 December 1970, Page 9

CHRISTMAS AT HOME FOR H.B. NURSE

After two and a half years overseas, mostly in Canada, Miss Helen Masters arrived in Auckland on the liner Oriana last week to spend Christmas with her parents in Havelock North.

On her way home Miss Masters callecTat Taupo to see her Godfather, Mr K. C. H. Banks, of Chesham Avenue. A Registered Nurse, Miss Masters trained at the Wellington Hospital and graduated in 1964. She did a post graduate course at Middlemore Hospital, Auckland, before going to Canada Arriving at Vancouver, Miss Masters went straight to Toronto, where she spent a year working as a general duty staff nurse. For equality with Canadian registered nurse she had to sit a paediatric examination. She shared a high rise apartment with a friend. The monthly rental was $172 and the cost of living in Toronto was on a par with the wages earned, but second-hand cars were much cheaper by comparison with New Zealand. Miss Masters friend bought a second-hand car in which they travelled 20,000 miles in a year's sightseeing. On long weekends, usually four days, they went as far as time would allow, travelling many miles to see as much as possible and reaching Washington D.C. on one joint. Miss Masters, on a twoweek vacation, flew to Europe to spend five days with a Dutch family, and had

two days in Paris. There was not enough time for much sightseeing, but she saw the most important landmarks and paid a visit to the Louvre in Paris. DESOLATE AREA Her second year in Canada was spent nursing at St. Anthony Hospital, in northern New Foundland, a bleak desolate area. The hospital, of 180 beds, was the headquarters of the International Grenfell Association. The association was started about 50 years ago by Sir Wilfred Grenfell as a medical mission to provide medical attention to the people in the district. The service now cares for patients in New Foundland, Labrador and Quebec. The Grenfell Association operated with money supplied by the Federal Government, with help from the International Fund which is contributed to by Canada, U.S.A., Britain and Ireland and supplemented by voluntary donations by the citizens in the region. Five small hospitals and 14 nursing stations made up the group, which cared for most patients, but the very serious cases were flown to St Anthony. TWO SEASONS The air ambulance 'was equipped with floats, for landing on water in the summer, and skis for the winter time The winter in St Anthony was a long one with snow from December until mid-May, and daylight hours from about 9 a.m. till 4.30 p.m. Winter recreations included ice skating, snow shoeing and riding on skidoos. Fishing for small sea or brook trout in the ice was a popular pastime though it required hard work to start with, as the ice, of up to one foot thick, had to be chipped out with an ice pick, axe, or crowbar before fishing could start. The trout, much smaller than those in New Zealand, were caught on a hook baited with a piece of pork fat, attached to a piece of string tied to a stick. The fish were delicious fried in butter. Summer pastimes were mostly barbecues and Wiener roasts. It was still twilight at 10 p.m. and the sun rose about 3 a.m. which made spells of nursing night duty seem shorter. Miss Masters found that one nursing difference in Canada was the individual care of patients. The nurses had small groups of patients to care for under the supervision of a team leader. SAME NURSES Throughout their stay in hospital patients were cared

for by the same nurses all the time Canada had a scheme similar to New Zealand Social Security, called the Medicare Plan, which is a type of insurance for straight forward care. The scheme also carried a Government subsidy. Miss Masters flew to England from Gander Airport and had a month's holiday before embarking on the Oriana for the four week journey home. She is going to spend Christmas at home but is eager to get back to work. Her plans at the moment are uncertain.

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