Staff Nurse Watson

When I finished my training in 1966, I went to Melbourne where I had quite an interesting career. I didn't enjoy Melbourne - a long story, which I may relate one day, but I left Mount Gambier in April 1966, and returned from Melbourne in January 1967 I think. This photo was taken on duty in the surgical ward (2B) I think, some time early in 1967.

I had decided to do Midwifery at Mount Gambier and was "marking time" while waiting for the course to start. I don't recall what happened - I think the nurse educator who was organised to run the training, changed directions and left the hospital, so I never did get to do Mid there, or anywhere else as it turned out.

Toby in WA

She wasn't on the train to Mount Gambier - we met up when we arrived. I can't remember a lot about the first few days - it seemed so much happened in such a short time.

We were shown to our rooms on the fourth floor of the nurses home, issued with our uniforms, and started to get to know the others in the group, and our new surroundings.

Our bedrooms were single rooms with a single bed, a wardrobe at the end of the bed, and along one wall was the desk come dressing table with drawers underneath. Each room had a heater - much needed in the cold winters of "the Mount", and most rooms had a wonderful view over Mount Gambier - especially wonderful on cloudy or foggy mornings when the steeples of the churches peeped through the clouds.

Our clean linen was provided each week, and we had to put our sheets and towels "out" on the appointed day, and clean ones would arrive in our rooms later. We had a "domestic" who cleaned our rooms, but we were expected to keep them clean and tidy ourselves. In fact from time to time there would be room inspections.

On each floor was an ample bathroom - with showers and two baths, a small laundry with a washing machine with wringer, and two ironing boards and irons. Also on each floor was a small kitchen with a stove and refrigerator, electric kettle, toaster with not much else. This was to cook snacks and brew our freqent cups of coffee.

There was a phone booth - and a lounge room, which had wonderful views over town, and a balcony that went around the town side of the building.

Fortunately there were lifts as well as stairs to all floors of the building.

I won't mention names here - at this point anyway, but I soon befriended one of my fellow trainees - whose nickname was Toby. We have remained friends even though
she lives in Western Australia and I live on the other side of the country in Queensland.

The first post

In January 1963, I travelled by train from Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, to the country town of Mount Gambier with about four other girls. We were in our late teens, and enthusiastically embarking on an amazing adventure. We had all enrolled to do our nursing training in the relatively new hospital at Mount Gambier.

Few of us really knew what we were getting ourselves into - we were filled with excitement and trepidation.

Not all that started this journey completed our training, but some did, and some of us have kept in touch over the years and several 'reunions' have been held in Adelaide.

Hopefully this site will reconnect many of us.